Recovery International
BETTER. MENTAL. HEALTH.
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
Recovery International (RI) was founded in 1937 to help people recovering from mental illness transition from hospitalization back into the community, and to help eliminate the stigma of mental illness. The organization evolved to create self-help tools based on cognitive behavioral techniques and developed a training program for peer leaders, long before this became a norm. Today, RI's volunteers and staff run more than 400 meetings per week, helping tens of thousands of people achieve better mental health.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Community Meetings
Recovery, Inc. is an international nonprofit community-based organization that makes available a self-help method to reduce suffering and improve mental health through weekly group meetings. Community Meetings are led by trained Peer Leaders who are skilled in the Recovery Method. More than 400 meetings are held each week in major cities throughout the United States, Canada, Ireland and other locales.
Recovery International
Recovery International (RI) promotes mental health through cognitive behavior intervention techniques developed by Abraham Low, MD. Since 1937, The RI method has helped a million+ people achieve symptom relief and gain control of their lives. RI offers peer-led support group meetings and trains people to use specific self-help techniques found in RI literature.
Led by trained volunteers, our group meetings provide participants with direct intervention and support. RI operates hundreds of community, telephone, chatroom, and online meetings located in communities worldwide. RI benefits participants regardless of age, socioeconomics, culture or mental health issues. We do not charge fees for services, rather, encourage contributions and do not reject anyone due to inability to pay.
Outside of meetings, RI members utilize reading materials that teach participants to spot triggers and moderate reactions to daily stressors. This twofold solution provides symptom relief for most mental heal
Telephone, Web and Chat Meetings
Telephone, Web and Chat meetings are community meetings via technology for those who do not have access to a local meeting. Experienced moderators lead examples, and participants provide spots. More than 90 meetings are held each week at various times. Pre-registration is required--see our website for details.
Veteran's Initiative
Developed in response to requests from participants, RI is introducing its programs for Veterans. These pilot programs will help us develop and expand the number of meetings serving Veterans in the future, enabling those who have served our country to benefit from RI's tools to combat depression, PTSD and suicidal ideations.
Power Your Mind – youth/teen program
Our new teen/young adult program uses graphic novel images in an 8-part workshop available to youth groups in faith-based communities, after-school programs, schools or home-schoolers. See www.poweryourmind.org for more information.
Where we work
External reviews
Goals & Strategy
Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
Our goal is to provide people practical cognitive behavioral tools and techniques that can relieve symptoms caused by the trivialities faced in everyday life. We want people to experience immediate relief through interaction with peers who demonstrate that there are no hopeless cases in achieving mental health.
We use a 4 step process of cognitive behavioral techniques that immediately equips any individual to change their thoughts; learning that impulses and thoughts can be controlled.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
We provide low-cost programs to reach people in need. Community meetings allow people to meet face-to-face with others who have achieved success using the RI method. Telephone, web, chat and Facebook meetings allow people who cannot attend community meetings to benefit from our programs. Our new Veteran's Initiative (piloted in 2018) was developed in response to feedback from participants requesting Veterans-only meetings to deal with specific needs. We have also created The Power To Change program for youth, which has been tested in the Chicago and San Diego school systems and is ready to be distributed on a broader basis. A program for inmates was also tested in the LA County Jail, and is available for use. Our materials have been translated into Spanish and French, with very active groups in Puerto Rico and Montreal.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
We have an 80-year track record of delivering programs through a well-established network of more than 500 trained volunteers. Our program succeeds because the method is highly structured and follows a specific format. We offer tools and help for those who are dealing with stress, anxiety, depression, anger, suicidal ideations or who have been diagnosed with various forms of mental illness.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
We have been able to facilitate more than 400 weekly meetings with thousands of leaders actively working on their mental health through leadership roles. We have standardized our training. We have been able to expand to phone groups which are our fastest growing meetings. We are working on expanding online groups as we continue to train people in using the technology.
Future plans include expanding the Veteran's Initiative and the school program, translating materials into more languages for distribution in LA County, and various outreach initiatives to help more professionals learn of our programs. Our programs serve as an adjunct to professional care for thousands of people, and we need to build awareness among the current generation of psychologists, psychiatrists, and social workers so that they may continue to refer people to our program.
How we listen
Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.
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How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?
To identify and remedy poor client service experiences, To inform the development of new programs/projects, To identify where we are less inclusive or equitable across demographic groups, To strengthen relationships with the people we serve, To understand people's needs and how we can help them achieve their goals
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Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?
We collect feedback from the people we serve at least annually, We take steps to get feedback from marginalized or under-represented people, We aim to collect feedback from as many people we serve as possible, We take steps to ensure people feel comfortable being honest with us, We look for patterns in feedback based on demographics (e.g., race, age, gender, etc.), We look for patterns in feedback based on people’s interactions with us (e.g., site, frequency of service, etc.), We engage the people who provide feedback in looking for ways we can improve in response, We act on the feedback we receive, We tell the people who gave us feedback how we acted on their feedback, We ask the people who gave us feedback how well they think we responded
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What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?
It is difficult to get the people we serve to respond to requests for feedback, The people we serve tell us they find data collection burdensome, It is difficult to find the ongoing funding to support feedback collection, Staff find it hard to prioritize feedback collection and review due to lack of time
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
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- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
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Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
Recovery International
Board of directorsas of 03/02/2022
Joanne Lampey
Retired
Term: 2016 - 2023
Nicole Cilento
Hal Casey
Michelle Barker
Judith Bakke
Howard Gold
Phyllis Berning
Dianne Clar
Marilyn Schmitt
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
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Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Yes -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes -
Board performance
Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? Yes
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
Gender identity
Transgender Identity
Sexual orientation
Disability
We do not display disability information for organizations with fewer than 15 staff.
Equity strategies
Last updated: 02/28/2022GuideStar partnered with Equity in the Center - an organization that works to shift mindsets, practices, and systems to increase racial equity - to create this section. Learn more
- We review compensation data across the organization (and by staff levels) to identify disparities by race.
- We ask team members to identify racial disparities in their programs and / or portfolios.
- We analyze disaggregated data and root causes of race disparities that impact the organization's programs, portfolios, and the populations served.
- We disaggregate data to adjust programming goals to keep pace with changing needs of the communities we support.
- We employ non-traditional ways of gathering feedback on programs and trainings, which may include interviews, roundtables, and external reviews with/by community stakeholders.
- We have long-term strategic plans and measurable goals for creating a culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.
- We use a vetting process to identify vendors and partners that share our commitment to race equity.
- We have a promotion process that anticipates and mitigates implicit and explicit biases about people of color serving in leadership positions.
- We seek individuals from various race backgrounds for board and executive director/CEO positions within our organization.
- We have community representation at the board level, either on the board itself or through a community advisory board.
- We help senior leadership understand how to be inclusive leaders with learning approaches that emphasize reflection, iteration, and adaptability.
- We measure and then disaggregate job satisfaction and retention data by race, function, level, and/or team.
- We engage everyone, from the board to staff levels of the organization, in race equity work and ensure that individuals understand their roles in creating culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.