WRAP (Wellness Recovery Action Plan): the five key concepts in depth

The Wellness Recovery Action Plan (WRAP) is a peer-developed, structured self-management approach created in 1997 by Mary Ellen Copeland, a mental health survivor and educator. WRAP began as a series of workshops by and for people with serious mental illness. It has since been studied in randomised trials, recognised by SAMHSA as an evidence-based practice, and used by hundreds of thousands of people in dozens of countries. Its core idea is simple: most of the wisdom needed for recovery already exists inside the person who is recovering. WRAP is the structure for getting that wisdom onto paper.

The five key concepts

Underneath every WRAP plan are five values that the programme teaches as the foundation of recovery:

• Hope. The belief that recovery is possible — that whatever has happened, there is a path to a meaningful life. This often has to be borrowed from others before it can be owned.
• Personal responsibility. Taking the lead, in partnership with whoever is helping. Recovery cannot be done to a person; it is done by them with support.
• Education. Learning about your own condition, the treatments available, and what works for you specifically.
• Self-advocacy. Asking for what you need from clinicians, family, employers, and systems — and being heard.
• Support. Building a network of people, professional and personal, who help you stay well and who you help in turn.

The six sections of a WRAP plan

Section 1: Wellness toolbox

A list of things that help the person feel well or stay well. Not a generic list — a personal one. Examples that show up in real plans: a 20-minute walk, a particular friend's voice, a specific song, a photograph, a cup of tea at a specific time of day, a brief journaling routine. The toolbox is the raw material every other section draws on.

Section 2: Daily maintenance plan

Two parts. First, a description of what the person is like when they are well — to give themselves and their supporters a baseline. Second, a list of daily activities that keep them there: medication, sleep schedule, eating, movement, social contact. Some plans add a third part: things to do most days, and things to do occasionally.

Section 3: Triggers and what to do

Specific external events that historically have made things worse — anniversaries, family conflict, news events, season changes. Each trigger gets a paired action drawn from the toolbox. The point is to anticipate, not to react.

Section 4: Early warning signs and what to do

Subtle internal changes that signal things are starting to shift — sleeping less, eating less, voices getting louder, increased irritability, social withdrawal. Each early warning sign is paired with a specific response: a phone call to a named person, an extra dose of a sleep medication if prescribed, a contact with a clinician, a return to a particular toolbox item.

Section 5: When things are breaking down

The middle ground between "warning" and "crisis." Symptoms are clearly impairing, but the person is still able to act on their own behalf with help. The plan specifies exactly what to do — and crucially, what others are asked to do.

Section 6: Crisis plan and post-crisis plan

The crisis plan is what the person wants to happen if they can no longer make decisions for themselves: who to call, where to go, what medications they will and will not accept, what hospitals they prefer, who can speak for them. It functions like a values-driven psychiatric advance directive (see our psychiatric advance directives article).

The post-crisis plan is often forgotten and is one of WRAP's quiet contributions. It addresses the days and weeks after a crisis ends: who needs to be contacted, what bills need attention, what work or family conversations need to happen, what self-care is most important during recovery, and how to begin updating the WRAP itself based on what was learned.

How a WRAP plan is built

The plan can be developed individually, with a peer, or in a facilitated WRAP group typically lasting eight to twelve weekly sessions. Facilitators are trained through a programme run by the Copeland Center for Wellness and Recovery. Many facilitators are themselves people with lived experience.

What the evidence says

WRAP has been tested in several randomised controlled trials, including a multi-site study by Cook and colleagues. Findings include reduced symptoms, improved hope, and improved self-perceived recovery. The effects are modest but meaningful and durable, and WRAP is listed in the SAMHSA registry of evidence-based programmes. WRAP does not replace medication or other treatment; it complements them.

What WRAP does well

• Centres the person's own knowledge and preferences
• Produces a concrete, written plan that can be shared with supporters
• Is portable — the same plan can be used across settings and clinicians
• Strengthens hope through the act of writing one's own recovery
• Includes peer support as a structural element rather than an add-on

What it is less suited for

• People in acute crisis — the work requires reflective capacity
• People who want a clinician to design their plan rather than co-create it
• People who find writing or structured exercises particularly hard — though facilitators can adapt

Who tends to benefit

• People with serious mental illness who are reasonably stable and want a written plan they own
• People newly out of hospital who want to consolidate a relapse-prevention approach
• People who value peer connection and are open to group work
• Family members and carers — there are WRAP versions for caregivers and for specific populations

How to start a WRAP

• Find a local WRAP facilitator through the Copeland Center directory or your community mental health centre
• Attend an eight- to twelve-week WRAP group, usually free or low cost
• For self-directed work, the workbook can be obtained through the Copeland Center
• Many peer-run organisations and clubhouses offer WRAP groups

How WRAP relates to other tools

• Versus IMR. IMR is clinician-led and broader; WRAP is peer-led and focused on planning. Many people use both — see our IMR module-by-module deep dive.
• Versus a psychiatric advance directive. The crisis section of a WRAP can serve a similar function and is often easier to write.
• Versus a relapse prevention plan. Sections 3–5 of WRAP overlap with standard relapse prevention; WRAP wraps it inside a wider wellness frame.

The big picture

WRAP turned the abstract idea of recovery into something a person can hold in their hands. The plan is not magic; the plan is a written record of what the person has learned about themselves and what they want others to know. For many people with serious mental illness, the act of writing that record — of being treated as the expert on their own life — is itself the start of recovery.

This article is for educational purposes only and is not medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult a qualified mental health professional. If you or someone you know is in crisis, call or text 988 in the US, or your local emergency number.