The Wellness Recovery Action Plan, almost always shortened to WRAP, is a structured self-management program developed in 1997 by Mary Ellen Copeland and a small group of people with lived experience of serious mental illness. It has since been studied in dozens of trials, taught to hundreds of thousands of people, and listed by SAMHSA as an evidence-based practice for mental health recovery.
WRAP is a written, personal plan in six parts that helps people identify what keeps them well, recognise warning signs early, respond to crises, and direct their own care during periods when they cannot.
The six sections of a WRAP plan
1. Wellness toolbox
A simple list of things that, in your experience, help you stay well. Examples: walking, calling a specific friend, taking medication on time, sleeping eight hours, attending a peer group, drawing. The toolbox is generated by the person, not prescribed by a clinician.
2. Daily maintenance plan
A description of what you are like when you are well, followed by the daily things you need to do to stay there. The "what I am like when well" part is more useful than it sounds — it gives you and your supports a clear baseline to compare against.
3. Triggers and action plan
External events that, in your experience, tend to destabilise you (anniversaries, conflict, sleep loss, financial stress) — and the specific actions you take when those events occur to keep yourself steady.
4. Early warning signs and action plan
The internal signs that things are starting to slip (sleeping less, hearing faint voices, feeling more suspicious, withdrawing). Early warning signs are different for everyone. The action plan describes what you commit to doing — calling your prescriber, increasing peer contact, reducing commitments — when those signs appear.
5. When things are breaking down
The plan for when symptoms are clearly active but you are still able to take action. This often involves contacting specific clinicians, increasing medication per a pre-arranged plan, or staying with a trusted person.
6. Crisis plan and post-crisis plan
Detailed instructions for others when you cannot direct your own care — who to call, what hospitals you do and do not want, what medications you tolerate, how you want to be communicated with, who is allowed information about you. The post-crisis plan is the bridge back to daily maintenance after a hospitalisation or acute episode. See our related guide on relapse prevention plans and psychiatric advance directives.
What the evidence says
SAMHSA lists WRAP in its Evidence-Based Practices Kit. Randomised trials, including a 2012 study by Cook and colleagues published in Schizophrenia Bulletin, have found that WRAP groups improve self-reported recovery, hope, and quality of life, and reduce symptom severity, compared with usual care. Effects are modest but real, and the program is low-cost and widely accessible.
How a WRAP is usually built
Most people write their first WRAP either with a peer-led WRAP facilitator or in a small group over several sessions. The plan is the person's own — facilitators do not write it for them. Once written, the plan is reviewed and updated periodically, particularly after a crisis or major life change.
Some people share their WRAP with family members, prescribers, or therapists. Others keep parts private. The crisis plan section, in particular, is most useful when at least one trusted person has a copy.
WRAP and clinical care
WRAP does not replace medication, therapy, or clinical follow-up. It complements them. A person with schizophrenia may take a long-acting injection, attend CBTp sessions, see a peer worker, and also have a WRAP that organises the day-to-day work of staying well. The plan is one of the few interventions that puts the person, rather than the system, at the centre.
Where WRAP fits with other frameworks
WRAP overlaps with the CHIME recovery framework (the empowerment dimension in particular), with Illness Management and Recovery, and with psychiatric advance directives. CHIME is conceptual; WRAP is practical. IMR is curriculum-based; WRAP is self-authored. They can be used together.
Starting a WRAP
To begin:
- Look up the official WRAP materials at wellnessrecoveryactionplan.com or via the Copeland Center.
- Search for a WRAP group in your area — many clubhouses, peer respite houses, and community mental health centres run them.
- If no group is available, the WRAP workbook is sold cheaply and can be done independently or with a clinician's support.
- Write a short version first. Plans grow over time; perfect is the enemy of done.
You are in crisis or at risk of harming yourself. A WRAP is a long-term tool; in an acute emergency, call 988 or your local emergency number.
Common pitfalls
- Writing it once and forgetting it. A WRAP that is not reviewed becomes outdated quickly.
- Skipping the crisis plan. The crisis section is harder to write but the most useful when needed.
- Letting a clinician write it for you. The plan loses its value if it is not your own words.
- Not sharing it with anyone. A crisis plan no one knows about cannot work.
Further reading
See our companion pieces on Mary Ellen Copeland and the origins of WRAP, the SAMHSA recovery pillars, and crisis coping plan templates.
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.