Background: While some studies have examined recovery in relation to specific contexts (e.g. housing and work), few have looked in detail at the social and environmental conditions in which recovery occurs.
Aims: To explore the relationship between the recovery of people receiving community mental health services and the places in which they live; to generate knowledge concerning aspects of locality which impact on recovery.
Method: Grounded theory methodology was employed as a framework for collecting and analysing qualitative data. The study incorporated aspects of Photovoice ( Lopez et al., 2005 ) and ethnography.
Results: Four overlapping theoretical accounts are presented. These are: housing, space and agency; representations of social identity; natural environments; and replacement communities.
Conclusions: Recovery can be understood as a variety of interacting ecological processes occurring in the context of the social, economic and physical environment. This offers new ways of thinking about recovery-orientated services.