Table 1.

Objectives and descriptions of We-Care-Well: recovery workshop series for caregivers.

Overall workshop series objectives
- Learn about recovery-oriented principles to promote and reinforce self-care, resilience, and strengths as family caregivers.
- Understand how to leverage recovery perspectives and principles to navigate around, or even navigate through challenges and barriers within the caregiving role.
- Share practical, actionable skills and strategies that support mental health as caregivers.
Topic	Description	Key discussion question(s)
Caregiver recovery	Participants are introduced to the CHIME Framework—Connection, Hope, Identity, Meaning and Empowerment—for personal recovery (26) and explore with each other the different ways to integrate these elements in their caregiving journeys.	• What does “recovery” mean to you? • What are some challenges and barriers you face as a caregiver? • What self-care strategies do you use? • What type of communication strategies do you use in your role as a caregiver?
Non-violent communication (NVC) in caregiving	Participants learn about the Non-violent Communication model (36) and how to apply it in their caregiving role. Guided by a trained-practitioner, participants practice the four principles of NVC: Observation, Feeling, Need, and Request.	• 4-step process of the nonviolent communication model: ○ Observation ○ Feeling ○ Need ○ Request
Mental Health Act and your role as the substitute decision maker	Facilitated by a Bioethicist, participants discuss and explore how to advocate for themselves and the persons they are caring for, in the mental health care system by demystifying the Mental Health Act.	• As caregivers, how do we navigate making difficult decisions for our care recipients? • What are your personal core values? How do these apply as powers of attorney or substitute decision-makers?
Compassionate care	The focus of this workshop is on self-care and self-compassion as a holistic practice. Literature has shown that self-compassionate people tend to elicit increased care and support in their relationships with others (37). Here participants share strategies on how to care for physical, emotional, mental, spiritual, financial, and social wellbeing.	• As caregivers, how can we acknowledge our feelings, and practice self-compassion & self-care? • Has anyone experienced compassion fatigue? What was that experience like?
Creative storytelling	Participants are introduced to different approaches to express and share their recovery journeys and lived experiences with other family members and caregivers e.g., Photovoice, which is a health promotion and research approach that empowers caregivers to “identify, represent, and share their realities/experiences through their photos”. This offers fellow caregivers and other individuals the unique opportunity to “see” the relevant challenges from the caregivers' viewpoints (38), and elicit conversations that may bring about changes.	• If you were writing a book about yourself, what would the title be? • Why is storytelling important for Personal Recovery? • How can we effectively create and tell our recovery stories?