Illnesses don't recover. People do.
Pat Deegan's Recovery Approach focuses on the person instead of the illness and offers hope-filled tools, technologies and training for people, families and providers. Using Pat's Approach, people can get and keep the life they want, and staff gain the knowledge and skills for practicing true recovery-oriented care.

Pat Deegan: Disruptive Innovator
Patricia E. Deegan Ph.D. is the founder of Pat Deegan & Associates (PDA). For over 30 years Pat has been a thought leader and disruptive innovator in the field of behavioral health recovery.
Pat Deegan's Recovery Approach includes the award-winning CommonGround Software, Recovery Academy, Medication Empowerment, Certified Personal Medicine Coaching and the Hearing Distressing Voices Simulation.
Pat is an activist in the survivor movement and has lived her own journey of recovery after being diagnosed with schizophrenia as a teenager.
She has held several academic appointments, has numerous publications, and has carried a message of hope for recovery to audiences around the world.
In the Spotlight...
June 2023

Accompanying People on the Journey to Use Meds Optimally to Support Recovery
June 13, 2023
Pat Deegan will present a virtual Keynote Address for the Annual Statewide OCEACT Conference. She will present a new framework for understanding and supporting folks in using psych meds to help get the life they want.

The Owl and Me: Recovery Across the Lifespan
June 21, 2023
Pat Deegan will present a virtual Keynote Address for the Mercy Care AZ Connections Conference. She will share stories of her own recovery after being diagnosed with schizophrenia as a teenager. Pat will describe specific challenges on the journey of recovery and will discuss strategies she has used to overcome these challenges.

The Power of Personal Medicine: Moving Through the Challenges
June 21, 2023
Allison Stiles and Missy Rufo will host 2 workshops at the Connections Conference for families and members in the Mercy Care AZ Network. They will explore and discover how to use Personal Medicine in moving through challenges.

The Power of Personal Medicine: A Pathway to Recovery
June 22, 2023
Allison Stiles and Missy Rufo will host a workshop at the Connections Conference for providers in the Mercy Care AZ Network. They will explore and discover how to use Personal Medicine in their own lives to connect with their inner wisdom and healer.
In the Media...

The Me You Can't See
Pat sat down with Oprah and Prince Harry to discuss mental health recovery.

Anderson Cooper
Anderson Cooper tried Pat's Hearing Distressing Voices Simulation. Pat and Anderson chatted about his experience.

Psychiatric Services: Podcast
Pat joined Lisa Dixon, MD to discuss Pat's recent publication: The Journey To Use Medications Optimally to Support Recovery.

Unapologetically Black Unicorns
Pat sat down with Keris Jän Myrick on her Podcase Unapologetically Black Unicorns to discuss how Representation and Intentions Matter