Mary Ellen Copeland, Ph.D., is a mental health advocate, author, educator, and psychiatric survivor. Her life’s work has significantly impacted psychiatrically diagnosed Vermonters and the mental health community in the state and beyond, making her personal recovery and professional success a model for all.

Born in 1940 in Vermont, Copeland experienced her first mental health crisis in her early 20s. Over the years, she experienced major depression, psychosis, suicidality, and mania. Copeland was hospitalized several times, overmedicated, mis-medicated, and misdiagnosed. Obviously, she struggled deeply with and within the psychiatric system. Owing to her incredible spirit, self-awareness, and ability to surround herself with supporters, she did not succumb to her negative thought cycles or a narrative of hopelessness. Instead, she created and inspired grassroots movements for change. Listen to Copeland concisely tell her own story:

(Copeland, 2007, April 27)

Mental health professionals routinely told her recovery was not possible, but Copeland disagreed. She set out to “learn about recovery from those in recovery” (Hepburn, 2022). In 1997, she began developing the Wellness Recovery Action Plan (WRAP), a self-help mental health recovery system. According to the Copeland Center’s website,

The Wellness Recovery Action Plan (WRAP®) is a personalized wellness and recovery system born out of and rooted in the principle of self-determination. WRAP® is a wellness and recovery approach that helps people to: 1) decrease and prevent intrusive or troubling feelings and behaviors; 2) increase personal empowerment; 3) improve quality of life; and 4) achieve their own life goals and dreams. (About the Copeland Center, n.d.).

The program has since been adopted by mental health organizations worldwide and is taught in peer-led workshops and support groups. Its effectiveness in assisting people with various mental health challenges, such as depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), is well-documented. In 2003, Copeland and other folks in recovery and supportive allies founded the Copeland Center for Wellness and Recovery “to promote mental health recovery through education, training, and research based on WRAP” (About the Copeland Center, n.d.).

Sarah Price Hancock, in her podcast series on Emotional Self-Reliance, speaks in-depth and personally about the power of using WRAP. The series is a treasure trove of content, and I recommend starting with episode 6: What is a Wellness Recovery Action Plan (WRAP)-Part 1 below (then listen to Part 2):

6: What is a wellness recovery action plan (WRAP)-Part 1 | emotional Self-Reliance. (2019, January 16). PodBean. https://esrpodcast.podbean.com/e/0006-wellness-recovery-action-plan-wrap-part-1/

Copeland has always known the value of shared resources, mutual support, and fostering community and solidarity. From its inception, WRAP has been about building relationships and leveraging knowledge. She remarks that she had no idea what she was doing when her research began. Nevertheless, she kept collaborating, crowdsourcing, and iterating until the program incorporated the myriad tools that helped others recover. This quality is indicative of her skilled leadership:

And if you want to be a leader, part of what you need to do is leverage the tools you’ve got, the people you have and the momentum you have to do something that might not be comfortable and might not be fun, but at least takes you to a new place in a way that’s productive and useful. (Raz, 2014, January 17)

According to Kendra Cherry, “Democratic leaders offer guidance to group members, but they also participate in the group and allow input from other group members” (Cherry, 2019, May 20). Copeland’s participative leadership style, also known as democratic leadership, is evidenced by her emphasis on peer support, collaboration, and her own active participation in the program she developed.

WRAP has expanded well beyond the borders of Vermont, reaching a global audience and impacting the lives of countless people. WRAP is more than just a self-help program; it represents a paradigm shift in mental health treatment and recovery. However, Copeland could not have done it alone. The program’s enduring success resulted from her humility and willingness to lean on others when she needed help. Copeland frequently references her “need to have a structured support system that [she] can call on when the going gets tough, as well as to share the good times” (Copeland, 1994, Winter). According to Sivers (2010), a successful movement requires a leader who inspires others and creates an environment that encourages participation. He emphasizes, “If you really care about starting a movement, have the courage to follow and show others how to follow” (Sivers, 2010, Feb.). If Copeland’s humility is one source of her strength, the other is her commitment to building an empathetic community.

WRAP Crisis Plan Template [ Illustration]. (n.d.) Lmhca, L. B. M. (2023, February 9). LindsayBraman.com. LindsayBraman.com. https://lindsaybraman.com/crisis-plan/

Copeland’s work also demonstrates spiritual leadership. This leadership style emphasizes the interconnectedness of all beings, compassion, social justice, and the importance of nurturing relationships. Copeland’s approach to mental health advocacy and the development of WRAP aligns with the ethos of spiritual leadership by creating a space for empathy, communication, vulnerability, and mutual support. Indeed, Copeland spent years doggedly “taking [her] whole self, throwing her [whole] self, into what [she was] trying to understand” (Belenky, 1996, Spring/Summer).

Her story echoes the themes from Issa Nyaphaga’s TED Talk, A Lifelong Struggle for Freedom of Expression, who shared that “life is not a goal that you achieve…life is a journey along the way with…obstacles. I recommend that you keep moving. Be better today than you were yesterday and greater tomorrow than you are today” (Nyaphaga, 2018, Jan. 30). Like Nyaphaga, Copeland used her personal struggles as a catalyst for change to become an influential leader, never giving up even while sometimes experiencing her own extreme mental health difficulties. To be sure, “In a world full of problems, we need the kind of leadership that can see beyond one set of problems to the relationships between the problems we are facing” (Women’s Theological Center, n.d.). Because of her vulnerability and vision, Copeland has created an environment where folks can feel seen, heard, and understood.

In the video below, Mary Ellen Copeland provides a step-by-step description of the WRAP:

Mary Ellen Copeland. (2022, May 25). Wrap: Full description of the wellness recovery action plan [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qxPKkSMU9bA

Copeland’s work has greatly impacted the lives of diagnosed Vermonters, offering valuable resources, education, and advocacy that have led to a more inclusive and compassionate mental health system in the state and outside of it. Her emphasis on peer support, collaboration, and personal empowerment has fostered community and solidarity. As a psychiatric survivor, Copeland represents diagnosed individuals and psychiatric survivors by creating a platform that helps break down stigma and prioritizes their voices, experiences, and needs. Through the development and promotion of WRAP, she has offered a valuable resource that validates and empowers those struggling with mental health challenges.

In the face of a psychiatric establishment that often operates by stripping folks of their autonomy and hope, Copeland’s work of bringing diagnosed people into the presence of their power sends a potent message that recovery is possible, especially when we show up for each other.

References

6: What is a wellness recovery action plan (WRAP)-Part 1 | emotional Self-Reliance. (2019, January 16). PodBean. https://esrpodcast.podbean.com/e/0006-wellness-recovery-action-plan-wrap-part-1/

About the Copeland Center. (n.d.). Copeland Center for Wellness and Recovery. https://copelandcenter.com/about

Belenky, M. (1996, Spring/Summer). Women & “public homeplace”: An interview with Mary Field Belenky. Counterpoint XII: 2, 4-5, 22.

Cherry, K. (2019, May 20). Leadership styles and frameworks you should know. https://www.verywellmind.com/leadership-styles-279531

Copeland, M.E. (1994, Winter). Getting well. Counterpoint X: 3, 14-15, 22.

Copeland, M.E. [virtualward]. (2007, April 27). Mary Ellen Copeland part 1 of 2 [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/JOH5fps4Vpo

Hepburn, S. (2022). Doctors told her there was no hope for recovery, so she created a recovery plan for herself and others. #CrisisTalk. https://talk.crisisnow.com/doctors-told-her-there-was-no-hope-for-recovery-so-she-created-a-recovery-plan-for-herself-and-others/

Lmhca, L. B. M. (2023, February 9). Creating a crisis plan: A free printable worksheet for safety planning – LindsayBraman.com. LindsayBraman.com. https://lindsaybraman.com/crisis-plan/

Mary Ellen Copeland. (2022, May 25). Wrap: Full description of the wellness recovery action plan [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qxPKkSMU9bA

Nyaphaga, I. (2018, Jan. 30). A lifelong struggle for freedom of expression [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/gr9aj_LV3I8

Raz, G. (Host).  (2014, January 17). Seth Godin: Can ordinary people become leaders? [Radio broadcast]. NPR. http://www.npr.org/2014/01/17/261096538/can-ordinary-people-become-leaders

Sivers, D. (2010, Feb.). Derek Sivers: How to start a movement [Video]. TED Conferences. https://www.ted.com/talks/derek_sivers_how_to_start_a_movement?language=en

Women’s Theological Center. (n.d.). What Is spiritual leadership? https://drive.google.com/file/d/1qyGbkg8E_j78dtPTzCtHfrmkRBavzl0g/view

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APA cite in text as: (Hein, 2023)

APA cite in full References as: Hein, E. (2023). Mary Ellen Copeland–It’s a WRAP! Vermont Psychology. https://wp.me/p4elXk-Qb

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Elijah Hein traded start-ups in Los Angeles for organic vegetable farming in Southern Vermont. He lives in Shaftsbury with his partner, two dogs, and three miniature horses. When not pondering the psychological and metaphysical, he enjoys learning new languages, going to concerts, and smelling good.