Perceptions of Mental Health Recovery among Social Work Students: A Descriptive Qualitative Study

Mental health recovery has transitioned from a biomedical model focused on symptom resolution and premorbid functioning to a recovery-oriented paradigm that prioritises rights, collaboration, and personal definitions of wellness. This qualitative descriptive study explored social work undergraduates’ perceptions of mental health, their interactions with people living with mental health conditions, and their conceptualisation of recovery. Guided by a subjectivist epistemology, the study addressed critiques of the biomedical model for overlooking cultural and individual perspectives. Seventeen participants, recruited through convenience and snowball sampling from October 2022 to September 2023, participated in semistructured interviews. The data were analysed thematically using Braun and Clarke’s framework. The overarching theme, “Demystifying Mental Health: Understanding, Perception, and the Journey to Healing”, was supported by four themes that reflected students’ growing awareness of empathy, resilience, and the multifaceted nature of recovery. Findings revealed a strong clinical orientation in students’ views of recovery, with less emphasis on holistic, person-centred approaches. The authors recommend integrating personal recovery concepts into curricula, expanding experiential learning opportunities, and promoting interdisciplinary collaboration. These findings offer key implications for curriculum development, preparing future social workers to deliver culturally sensitive, recovery-oriented mental health care in diverse sociocultural contexts in Singapore.IMPLICATIONS Integrating Western and Asian notions of clinical and personal recovery in Singapore’s social work education fosters person-centred practice and prevents depersonalised views of mental health users.Structured field practicum and community-based engagement enhance undergraduates’ hands-on experience and deepen their understanding of recovery-oriented, person-centred mental health care.Experiential tools like role-plays, simulations, and AI learning enhance empathy and active listening, and bridge undergraduates’ theory–practice gap.Universities can partner with mental health professionals and individuals with lived experience through guest lectures, joint projects, and interdisciplinary teaching.