This presentation outlines the implications of psychiatric disability recovery for mental health systems and programs. Schizophrenia and other serious psychiatric disabilities have been viewed as irreversible illnesses with increasing disability over time. Mental health program planning, policies, and practices have been developed and implemented to support this uncompromisingly negative view of the predicted outcome for people with psychiatric disability. Current research studies report that one-half to two-thirds of people with serious mental illness significantly recover over time. Because of this new and hopeful possibility of recovering, a shift in how systems, programs, and people assist people is required. The first recommendation made is that recovering and the values that support recovering must be strongly affirmed and explicitly identified in the mission statement of the system or program. Additionally, goals and services that support recovering should be identified and affirmed in the mission statement. Along with this, the principles that support the values, goals, and services should be identified and affirmed, as well as cautions in implementing recovering models. Finally, the provision of education and the support of qualitative and quantitative research efforts are essential in assisting people to deal with the barriers and to build in the facilitators. (GCP)