Evidence Base
We know that Recovery Camp has a profound effect on all who attend!
Published, peer-reviewed research shows that Recovery Camp increases student clinical confidence and clinical competence and decreases stigmatising attitudes, compared to other workplace experience placements.

Awards
Recovery Camp has received a number of awards:
- 2020, Certificate of High Commendation, Mental Health Matters Award, WayAhead - Mental Health Association NSW
- 2018 Outstanding Contribution to Teaching and Learning Awards, Vice Chancellor's Awards, UOW
- 2017 Citation for Outstanding Contributions to Student Learning, The Australian Government, Department of Education and Training, Australian Awards for University Teaching
- 2016 Mental Health Award for Education, Training or Workforce Development, The Australian and New Zealand Mental Health Awards
- 2016 Excellence in Interdisciplinary Research, Vice Chancellor's Awards, UOW
- 2016 Community Engagement Award, Vice Chancellor's Awards, UOW
- 2015 Outstanding Achievement in Education, Australian College of Educators Awards
- 2013 The Australian College of Mental Health Nurses Partnerships in Wellbeing Award in recognition of an innovative, partnership program
Publications
- Hall, R., Moxham, L., Perlman, D., & Tapsell. A. (2020). Non-conventional clinical placements and the experience of the facilitator: a phenomenology study. Journal of Mental Health Training, Education and Practice. Accepted for publication.
- Tapsell, A., Patterson, C., Moxham, L., & Perlman, D. (2020). Informing Work Integrated Learning through Recovery Camp International Journal of Work-Integrated Learning. Accepted for publication.
- Jay, E.K., Patterson, C., & Moxham, L. (2020). An honours project as a unique educational opportunity. Australian Nursing and Midwifery Journal, 21(1), 45.
- Hall, R., Perlman, D., & Moxham, L. (2020). Work integrated learning experiences for mental health education: the importance of clinical facilitators. Australian Nursing and Midwifery Journal, 21(1), 49.
- Molloy, L., Moxham, L., Taylor, E.K., Brighton, R., Patterson, C., Perlman, D., & Burns, S. (in press 2020). Student beliefs about their practice within a non-traditional mental health clinical placement. Nurse Education in Practice. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1016/j.nepr.2020.102836
- Goman, C., Patterson, C., Moxham, L., Harada, T., & Tapsell. A (2020). Alternative Mental Health Clinical Placements: Knowledge Transfer and Benefits for Nursing Practice outside Mental Health Care Settings. Accepted for publication in Journal of Clinical Nursing.
- Tapsell, A., Martin, K.M., Moxham, L., Burns, S., Perlman, D., & Patterson, C. (2020). Experts by experience involvement in mental health research: Developing a wellbeing brochure for people with lived experiences of mental illness. Issues in Mental Health Nursing, 41(3), 194-200.
- Patterson, C., Perlman, D., Moxham, L., & Burns, S. (2019). Do Help-Seeking Behaviors Influence the Recovery of People With Mental Illness?. Journal of Psychosocial Nursing And Mental Health Services, 57(12), 33-38.
- Picton, C., Moxham, L., & Patterson, C. (2019). Experts by experience sharing personal knowledge to enhance the learning of undergraduate nursing students. Australian Nursing & Midwifery Journal 26(6), 55.
- Perlman, D., Taylor, E., Moxham, L., & Patterson. C.(2019). Nursing students' self-determination: the influence on stigmatizing attitude within clinical placement settings. International Journal of Mental Health Nursing, 28(30), 706-711.
- Perlman, D., Moxham, L., Patterson, C., & Cregan, A.(2019). Stigmatization Behavior of Pre-Registration Nurses: Do the Self-Determined Psychological Needs Influence This?, Issues in Mental Health Nursing 40(4), 342-346.
- Picton, C., Patterson, C., Moxham, L., Taylor., E., Perlman, D., Brighton, R., & Heffernan, T. (2018). Empowerment: The experience of Recovery Camp for people living with a mental illness. Collegian, 25(1), 113-118.
- Patterson, C., Perlman, D., Taylor, E., Moxham, L., Brighton, R., & Rath, J.(2018). Mental health nursing placement: A comparative study of non-traditional and traditional placement. Nurse Education Practice, 33, 4-9.
- Perlman, D., Taylor, E., Moxham, L., Sumskis, S., Patterson, C., Brighton, R., & Heffernan, T. (2018). Examination of a therapeutic-recreation based clinical placement for undergraduate nursing students: A self-determined perspective. Nurse Education Practice, 29, 15-20.
- Perlman, D., Taylor, E, Molloy, L, Brighton, R, Patterson, C & Moxham, L (2018). A Path Analysis of Self-determination and Resiliency for Consumers Living with Mental Illness, Community Mental Health Journal, 54(8), 1239–1244.
- Brighton, R., Patterson, C., Taylor, E., Moxham, L., Perlman, D., Sumskis, S. & Heffernan, T. (2017). The Effect of Respite Services on Carers of Individuals With Severe Mental Illness. Journal of Psychosocial Nursing and Mental Health Services, 54(12), 33-38.
- Moxham, L., Taylor, E., Patterson, C., Perlman, D., Brighton, R., Heffernan, T. & Sumskis, S. (2017).Goal Setting among People Living with Mental Illness: A Qualitative Analysis of Recovery Camp, Issues in Mental Health Nursing, 38, 420-424.
- Patterson, C., Moxham, L., Taylor, E., Perlman, D., Brighton, R., Sumskis, S., Heffernan, T. & Lee-Bates, B (2017). The effect of immersive workplace experience on undergraduate nurses mental health clinical confidence. International Journal of Mental Health Nursing, 26(6), 620-628.
- Perlman, D., Brighton, R., Patterson, C., Moxham, L., Taylor, E., Sumskis, S. & Heffernan, T. (2017). Stigmatization and self‐determination of preregistration nurses: A path analysis. International Journal of Mental Health Nursing, 27(1), 422-428.
- Perlman, D., Patterson, C., Moxham, L., Taylor, E., Brighton, R., Sumskis, S. & Heffernan, T. (2017) Preparing Nursing Students for Mental Health Care: The Impact of a Recovery-oriented Clinical Placement, Issues in Mental Health Nursing, 38(8), 663-668.
- Perlman, D., Patterson, C., Moxham, L., Taylor, E., Brighton, R., Sumskis, S. & Heffernan, T. (2017). Understanding the influence of resilience for people with a lived experience of mental illness: A self‐determination theory perspective. Disability and rehabilitation, 39(1), 98-103.
- Perlman, D., Taylor, E., Moxham, L., Patterson, C., Brighton, R., Heffernan, T. & Sumskis, S. (2017). Innovative Mental Health Clinical Placement: Developing Nurses' Relationship Skills. Journal of Psychosocial Nursing and Mental Health Services, 55(2), 36-43.
- Cowley, T., Moxham, L., Sumskis, S., Taylor, E., Patterson, C., Brighton, R., & Halcomb, E. (2016). Evaluation of undergraduate nursing students’ clinical confidence following a mental health recovery camp. International Journal of Mental Health Nursing, 25(1), 33-41.
- Cregan, A., Moxham, L., & Perlman, D. (2016). Where are the mental health nurses? Australian Nursing and Midwifery Journal, 23(10), 41.
- Moxham, L., Patterson, C., Taylor, E., Perlman, D., Sumskis, S., Brighton, R., & Pegg, S. (2016). A multidisciplinary learning experience contributing to mental health rehabilitation. Disability and Rehabilitation, 12, 1-6.
- Moxham, L., Taylor, E., Patterson, C., Perlman, D., Brighton, R., Sumskis, S., Keough, E., & Heffernan, T. (2016). Can a clinical placement influence stigma? An analysis of measures of social distance. Nurse Education Today, 44, 170-174.
- Patterson, C., Moxham, L., Brighton, R., Taylor, E., Sumskis, S., Perlman, D., Heffernan, T. & Hadfield, L. (2016). Nursing students’ reflections on the learning experience of a unique mental health clinical placement. Nurse Education Today, 46, 94-98.
- Patterson, C., Moxham, L., Taylor, E., Sumskis, S., Perlman, D., Brighton, R., Heffernan, T., & Keough, E. (2016). Perceived control among people with severe mental illness: A comparative study. Archives of Psychiatric Nursing, 30(5), 563-567.
- Picton, C., Moxham, L., & Patterson, C. (2016). Therapeutic recreation for people with a mental illness is beneficial. Australian Nursing and Midwifery Journal, 23(10), 39.
- Taylor, E., Moxham, L., Perlman, D., Patterson, C., Brighton, R., & Sumskis, S. (2016). Self-determination in the context of mental health recovery. Australian Nursing and Midwifery Journal, 23(10), 41.
- Taylor, E., Perlman, D., Moxham, L., Pegg, S., Brighton, R., & Sumskis, S. (2016). Recovery Camp: Assisting consumers towards enhanced self-determination. International Journal of Mental Health Nursing, 26(3), 301-308.
- Moxham, L., Liersch-Sumskis, S., Taylor, E., Patterson, C., & Brighton, R. (2015). Preliminary outcomes of a pilot therapeutic recreation camp for people with a mental illness: Links to recovery. Therapeutic Recreation Journal, 49(1), 61-75.
- Moxham, L., Pegg, S., Liersch, S., Perlman, D., Brighton, R., Patterson, C., & Taylor, E. (2015). Building clinical confidence and skills: A placement with a difference. Australian Nursing and Midwifery Journal, 22(8), 35.
- Moxham, L., Sumskis, S., Brighton, R., Johnston, E., Douglas, A., Gorman, E. & Hayes, G. (2014). Contributing to recovery from a multidisciplinary lens: A case study from a therapeutic recreation initiative. International Journal of Mental Health Nursing, 23(Suppl. 1), 28-28.
Media
UOW nursing lecturer honoured in International Year of the Nursing, UOW Media Release, June 2020
Christopher Patterson: 2020 June Nurse of the Month, The NSW Nurses and Widwives' Association, June 2020
Into the wild: Recovery Camp brings students and mental health consumers together, Nursing Review, August 27 2019
Nurse of the Year nod for UOW'S Recovery Camp co-founder, Illawarra Mercury, April 9, 2019
Recovery Camp team member announced Nurse of the Year, UOW Media Release, April 8, 2019
Recovery Camp saved my life, Illawarra Mercury, August 14, 2018
Inspiring Students to Examine Their Attitudes Toward Mental Illness, Research Australia, INSPIRE Magazine, 2017
Strength in student learning elevated at national awards, UOW Media Release, September 2017
Tackling Mental Illness with R&R: Research and Recovery, Research Australia, November, 2016
Placement on the path to recovery, The Stand, November, 2016
Australian first camp to tackle mental illness, UOW Media Release, May 7, 2015
Cosi at Roo Theatre, Kiama Independent, March 19, 2015
Dragons’ Dan Hunt shows his support for mental health, Global Challenges Blog, May 19, 2014
UOW recognised as a national leader in mental health nursing, UOW Media Release, November 29, 2013