A piece by former employee Laura Eshleman, MSW
Updated April 29, 2026
What is Person Centered Care?
Person centered care is an approach to treatment that organizes every aspect of care around the individual. It’s a departure from the widespread medical model that focuses on diagnosis, protocols, and symptom management. Person centered care recognizes that each person’s unique circumstances and goals should inform their treatment.
Person centered care at CooperRiis starts with this simple question: “Who is this person, and what do they need to move toward a more fulfilling life?” Clinical expertise and evidence-based practices are essential, but we apply them flexibly and responsively, in collaboration with the individual. Care at CooperRiis is patient-led, and we help residents grow far beyond mere survival.
Honoring Vulnerability
As an MSW, I’ve heard colleagues speak about the power of vulnerability, often sharing a few Brené Brown quotes. One of those defines vulnerability as, “The willingness to show up and be seen with no guarantee of outcome.” So simple, but not easy.
In preparing to move on from my full-time role as a care coordinator with CooperRiis, I wrote the following piece. It is an exercise in vulnerability and solidarity with our residents who embody vulnerability simply by entering treatment. Stigma and shame thrive in silence. Our work as clinicians aims to dismantle that while empowering residents to live as their full, authentic selves.
A New Experience at CooperRiis
My initial impression of CooperRiis at Asheville during my first shadow shift was something that many others have since echoed. I couldn’t tell the difference between residents and staff. The environment and the people in it were so relaxed that, in a snapshot, it could have been a college dormitory. People in casual dress were doing puzzles together, lounging on hammocks outside, and laughing over meals in the dining hall. The couches were worn, cozy, and draped with blankets. Inviting aromas wafted from the kitchen.
I didn’t have the language for it at the time, but I was witnessing person centered care in action. It showed up in the ease of the environment, the shared humanity between residents and staff, and the absence of rigid hierarchy that often defines more traditional systems.
My Experiences as a Patient
Throughout my training, I continued to appreciate the contrast between CooperRiis and the decade-plus I spent in and out of mental health facilities. Many of those memories blur together in a fog of fluorescent lights, stoic staff, and pre-packaged meals wheeled in on carts.
Kind words were rare, while reprimands and even insults were common. They told me which medications I would take. Saying no was non-compliance–not an option if I wanted a timely discharge.
Those environments lacked any sense of person-centered care. They offered no autonomy, no collaboration, and no space to be seen as a whole person. Across multiple adolescent and adult units in three states, between ages 14 and 26, I never once had a positive or helpful experience. Nor did I ever feel cared for.
Our Residents’ Previous Experiences
I gradually came to understand that my experience is not unique. It reflects what many residents and families have encountered across the mental health system. I’ve lost count of the newly admitted residents who arrive anxious about starting treatment, or the family members who are understandably defensive or wary due to repeated, traumatic encounters with the mental healthcare system.
Some have shared fears that they or their loved ones will “fail again,” while perhaps unintentionally diminishing how systems had ultimately failed them. Many have never experienced true person centered care, where their voice, preferences, and lived experiences are central to the process.
The State of Global Mental Healthcare
In 2025, the World Health Organization (WHO) published their most recent guidance on mental health policy. It highlights ongoing human rights violations that remain widely accepted, even in well resourced countries. These include:
- Excluding individuals from decisions about their care.
- Coercive medication practices.
- Restraint.
- Seclusion.
These approaches stand in direct contrast to person centered care, which prioritizes dignity, autonomy, and collaboration. Meanwhile, there has been a rise in costly for-profit treatment centers, many of which lack accreditation, evidence-based practices, or meaningful oversight. Without a foundation in person centered care, these systems often replicate the very harm they claim to address.
It’s no wonder that people arrive asking, “How is this place going to be any different?”
The WHO Recommends Person Centered Care Practices
The WHO report offers clear recommendations to improve outcomes and support recovery:
- Deinstitutionalization
- Holistic approaches
- Respect for individual rights and autonomy
- Community inclusion
At CooperRiis, we practice these principles daily through an individualized, person centered approach. Our programs nurture seven domains of recovery:
- Community
- Spirituality
- Purpose
- Empowerment
- Emotional & psychological health
- Physical wellness
- Learning & creativity
I have heard that the opposite of suffering is joy, and I’m honored to say that beyond being part of a program that alleviates the former, I’ve been part of one that helps people discover the latter. And this is why so many residents and families leave CooperRiis saying, “This made the difference.”