Years of research has addressed one of more effective approaches designed to help adults manage the symptoms of serious mental illness. A study conducted 20 years ago discovered that few agencies were aware of or implemented research informed approaches. One effort to address the science to practice gap was to identify symptom management related approaches and cobble them together into a comprehensive illness management and recovery program, giving birth to the Wellness Self-Management Program. WSM has been implemented in New York State since 2002, with high rates of success. In order to fufill the demand of Chinese patients with severe mental illness, the P.E.A.R.L. Institute took over the C-WSM initiative, integrating Chinese medicine and traditional Chinese therapy into a Western framework.

The general principles of C-WSM are based on the original English WSM handbook and the previously translated Chinese version, condensing 57 lessons of the original Wellness Self-Management handbook into 12 distinct units and modifying the language in order to incorporate culturally congruent terminology. This includes Chinese cultural materials, such as: Chinese medicine and mental health treatment, Accu-massage, mindfulness practice, Qigong exercise, and other traditional Eastern healing practices.

C-WSM training began in October 2016, in Hangzhou, Nanjing, and Shanghai. In March 2017, Dr. Yuhwa Eva Lu traveled to Nanjing, China to provide C-WSM training to mental health workers coming from Nanjing, Shanghai, and Wuxi. From this training, Chinese mental health workers can use the C-WSM handbook to help patients learn and co-facilitate their recovery. This training introduces current American mental health service system ideals and efficiency.