There is an increasing population of youths that report mental health issues. Research has shown that youths are reluctant to seek help for various reasons. A majority of those who do seek help are using digital mental health supports. Subsequently, efforts to promote youth mental health have focused on the use of digital applications as a means of overcoming barriers related to factors including stigma and lack of available services. The worldwide move toward recovery-oriented care led to emerging research on personal recovery amongst youths with mental health concerns. This study sought to address the need for recovery-oriented digital resources for youths. It utilised a qualitative design methodology to develop a rich interpretation of how youths are using digital interventions to support their mental health recovery journey. It sought to understand how existing digital applications are useful for youth recovery and identified characteristics associated with recovery and engagement. The content analysis generated five categories that represent facilitators of youth recovery and the thematic analysis identified key elements of digital applications that support youth recovery. The results offer complimentary support and guidance for recovery-oriented care and the use of digital mental health interventions in the promotion of personal recovery amongst youths.

Background: Youth is a transitional period from 15 to 24 years involving developmental milestones that may be adversely affected by mental health (MH) concerns. Clinical interventions tend to focus on the reduction or cure of illness‐based psychiatric symptoms. However, national and international mental policy focuses on promoting well‐being and self‐management through personal recovery. The leading framework of personal recovery in adults is CHIME, an acronym used to denote five key processes – Connectedness, Hope, Identity, Meaning and Empowerment. The extent to which CHIME reflects the experience of personal recovery in youth is under‐researched, yet the framework often underpins youth mental health services. Method: The present study uses a qualitative methodology to analyse interviews with 16 youth referred for treatment. Interviews focused on the lived experiences of youth recovery and its alignment with the CHIME processes and were analysed using a hybrid inductive and deductive reflexive thematic analysis. Results: The CHIME framework was relevant to youth recovery in two ways: restoring what was perceived to be lost (restorative processes) and encouraging resilience (resilience processes). Adaptations to the CHIME framework for youth included an increased emphasis on the role of family and friends, support for grieving processes and support for identity formation during the recovery journey. Conclusion: An adapted CHIME framework for youth can underpin targeted recovery‐oriented care to support youth in moving towards emerging adulthood successfully while managing mental health concerns.