Evaluation of mental health professionals’ views of a higher education scholarship scheme designed to enhance workforce development

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Melissa Hill ◽  
Michelle Heron-Delaney
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Higher Education ◽  
Workforce Development ◽  
Mental Health Professionals ◽  
Health Workforce ◽  
Health Professionals ◽  
Allied Health ◽  
Financial Barriers ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Mental Health Workforce

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the use of a scholarship scheme to support mental health workforce development. Design/methodology/approach Nursing and allied health recipients (n = 72) of a scholarship for postgraduate mental health study provided quantitative and qualitative feedback via an online survey. Findings Benefits of the scholarship scheme include helping to overcome financial barriers to accessing higher education, increased motivation to study, increased knowledge and skills and enhanced positive feelings towards the recipient’s organisation. A total of 44% of participants reported being majorly or completely influenced to remain working in the organisation due to provision of the scholarship. Originality/value This study asks recipients to evaluate the scholarship scheme rather than the associated postgraduate education and provides preliminary support that scholarships are beneficial even when the amount of funding is less than half of course fees and the support from the employer is primarily monetary. The provision of scholarship funding can encourage existing professionals to undertake postgraduate study and attract them to pursue mental health specialisation instead of other health specialisations. Provision of scholarships is one strategy which can positively impact on mental health workforce retention in allied health professionals.

scholarly journals Enhancing the Capacity of the Australian Health Care Workforce to Support Veterans’ Mental Health: A Collaborative Interdisciplinary Approach

2019 ◽  
Vol 185 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 499-505
Author(s):  
Chris Gibbs ◽  
Barbara Murphy ◽  
Kate Hoppe ◽  
Patricia Clarke ◽  
Deepika Ratnaike ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Mental Health Care ◽  
Mental Health Professionals ◽  
Military Personnel ◽  
Health Workforce ◽  
Health Professionals ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Mental Health Workforce ◽  
Veteran Mental Health

Abstract Introduction Military personnel and veterans can have higher rates of mental health problems than the general population, but are no more likely to receive appropriate mental health care. A lack of experience among Australia’s mental health workforce in treating veteran-specific issues has been identified, pointing to a need for strategies to strengthen the workforce capacity. To this end, the Department of Veteran’s Affairs joined with the Mental Health Professionals Network (MHPN) to produce and deliver a series of veteran-specific webinars for health professionals working with military personnel, veterans and their families. Materials and Method Five webinars were produced and delivered between August 2016 and July 2017. Each involved a panel of health professionals with content expertise and was facilitated by a nationally recognized expert in veteran mental health. Each webinar was evaluated using an online survey to address whether learning needs were achieved, likely improvements to work practice, and improvements in knowledge of and confidence in treating veteran mental health issues. Results Of the 5,127 attendees across the five webinars, registration data was collected for 4,809 (94%) and post-webinar data for 3,334 (70%) of registrants. Of these, over 90% indicated that their learning objectives were achieved, that the content was relevant to their practice, and that their work practices would be improved as a result of their participation. Further, almost three quarters reported increased knowledge and skills, and two-thirds increased confidence in treating veterans’ mental health needs. Conclusions The Veterans’ webinar series was effective in engaging a large number and a wide range of professionals working in mental health care in Australia, underscoring the strength of MHPN’s initiatives in terms of scale and reach. With its emphasis on interdisciplinary practice and collaborative care, MHPN is well-placed to continue to support Australia’s mental health workforce.

Now they’re listening: involvement in clinical psychology training

2019 ◽  
Vol 23 (1) ◽  
pp. 23-29
Author(s):  
Laura Lea ◽  
Sue Holttum ◽  
Victoria Butters ◽  
Diana Byrne ◽  
Helen Cable ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Health Professionals ◽  
Clinical Psychology ◽  
Health Professionals ◽  
Service User ◽  
Health Workers ◽  
Psychology Training ◽  
Service Users ◽  
Clinical Psychology Training ◽  
Content Type

PurposeThe 2014/2015 UK requirement for involvement of service users and carers in training mental health professionals has prompted the authors to review the work of involvement in clinical psychology training in the university programme. Have the voices of service users and carers been heard? The paper aims to discuss this issue.Design/methodology/approachThe authors update the paper of 2011 in which the authors described the challenges of inclusion and the specific approaches the authors take to involvement. The authors do this in the context of the recent change to UK standards for service user and carer involvement, and recent developments in relation to partnership working and co-production in mental healthcare. The authors describe the work carried out by the authors – members of a service user involvement group at a UK university – to ensure the voices of people affected by mental health difficulties are included in all aspects of training.FindingsCareful work and the need for dedicated time is required to enable inclusive, effective and comprehensive participation in a mental health training programme. It is apparent that there is a group of service users whose voice is less heard: those who are training to be mental health workers.Social implicationsFor some people, involvement has increased. Trainee mental health professionals’ own experience of distress may need more recognition and valuing.Originality/valueThe authors are in a unique position to review a service-user-led project, which has run for 12 years, whose aim has been to embed involvement in training. The authors can identify both achievements and challenges.

The transition between mental health services in Scotland

2018 ◽  
Vol 23 (1) ◽  
pp. 12-24 ◽  
Author(s):  
Juliette van der Kamp
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Health Services ◽  
Health Services ◽  
Mental Health Professionals ◽  
Health Professionals ◽  
Transition Period ◽  
Organisational Development ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Experience Difficulty

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to describe the barriers and facilitators to an effective transition from Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) to Adult Mental Health Services (AMHS). It also presents a new entry into considering how the transition can be improved. Design/methodology/approach Insights into the transition from CAMHS to AMHS were gathered through eight semi-structured interviews with mental health professionals. Two methods of data analysis were employed to explore the emerging themes in the data and the observed deficit approach to organisational development. Findings The findings identified a vast volume of barriers in comparison to facilitators to the transition. Adolescents who transition from CAMHS to AMHS initially experience difficulty adapting to the differences in the services due to the short duration of the transition period. However, despite the established barriers to the transition, adolescents tend to adapt to the differences between the services. Findings also showed a negative framing towards the transition amongst the mental health professionals which resembles a deficit approach to organisational development. Originality/value This paper explores mental health professionals’ perspectives regarding the transition in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland. The transition is increasingly recognised as an area in health care that requires improvement. This research provides a new way to consider the transition by exploring the perceived deficit approach to organisational development in the services.

Work challenges negatively affecting the job satisfaction of early career community mental health professionals working in rural Australia: findings from a qualitative study

2018 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 173-186 ◽  
Author(s):  
Catherine Cosgrave ◽  
Myfanwy Maple ◽  
Rafat Hussain
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Job Satisfaction ◽  
Public Sector ◽  
Community Mental Health ◽  
Mental Health Professionals ◽  
Health Professionals ◽  
Physical Geography ◽  
Early Career ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Time Critical

Purpose Some of Australia’s most severe and protracted workforce shortages are in public sector community mental health (CMH) services. Research identifying the factors affecting staff turnover of this workforce has been limited. The purpose of this paper is to identify work factors negatively affecting the job satisfaction of early career health professionals working in rural Australia’s public sector CMH services. Design/methodology/approach In total, 25 health professionals working in rural and remote CMH services in New South Wales (NSW), Australia, for NSW Health participated in in-depth, semi-structured interviews. Findings The study identified five work-related challenges negatively affecting job satisfaction: developing a profession-specific identity; providing quality multidisciplinary care; working in a resource-constrained service environment; working with a demanding client group; and managing personal and professional boundaries. Practical implications These findings highlight the need to provide time-critical supports to address the challenges facing rural-based CMH professionals in their early career years in order to maximise job satisfaction and reduce avoidable turnover. Originality/value Overall, the study found that the factors negatively affecting the job satisfaction of early career rural-based CMH professionals affects all professionals working in rural CMH, and these negative effects increase with service remoteness. For those in early career, having to simultaneously deal with significant rural health and sector-specific constraints and professional challenges has a negative multiplier effect on their job satisfaction. It is this phenomenon that likely explains the high levels of job dissatisfaction and turnover found among Australia’s rural-based early career CMH professionals. By understanding these multiple and simultaneous pressures on rural-based early career CMH professionals, public health services and governments involved in addressing rural mental health workforce issues will be better able to identify and implement time-critical supports for this cohort of workers. These findings and proposed strategies potentially have relevance beyond Australia’s rural CMH workforce to Australia’s broader early career nursing and allied health rural workforce as well as internationally for other countries that have a similar physical geography and health system.

Professionals harnessing experiential knowledge in Dutch mental health settings

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Simona Karbouniaris ◽  
Alie Weerman ◽  
Bea Dunnewind ◽  
Jean Pierre Wilken ◽  
Tineke A. Abma
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Health Professionals ◽  
Health Professionals ◽  
Health Care Professionals ◽  
Experiential Knowledge ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Action Research Approach ◽  
Mental Health Settings ◽  
Four Levels

Purpose This study aims to explore the perspectives of mental health professionals who are in a process of integrating their own experiential knowledge in their professional role. This study considers implications for identity, dilemmas and challenges within the broader organization, when bringing experiential knowledge to practice. Design/methodology/approach As part of a participatory action research approach, qualitative methods have been used, such as in-depth interviews, discussions and observations during training and project team. Findings The actual use of experiential knowledge by mental health care professionals in their work affected four levels: their personal–professional development; the relation with service users; the relation with colleagues; and their position in the organization. Research limitations/implications Because of its limited context, this study may lack generalisability and further research with regard to psychologists and psychiatrists, as well as perceptions from users, is desirable. Social implications According to this study, social change starts from a bottom-up movement and synchronously should be facilitated by top-down policy. A dialogue with academic mental health professionals seems crucial to integrate this source of knowledge. Active collaboration with peer workers and supervisors is desired as well. Originality/value Professionals with lived experiences play an important role in working recovery-oriented, demonstrating bravery and resilience. Having dealt with mental health distress, they risked stigma and rejections when introducing this as a type of knowledge in current mental health service culture. Next to trainings to facilitate the personal–professional process, investments in the entire organization are needed to transform governance, policy and ethics.

Rural Mental Health Workforce Development in Hawai'i and the US-Affiliated Pacific Islands

2019 ◽  
pp. 928-958
Author(s):  
Christopher W. S. Hill ◽  
Kelley Withy
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Workforce Development ◽  
Health Workforce ◽  
Pacific Islands ◽  
The Pacific ◽  
Career Pathway ◽  
Challenges And Opportunities ◽  
Youth And Young Adults ◽  
Health Workforce Development ◽  
Mental Health Workforce

Working in Hawai'i and the U.S.-Affiliated Pacific Islands presents unique challenges and opportunities for mental health workforce development. This chapter presents previous, current, and future efforts aimed at not only increasing the size of the workforce but also developing a better trained workforce for existing professionals. The authors draw from their experiences at the Hawaii/Pacific Basin Area Health Education Centers (AHEC), one of the only organizations performing medical, public health, and mental health workforce development across the Pacific Region, to explore culturally appropriate initiatives and interventions. Programs targeting a range of audiences from youth to adults, students to professionals, and patients/clients to caregivers are discussed. The chapter emphasizes health career pathway programs for youth and young adults wishing to enter the health workforce and a variety of educational development and continuing education opportunities for professionals. Specific mental health workforce initiatives are described.

Rural Mental Health Workforce Development in Hawai'i and the US-Affiliated Pacific Islands

2016 ◽  
pp. 60-89
Author(s):  
Christopher W. S. Hill ◽  
Kelley Withy
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Workforce Development ◽  
Health Workforce ◽  
Pacific Islands ◽  
The Pacific ◽  
Career Pathway ◽  
Challenges And Opportunities ◽  
Youth And Young Adults ◽  
Health Workforce Development ◽  
Mental Health Workforce

Working in Hawai'i and the U.S.-Affiliated Pacific Islands presents unique challenges and opportunities for mental health workforce development. This chapter presents previous, current, and future efforts aimed at not only increasing the size of the workforce but also developing a better trained workforce for existing professionals. The authors draw from their experiences at the Hawaii/Pacific Basin Area Health Education Centers (AHEC), one of the only organizations performing medical, public health, and mental health workforce development across the Pacific Region, to explore culturally appropriate initiatives and interventions. Programs targeting a range of audiences from youth to adults, students to professionals, and patients/clients to caregivers are discussed. The chapter emphasizes health career pathway programs for youth and young adults wishing to enter the health workforce and a variety of educational development and continuing education opportunities for professionals. Specific mental health workforce initiatives are described.

Indonesian clinical psychologists’ perceptions of complementary and alternative medicine research and knowledge: a content analysis study

2019 ◽  
Vol 14 (3) ◽  
pp. 164-173 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrian Liem
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Content Analysis ◽  
Alternative Medicine ◽  
Complementary And Alternative Medicine ◽  
Mental Health Professionals ◽  
Health Professionals ◽  
Qualitative Content Analysis ◽  
Clinical Psychologists ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Complementary And Alternative

Purpose As part of a nationwide research about knowledge, attitude, experiences and educational needs towards complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) among Indonesian clinical psychologists (CPs), the purpose of this paper is to explore CPs’ perceptions of CAM research and their interest in learning CAM. Design/methodology/approach A link to an online survey was e-mailed to all 1,045 CPs across Indonesia. At the end of the survey, two open-ended questions were asked: “What do you think about CAM research in Indonesia?” and “Why are you interested in learning about CAM?”, which were responded to by 127 participants (87 per cent of females; Mage=36.67, SD=9.02). Participants’ responses were analysed using inductive qualitative content analysis. Findings It was found that two global themes for CPs’ perceptions of CAM were to improve participants’ professionalism and as part of continuing education and development for mental health professionals. The favourable responses in this study may reflect participants’ willingness to be involved in collaborative CAM research and education. Moreover, CAM was perceived as part of Indonesian culture and participants viewed CAM research and knowledge as a chance to promote Indonesian local wisdom to complement conventional psychotherapy. Research limitations/implications These findings might call for stakeholders to integrate CAM knowledge into psychology education, facilitate CAM research in psychology settings and encourage collaborative CAM research. However, self-selection bias may limit the findings of this study. Originality/value This study explored perceptions of CAM research and interest in learning CAM that have rarely been investigated among mental health professionals and particularly, until now, have not been investigated in Indonesia.

Leaving Lake Wobegon: firearm-related education and training for medical and mental health professionals is an essential competence

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 78-87 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gianni Pirelli ◽  
Liza Gold
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Cultural Competence ◽  
Mental Health Professionals ◽  
Health Professionals ◽  
Education And Training ◽  
Gun Violence ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Average Effect ◽  
Content Type ◽  
And Training

Purpose Firearm-involved violence and suicide in the USA, often collectively referred to as “gun violence,” has been labeled a public health problem and an epidemic, and even an endemic by some. Many lawmakers, community groups, mainstream media outlets and professional organizations regularly address gun-related issues and frequently associate firearm violence with mental health. As a result, these groups often set forth positions, engage in discussions and promote policies that are at least partially based on the widely held but incorrect assumption that medical and mental health professionals are either inherently equipped or professionally trained to intervene with their patients and reduce gun deaths. The paper aims to discuss this issue. Design/methodology/approach Furthermore, notable proportions of medical and mental health professionals self-report a level of comfort engaging in firearm-specific interventions that is often disproportionate to their actual education and training in the area. This type of overconfidence bias has been referred to as the Lake Wobegon Effect, illusory superiority, the above average effect, the better-than average effect or the false uniqueness bias. While medical and mental health professionals need to serve on the front line of firearm-involved violence and suicide prevention initiatives, the vast majority have not actually received systematic, formal training on firearm-specific issues. Findings Therefore, many lack the professional and cultural competence to meet current and potential future in regard to addressing gun violence. In this paper, the authors discuss empirical studies that illustrate this reality and a novel model (i.e. the Know, Ask, Do framework) that medical and mental health professionals can use when firearm-related issues arise. In addition, the authors set forth considerations for clinicians to develop and maintain their professional and cultural competence related to firearms and firearm-related subcultures. Originality/value This paper provides empirical and conceptual support for medical and mental health programs to develop formal education and training related to guns, gun safety and gun culture. A framework is provided that can also assist medical and mental health professionals to develop and maintain their own professional and cultural competence.

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