The Solving Problems in Everyday Living Model: Toward a Demedicalized, Education-Based Approach to “Mental Health”

2017 ◽  
Vol 61 (1) ◽  
pp. 132-151 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tomi Gomory ◽  
Daniel J. Dunleavy ◽  
Angela S. Lieber
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Critical Pedagogy ◽  
Mental Health Treatment ◽  
Medical Model ◽  
Mental Health Clinicians ◽  
Educational Approach ◽  
Supportive Psychotherapy ◽  
Diagnostic And Statistical Manual ◽  
Problems In Living ◽  
Informed Treatment

We argue that human existential pain and threat may usefully be helped by a noncoercive educational approach that also resonates with many interpersonally focused psychological approaches, rather than by the widely touted current medical model of “mental health” treatment (using psychoactive drugs and supportive psychotherapy). First, the “progress” leading to the latest Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders is briefly reviewed, highlighting the scientific limitations of the medical model. Next, an educational model of self-understanding and change, based on Popper’s fallibilism, Freire’s critical pedagogy, and Miller’s feedback-informed treatment is explicated. Finally, some options for funding and testing the model are discussed. We hope this offers mental health clinicians another important alternative to conceptualize the helping encounter to ameliorate personal problems in living.

If I “Sell Out” to the Business of Practice, I Give Up My Core Value of Altruism

2019 ◽  
pp. 12-16
Author(s):  
Jeffrey E. Barnett ◽  
Jeffrey Zimmerman
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Health Professional ◽  
Mental Health Professional ◽  
Private Practice ◽  
Mental Health Treatment ◽  
Mental Health Clinicians ◽  
Treatment Needs ◽  
Health Treatment ◽  
Successful Business ◽  
Practice Care

Mental health clinicians in private practice are business persons who have the goal of running a successful business. It is easy to believe that those who are highly successful in the business of private practice care primarily about making money and that they have lost their focus on caring for others and addressing their mental health treatment needs. This chapter examines how running an ethically responsible successful practice is essential for assisting and caring for others. It highlights how clinicians may run a financially successful private practice and remain true to the values that led them to pursue a career as a mental health professional. Specific recommendations are provided for being financially successful while remaining true to one’s values.

Individuals at Risk for Suicide

Crisis ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 38 (3) ◽  
pp. 158-167 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dana Alonzo ◽  
Claire Moravec ◽  
Benjamin Kaufman
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
At Risk ◽  
Mental Health Treatment ◽  
Treatment Engagement ◽  
Service Level ◽  
Semistructured Interview ◽  
Mental Health Clinicians ◽  
Outpatient Mental Health ◽  
Intervention Level ◽  
Suicidal Crisis

Abstract. Background: Individuals experiencing suicidal ideation and/or behaviors are often difficult to engage in treatment. Up to 50% of individuals presenting to an ER for treatment of a suicidal crisis refuse outpatient treatment referrals. This study examined outpatient mental health clinicians' perceptions of the barriers to and facilitators of mental health treatment engagement of individuals at risk for suicide. Method: Thirty-six mental health clinicians working with clients with past and/or current suicidality (ideation, behaviors) in outpatient mental health centers participated in four focus groups. Data were collected using semistructured interview. A process of content analysis was utilized in which data were analyzed thematically. Results: Five main domains of barriers and facilitators emerged including (a) client-level, (b) clinician-level, (c) service-level, (d) agency-level, and (e) intervention-level variables. In all, 38 barriers and 31 facilitators were identified. The most frequently identified facilitator was the clinician's own sense of engagement with the client, identified by 31% of the clinicians. The most frequently identified barrier was housing instability, identified by 34% of the clinicians. Conclusion: Knowledge of clinicians' perspective on treatment engagement of clients at risk for suicide may inform the development and implementation of interventions and guide training/supervision programs for those working with this vulnerable population.

scholarly journals An Examination of Clinician Responses to Problem Gambling in Community Mental Health Services

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (7) ◽  
pp. 2075
Author(s):  
Victoria Manning ◽  
Nicki A. Dowling ◽  
Simone N. Rodda ◽  
Ali Cheetham ◽  
Dan I. Lubman
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Health Services ◽  
Health Services ◽  
Problem Gambling ◽  
Mental Health Treatment ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Community Mental Health Services ◽  
Screening Tools ◽  
Gambling Problems ◽  
Mental Health Clinicians

Gambling problems commonly co-occur with other mental health problems. However, screening for problem gambling (PG) rarely takes place within mental health treatment settings. The aim of the current study was to examine the way in which mental health clinicians respond to PG issues. Participants (n = 281) were recruited from a range of mental health services in Victoria, Australia. The majority of clinicians reported that at least some of their caseload was affected by gambling problems. Clinicians displayed moderate levels of knowledge about the reciprocal impact of gambling problems and mental health but had limited knowledge of screening tools to detect PG. Whilst 77% reported that they screened for PG, only 16% did so “often” or “always” and few expressed confidence in their ability to treat PG. However, only 12.5% reported receiving previous training in PG, and those that had, reported higher levels of knowledge about gambling in the context of mental illness, more positive attitudes about responding to gambling issues, and more confidence in detecting/screening for PG. In conclusion, the findings highlight the need to upskill mental health clinicians so they can better identify and manage PG and point towards opportunities for enhanced integrated working with gambling services.

Surviving Senior Psychopathy: Informant Reports of Deceit and Antisocial Behavior in Multiple Types of Relationships

2022 ◽  
pp. 0306624X2110670
Author(s):  
Donna M. Andersen ◽  
Emma Veltman ◽  
Martin Sellbom
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Antisocial Behavior ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Mental Health Clinicians ◽  
Statistical Manual ◽  
Diagnostic And Statistical Manual ◽  
Final Sample ◽  
Before And After ◽  
And Behavior ◽  
Financial Losses

A prevailing view among researchers and mental health clinicians is that symptoms of antisocial personality disorder (ASPD)/psychopathy decrease as affected individuals reach middle age. In the current investigation, informants were surveyed about the behavior of individuals who they believed showed traits of ASPD/psychopathy and were over the age of 50. A final sample of 1,215 respondents rated the index individuals according to the ASPD/psychopathy traits derived from the pre-publication first draft of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders Fifth Edition, revealing high endorsement of traits associated with ASPD. Survey respondents reported their observations that individuals who met a threshold for putative ASPD/psychopathy continued to engage in antisocial behavior after age 50, and as a result the respondents endured significant harm, including material losses, financial losses, and various self-reported mental health problems. Those who knew the index individuals both before and after the age of 50 were specifically asked whether there was a change in the individual’s engagement in manipulation, deceit, and antisocial behavior; 93% of respondents reported that the behavior was just as bad or worse after age 50. Other researchers have suggested that the DSM diagnostic criteria do not accurately describe ASPD/psychopathy symptoms and behavior in older adults, and that the disorder remains stable, but its manifestation changes with age. This study supports those conclusions.

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