The social representation of mental ill-health in communities of mental health practitioners in the UK and France

1998 ◽  
Vol 37 (4) ◽  
pp. 663-685 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicola Morant
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Health Professionals ◽  
Social Representations ◽  
Treatment Strategies ◽  
Social Representation ◽  
Mental Health Practitioners ◽  
Health Practitioners ◽  
Expert Status ◽  
Professional Practitioners ◽  
The Uk

As society's practical experts on mental ill-health, mental health professionals work at the interface between politics, “expert” theories of mental illness and their lay equivalents in common sense. This paper describes research conducted from the perspective of social representations theory exploring the basic understanding of mental ill-health amongst communities of mental health practitioners in the UK and France. Professionals construct notions of mental ill-health articulated around three central themes of difference, distress and disruption, and adopt social rather than medical models of their work. Despite their expert status, professionals' representations are fraught with uncertainties that are lived out in eclectic treatment strategies. This research highlights the role of interactions between politics, professional practitioners and lay representations in contemporary societal constructions of mental ill-health.

Mental Health Professionals' Evaluations of the Integral Intake, A Metatheory-Based, Idiographic Intake Instrument

2008 ◽  
Vol 30 (1) ◽  
pp. 67-94 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andre Marquis ◽  
Janice Holden
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Health Professionals ◽  
Health Professionals ◽  
Integral Theory ◽  
Mental Health Counseling ◽  
Mental Health Practitioners ◽  
Health Counseling ◽  
Health Practitioners ◽  
Health Experts ◽  
Better Than

This study assessed mental health experts' comparative evaluations of the two existing published idiographic intake instruments, the Adlerian-based Life-Style Introductory Interview (LI) and the Multimodal Life History Inventory (MI), along with Marquis' (2002; in press) newly developed Integral Intake (II), grounded in Ken Wilber's (1999d) integral theory. Fifty-eight counseling/psychotherapy educators and experienced mental health practitioners perused the three instruments and then used the author-developed Evaluation Form to respond to open-ended questions, as well as to rate and rank them on 11 dimensions: the instrument's overall helpfulness, comprehensiveness, and efficiency, and 8 fundamental dimensions of clients (thoughts, emotions, behaviors, physical aspects, culture, environmental systems, spirituality, and what is most meaningful to them). Respondents evaluated the LI consistently worst, and the II better than the MI on all three instrument dimensions and four of the eight client dimensions. We discuss the II's potential to become a standard in the field of mental health counseling.

Domestic abuse and mental health: the amplified risks created during the pandemic

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-12
Author(s):  
Idura N. Hisham ◽  
Jacqueline Sin ◽  
Khadj Rouf ◽  
Danny Taggart ◽  
Giles Townsend ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Health Professionals ◽  
Domestic Abuse ◽  
Disease Outbreaks ◽  
Public Health Emergencies ◽  
Economic Recessions ◽  
Health Practitioners ◽  
Specific Factors ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Previous Disease

SUMMARY No recent pandemic has had such a severe socioeconomic impact as COVID-19. Significant economic uncertainty and social restrictions have led to increased levels of stress for many. There has been increased social isolation, financial stress and alcohol intake, all of which can increase domestic abuse and other forms of household abuse. Increases in abuse in the home found in other public health emergencies and economic recessions can be seen now – reported UK domestic abuse rates have increased since the start of COVID-19. This article focuses on how COVID-19 and its anticipated aftermath exacerbate the risk factors for domestic abuse in the general population and discusses clinical implications for mental health practitioners in the UK. It aims to provide a point of learning based on previous disease outbreaks and recessions, with a focus on specific factors, such as unemployment and alcohol misuse, and how these contribute to increasing incidence and severity of abuse – and more importantly, how mental health professionals can mitigate these for patients, 1 in 3 of whom are estimated to have already experienced abuse before the COVID-19 pandemic.

Psychopharmacology and Mental Health Practice: An Important Alliance

2011 ◽  
Vol 33 (3) ◽  
pp. 196-222 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kevin Kaut
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Health Professionals ◽  
Psychiatric Treatment ◽  
Health Assessment ◽  
Contextual Analysis ◽  
Mental Health Practitioners ◽  
Major Influence ◽  
Mental Health Assessment ◽  
Health Practitioners ◽  
Drug Treatments

Many mental health professionals are concerned about an increasingly "medicalized" society, driven in part by significant growth in biomedical research and biological perspectives on psychological disorders. The modern medical era, which has endorsed reductionism as the principal way of viewing many health conditions, offers many options for treating psychiatric diagnoses. Pharmacology is a major influence in psychiatric treatment decisions, and despite questions by mental health practitioners about reliance on drugs (Murray, 2009), psychopharmacology provides helpful alternatives. However, pharmacological options for mental health concerns should not be considered in isolation, and the use of drug treatments for cognitive, emotional, and behavioral disorders warrants careful contextual analysis. Mental health practitioners are encouraged to view pharmacology within a comprehensive sociohistorical framework that recognizes the value of a reductionist perspective as part of psychology's rich cognitive and behavioral contributions to contemporary mental health assessment and intervention.

Assessment of Egg and Sperm Donors

2017 ◽  
pp. 660-666
Author(s):  
Adam J. Rodríguez
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Health Professionals ◽  
Health Professionals ◽  
Assisted Reproductive Technologies ◽  
Reproductive Technologies ◽  
Mental Health Practitioners ◽  
Egg Donation ◽  
Sperm Donors ◽  
Health Practitioners ◽  
Niche Area

The assessment of egg and sperm donors is an important area of niche practice for mental health professionals. With the appropriate training, mental health practitioners can offer these much-needed services to prospective parents who are using assisted reproductive technologies (ART) to deal with infertility. Due to the invasiveness of these procedures, as well as their physical and emotional ramifications, many clinics and hospitals require a psychological evaluation of any individual who provides egg donation or becomes a gestational carrier or surrogate. This chapter describes the details of this niche area of practice and how the author developed an interest in it. The author covers its joys and challenges, the business aspects of this area of practice, guidance on developing this niche area of practice, and resources to assist in this process.

Training in cognitive-behavioural therapy for mental health professionals: a pilot study of videoconferencing

2001 ◽  
Vol 7 (5) ◽  
pp. 300-303 ◽  
Author(s):  
Clare S Rees ◽  
Donelle Gillam
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy ◽  
Mental Health Professionals ◽  
Health Professionals ◽  
Behavioural Therapy ◽  
Mental Health Practitioners ◽  
Rural And Remote ◽  
Knowledge Test ◽  
Cognitive Behavioural ◽  
Health Practitioners

A foundation course in cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT) was developed specifically for delivery via videoconferencing at 256 kbit/s. A two-part, 20-week programme was evaluated at seven sites, with a total of 12 participants, in rural and remote Western Australia. Eleven of the participants completed a pre- and post-training knowledge test. There was a significant improvement in their knowledge of CBT after training. Ten participants also completed a satisfaction questionnaire. The majority were satisfied with the training they received and stated that the training had given them greater confidence in their ability to use CBT with their patients. This study lends support to the use of videoconferencing in the training of rural and remote mental health practitioners.

Fitness and Competency Issues in Canadian Criminal Courts: Elucidating the Standards for Mental Health Professionals

1994 ◽  
Vol 39 (4) ◽  
pp. 198-210 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karen E. Whittemore ◽  
James R.P. Ogloff
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Health Professionals ◽  
Health Professionals ◽  
Legal Issue ◽  
Mental Health Practitioners ◽  
Criminal Courts ◽  
Criminal Proceedings ◽  
Legal Proceedings ◽  
Health Practitioners

The issue of competency arises at various stages of criminal proceedings in an effort to protect those individuals who are unable to participate in the legal process. The competency question is a legal issue ultimately decided by a judge. However, mental health professionals are often called upon to provide insight into an individual's level of competence. To date, the standards by which an individual is found competent have remained far from clear. This creates a problem for clinicians who are requested to make competency evaluations. This article addresses the competency issues as they arise at various stages of legal proceedings in order to determine the standards that are applied by the courts. Furthermore, given the importance placed on mental health evaluations of competency, the role of mental health practitioners will be addressed as it pertains to the competency question at each juncture in the criminal justice system.

Firearms and cultural competence: considerations for mental health professionals

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 61-70 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gianni Pirelli ◽  
Philip Witt
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Cultural Competence ◽  
Mental Health Professionals ◽  
Health Professionals ◽  
Mental Health Practitioners ◽  
Conceptual Approach ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Forensic Practice ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Health Practitioners

Purpose Although cultural competence is gaining increased attention among mental health practitioners, such primarily has centered on race, religion, ethnicity, language, and nationality. Thus far, there has been relatively little recognition of specific socialized subcultures aside from the aforementioned groups, and virtually no discussion regarding those associated with various firearm-related subcultures. This topic is particularly relevant to mental health practitioners, as positions on firearm use and ownership frequently split across political party lines, and mental health professionals and academics are more likely to espouse liberal rather than conservative views. It follows that practitioners may understand little about firearms culture and, therefore, are at increased risk for biased decision making when working with clients for whom firearms have relevance. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach This paper takes a conceptual approach to reviewing potential areas of bias in both clinical and clinical-forensic practice in the US context. Findings The authors detail the prevalence of firearm-related issues in the USA, contextualize firearm-related issues in forensic treatment and evaluation scenarios, delineate a number of firearm subgroups, and recommend considerations for mental health professionals to develop cultural competence as it relates to firearms and associated subcultures. Originality/value This is an original conceptual study of cultural competence and various firearm-related subcultures.

Treating Chronic Physical Illness

2017 ◽  
pp. 779-783
Author(s):  
Katherine S. Spencer
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Health Professionals ◽  
Health Professionals ◽  
Psychological Treatment ◽  
Physical Illness ◽  
Mental Health Practitioners ◽  
Healthcare Outcomes ◽  
Chronic Physical Illness ◽  
Health Practitioners ◽  
Niche Area

Psychological treatment for individuals and families with chronic physical illness is known to improve overall healthcare outcomes and is an important area of niche practice for mental health professionals. With the appropriate training, mental health practitioners can offer these much-needed services in a range of practice settings. The author, who works in a private practice and in hospitals, describes her journey into this niche area of practice. She covers the challenging yet gratifying work in this area and discusses the business of developing skills and a practice in this area. Resources are provided to facilitate this process for other mental health professionals.

Presurgical Bariatric Evaluations

2017 ◽  
pp. 647-653
Author(s):  
Caroljean Bongo
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Bariatric Surgery ◽  
Weight Loss ◽  
Mental Health Professionals ◽  
Health Professionals ◽  
Weight Loss Surgery ◽  
Mental Health Practitioners ◽  
Health Practitioners ◽  
Niche Area ◽  
Metabolic And Bariatric Surgery

The assessment of candidates for metabolic and bariatric surgery (weight loss surgery to treat obesity and related diseases) is an important area of niche practice for mental health professionals. With the appropriate training, mental health practitioners can offer these much-needed services to bariatric surgery candidates. This chapter describes this niche area of practice and how the author developed an interest in it. The author discusses the joys and challenges and the business aspects of conducting these evaluations and gives guidance on developing this niche area of practice. A list of resources to assist in this process is provided.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document