scholarly journals Spirituality and the mental health professions

2012 ◽  
Vol 36 (7) ◽  
pp. 249-254 ◽  
Author(s):  
Monika Pelechova ◽  
Gilly Wiscarson ◽  
Derek K. Tracy
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Health Professionals ◽  
Subjective Experience ◽  
Religious Faith ◽  
Science And Religion ◽  
Health Staff ◽  
Religion And Spirituality ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Mental Health Staff ◽  
Personal Support

Aims and methodReligion and spirituality are very important personal aspects of many people's lives. Little work has looked at the beliefs of mental health professionals and how they reconcile or benefit from the potential differences of religious faith and evidence-based mental health practice. This study used semi-structured interviews to qualitatively explore how professionals from different occupations and faiths conceptualise the relationship between their beliefs and their work.ResultsThe commonly cited ‘conflict’ of science and religion was noted, as was the personal support that faith provides for many people. Participants felt their beliefs made them better at their job, not only by reconciling differences from the two paradigms but also by allowing them to recognise compatible attributes of seeking meaning to subjective experience; this had positively influenced their choice of career in mental health. A desire for ongoing opportunity to express and discuss this interface was strongly expressed, but with concern about how this would occur and be perceived.Clinical implicationsThere is a lack of qualitative research on the religious beliefs of mental health staff. In the UK generally, the role of faith in public life is a strongly debated topic in the context of an increasingly secular and yet multicultural and multi-faith society. Our data suggest that professionals' beliefs positively influence their choice of career in mental health and make them feel better equipped to undertake their roles and provide good-quality patient care. There is an expressed need for further opportunities for staff to discuss their beliefs – or lack thereof – and to consider the individual impact of beliefs on their professional life.

The Prospect of Cure: Implications for Mental Health Planning

1992 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 246-253 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gavin Andrews
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Disorders ◽  
Mental Health Professionals ◽  
Health Planning ◽  
Clinical Care ◽  
Patient Treatment ◽  
Health Staff ◽  
Behaviour Therapy ◽  
Mental Health Staff ◽  
Cognitive Behaviour

The treatment of persons with mental disorders is advancing rapidly. New epidemiological information has allowed the magnitude of the task to be specified. A census of mental health professionals has allowed the workloads to be determined and organisational models which focus on treatment in the community established. As diagnosis is the first step in treatment it is timely that new, computerised structured diagnosis interviews are available. Treatment evaluation likewise is able to suggest that medication and cognitive behaviour therapy backed by good clinical care are the keys to good patient treatment. The two major problems that follow mainstreaming of the treatment of persons with mental disorders are the reallocation of money to treatment in the community, and the education of mental health staff to diagnose and deliver the proven effective treatments.

Human rights

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jamie Fellner
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Human Rights ◽  
Mental Health Professionals ◽  
Health Professionals ◽  
Health Staff ◽  
Mental Health Staff ◽  
Health Practitioners ◽  
International Issues ◽  
Correctional Mental Health ◽  
Policies And Practices

In this chapter, North American and international issues are reviewed covering the range of human rights issues, challenges, and controversies that exist in correctional mental health care. This chapter provides a brief overview of the key internationally recognized human rights that should inform the work of correctional mental health professionals. Human rights reflect a humanistic vision predicated on the foundation of human dignity, which complement the ethical principles of beneficence and non-maleficence. The human rights framework supports correctional mental health staff in their efforts to protect patients from harm and provide them the treatment they need. Human rights provide a universally acknowledged set of precepts that can be used during internal and external advocacy. Mental health professionals should not – consistent with their human rights and ethical obligations – acquiesce silently to conditions of confinement that harm prisoners and violate human rights. They are obligated not only to treat inmates with mental illness with independence and compassion, but to strive to change policies and practices that abuse inmates and violate their rights, even those that involve custodial decisions (e.g. segregation, use of force, restraints). In short, for practitioners who want improved policies and practices, human rights offers a powerful rationale and vision for a different kind of correctional mental health services. The more correctional mental health practitioners embrace and advocate for human rights, the greater the likelihood prisoners’ rights will be respected.

Preferences of dress and address: views of attendees and mental health professionals of the psychiatric services

2012 ◽  
Vol 29 (1) ◽  
pp. 27-32 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christina Sim ◽  
Brian Hallahan ◽  
Colm McDonald
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Health Services ◽  
Health Services ◽  
Mental Health Professionals ◽  
Health Professionals ◽  
Service User ◽  
Psychiatric Services ◽  
Health Staff ◽  
Mental Health Staff ◽  
Medical Terms

AbstractObjectives: The aim of this study was to determine the views of both individuals attending the mental health services (attendees) and mental health professionals in relation to how attendees and staff should be addressed, how attendees should be described, and how staff should be attired.Methods: We surveyed 132 attendees of the West Galway Mental Health Services and 97 mental health professionals in relation to how they prefer to be addressed (first name/ title and surname/ no preference) the description of attendees (patient / client / service user / no preference) and the attire of mental health staff (casual / smart / no preference). We also ascertained how mental health professionals believed attendees would view these issues.Results: Attendees preferred to be described as patients rather than clients or service users by all mental health professionals, with 46-54% of attendees preferring this term “patient” compared to 14-17% preferring the term “client”, 11-13% preferring the term “service user” and 20-25% having no preference (p < 0.001). They preferred to address doctors by their title and surname (61%) but other mental health professionals by their first names (60-69%) (p < 0.001). Attendees had a strong preference for being addressed by their first names by all the mental health professionals (86-91%) (p < 0.001). Doctors preferred to be attired formally (88%), compared to nurses (50%) or other mental health professionals (42%) (p = 0.002). Attendees had no preference in relation to the attire of doctors but preferred other mental health professionals to be attired informally.Conclusions: The study demonstrates that despite the increased use of several non-medical terms to describe attendees of mental health services; the preferred term of attendees of the psychiatric services in both in-patient and out-patient settings remains ‘patient’. However, this is not universally the case, and the ascertainment of the preference of the attendee at the first encounter with the health professional should be ascertained. We also demonstrated that attendees preferences in relation to both “dress and address” of doctors is significantly different to their preference for nurses or other allied mental health professionals; which may reflect a wish for a less familiar and more formal interaction with doctors.

Mental Health Staff: to Promote Resilience, to Reduce The Risk of Burnout

2016 ◽  
Vol 33 (S1) ◽  
pp. S486-S486
Author(s):  
N. Semenova ◽  
A. Palin ◽  
I. Gurovich
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Health Professionals ◽  
Health Workers ◽  
Intervention Strategy ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Health Staff ◽  
Staff Retention ◽  
Mental Health Staff ◽  
Stressful Environment ◽  
Management Interventions

IntroductionStress and burnout are clearly problems for mental health workers. In this paper, we present data from research study on moderators of burnout in mental health staff.Objectives/aimsThe purpose of this study was to explore the phenomenon of resilience as experienced by Russian mental health clinicians working in a highly demanding, specialized and stressful environment (e.g., staff shortages, health service shortages, not being notified of changes before they occurred).MethodsThe study used a range of self report questionnaires. Measures included a demographic checklist, the Hardiness Survey (Maddi 1984), and the GCOS – The General Causality Orientation Scale (Deci & Ryan 1985). The participants for this study were drawn from Medico-rehabilitation Unit, Psychiatric hospital, – the disciplines of psychiatry, clinical psychology and nursing. In all, 10 ward based mental health professionals were surveyed.ResultsThis paper outlines the results of these measures. This in turn allows us to develop intervention strategy to ensure an effective provision, which depends on satisfied professionals, who have a sense of ownership over what they do and an ability to shape the direction of their endeavours.ConclusionsThe study's findings have the potential to inform organizations in mental health to promote resilience in clinicians, to deliver stress management interventions for staff with the potential to reduce the risk of burnout and hence staff attrition, staff retention and mental health.Disclosure of interestThe authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.

scholarly journals Veterans Health Administration staff experiences with suicidal ideation screening and risk assessment in the context of COVID-19

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (12) ◽  
pp. e0261921
Author(s):  
Summer Newell ◽  
Lauren Denneson ◽  
Annabelle Rynerson ◽  
Sarah Rabin ◽  
Victoria Elliott ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Primary Care ◽  
Suicidal Ideation ◽  
Health Staff ◽  
Veterans Health ◽  
Health Administration ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Mental Health Staff ◽  
Populations At Risk ◽  
Mental Health Settings

Universal screening for suicidal ideation in primary care and mental health settings has become a key prevention tool in many healthcare systems, including the Veterans Healthcare Administration (VHA). In response to the coronavirus pandemic, healthcare providers faced a number of challenges, including how to quickly adapt screening practices. The objective of this analyses was to learn staff perspectives on how the pandemic impacted suicide risk screening in primary care and mental health settings. Forty semi-structured interviews were conducted with primary care and mental health staff between April-September 2020 across 12 VHA facilities. A multi-disciplinary team employed a qualitative thematic analysis using a hybrid inductive/deductive approach. Staff reported multiple concerns for patients during the crisis, especially regarding vulnerable populations at risk for social isolation. Lack of clear protocols at some sites on how to serve patients screening positive for suicidal ideation created confusion for staff and led some sites to temporarily stop screening. Sites had varying degrees of adaptability to virtual based care, with the biggest challenge being completion of warm hand-offs to mental health specialists. Unanticipated opportunities that emerged during this time included increased ability of patients and staff to conduct virtual care, which is expected to continue benefit post-pandemic.

scholarly journals Factors promoting and inhibiting sustained impact of a mental health task-shifting program for HIV providers in Ethiopia

2017 ◽  
Vol 4 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. Jerene ◽  
M. Biru ◽  
A. Teklu ◽  
T. Rehman ◽  
A. Ruff ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Health Indicators ◽  
Task Shifting ◽  
Health Staff ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Mental Health Staff ◽  
The Face ◽  
Quasi Experimental ◽  
Competing Priorities

Background.Task-shifting mental health into general medical care requires more than brief provider training. Generalists need long-term support to master new skills and changes to work context are required to sustain change in the face of competing priorities. We examined program and context factors promoting sustainability of a mental health task-shifting training for hospital-based HIV providers in Ethiopia.Methods.Convergent mixed-methods quasi-experimental study. Sustained impact was measured by trained/not-trained provider differences in case detection and management 16 months following the end of formal support. Factors related to sustainability were examined through interviews with trained providers.Results.Extent of sustained impact: Trained providers demonstrated modest but better agreement with standardized screeners (greater sensitivity with similar specificity). They were more likely to request that patients with mental health problems return to see them v. making a referral. Factors promoting sustainability (reported in semi-structured interviews): provider belief that the treatments they had learned were effective. New interactions with on-site mental health staff were a source of ongoing learning and encouragement. Factors diminishing sustainability: providers feelings of isolation when mental health partners left for work elsewhere, failure to incorporate mental health indicators into administrative data, to re-stock staff education materials, and to build formal mechanisms for generalist-mental health staff interaction.Conclusions.An intervention seen as feasible and effective, and promotion of relationships across professional lines, helped generalists sustain new skills. Failure to address key system context issues made use of the skills unsustainable as external supports ended.

scholarly journals Evaluation of awareness level knowledge and understanding framework personality disorder training with mental health staff: impact on attitudes and clinical practice

2016 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 133-143 ◽  
Author(s):  
Selma Ebrahim ◽  
Sally Robinson ◽  
Samantha Crooks ◽  
Sari Harenwall ◽  
Angus Forsyth
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Clinical Practice ◽  
Mental Health Professionals ◽  
Health Staff ◽  
Mental Health Staff ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Level Training ◽  
Health Trust ◽  
Awareness Level

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the impact of knowledge and understanding framework (KUF) awareness-level training with mental health staff in a UK NHS Mental Health Trust. Design/methodology/approach – In total, 181 mental health professionals completed three day KUF awareness-level training to promote understanding and positive attitudes in working with personality disorder (PD). Attitudes to PD were evaluated using the PD – Knowledge and Skills Questionnaire (Bolton et al., 2010) at pre and post training and at three and six months follow up. Quantitative data were analysed and descriptive statistics were obtained. Qualitative methods were also used to evaluate the integration of learning into work-based practice with five participants. Findings – Participants reported a favourable reaction to the training. Understanding and positive emotions about working with PD increased significantly post training (gains maintained at three and six months follow up). Capability in working with PD was increased post training and at three, but not six months. Qualitative analysis suggests clinical practice was positively impacted upon three months following training. Research limitations/implications – This research suggests awareness-level KUF training can have a positive impact on the attitudes, understanding and clinical practice of mental health practitioners towards people with a PD. It confirms earlier research on a decrease in capability post training, and explores strategies to further develop capability with this client group. Originality/value – Despite the promotion of KUF awareness-level training by the Department of Health there is limited evaluation of the approach with mental health professionals in practice. This study reports on an evaluation of KUF training within a large mental health trust with three and six months follow up data. Qualitative evaluation three months after course completion indicates improved practice and application of course principles when working with individuals with PD.

Evaluation of a Social Skills Program Based on Social Learning Theory, Implemented in a School Setting

2011 ◽  
Vol 108 (2) ◽  
pp. 420-436 ◽  
Author(s):  
Beth A. Sheridan ◽  
Douglas A. Macdonald ◽  
Katie McGovern ◽  
Mark Donlon ◽  
Beth Kuhn ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Social Skills ◽  
Mental Health Professionals ◽  
School Setting ◽  
Health Staff ◽  
Mental Health Staff ◽  
Skill Sets ◽  
Social Skills Program ◽  
Moderator Effects ◽  
Grade 3

Using a sample of 647 Canadian children in kindergarten to Grade 3 (325 boys, 322 girls), the present study evaluated the perceived effectiveness of Skillstreaming (McGinnis & Goldstein, 2003), a widely known social skills program implemented to target the development of four skill sets, i.e., listening, following directions, problem-solving, and knowing when to tell. Results indicated significant postprogram improvements in all skills as well as in ratings of overall pro-sociality obtained from both classroom teachers and mental health staff, with medium to large effect sizes obtained from teachers' and mental health professionals' ratings, respectively. Additional analyses yielded significant but weak moderator effects of grade and preprogram prosocial functioning for teacher ratings but no consistent moderator effects for children's sex or school location (i.e., urban versus rural) regardless of rater.

Attitudes of Mental Health Staff Toward Patients With Borderline Personality Disorder: An Italian Cross-Sectional Multisite Study

2019 ◽  
pp. 1-16 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mariangela Lanfredi ◽  
Maria Elena Ridolfi ◽  
Giorgia Occhialini ◽  
Laura Pedrini ◽  
Clarissa Ferrari ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Borderline Personality Disorder ◽  
Personality Disorder ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Mental Health Professionals ◽  
Borderline Personality ◽  
Social Health ◽  
Health Staff ◽  
Health Educators ◽  
Mental Health Staff

Negative attitudes toward borderline personality disorder (BPD) can present a barrier to those seeking care. We explored caring attitudes toward BPD among 860 mental health professionals, including psychiatrists, psychologists, social health educators, nurses, and social workers. The results showed that social workers and nurses scored significantly lower on caring attitudes than psychiatrists, social health educators, and psychologists. Our analysis showed that the more BPD patients treated in the past year, more years of experience in mental health, and having prior BPD training were positively associated with caring attitudes scores. For all professional subgroups, except for social health educators, the caring attitudes score is higher in those who have had prior BPD training, and for professionals with low and medium level of experience in mental health. This result shows that training on BPD should target less experienced clinicians and those professional groups who had less opportunity to receive such education.

Evaluation of a four-week Rehabilitation Assessment program introduced at an Australian Community Care Units setting: mental health consumers and clinicians perspectives

2014 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
pp. 359
Author(s):  
Jodie Nguy ◽  
Melissa Petrakis ◽  
Michael Wilson
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Community Care ◽  
Rehabilitation Program ◽  
Case Managers ◽  
Health Staff ◽  
Daily Routine ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Mental Health Staff ◽  
Mental Health Consumers

 Background: Community Care Units (CCUs) are purpose built residential accommodation for adults with severe and enduring mental illness. The CCUs are staffed by clinical mental health staff 24 hours per day and there are consistent guidelines as to the process these programs utilise to prioritise who would most benefit from them. A CCU based in the Inner East of Melbourne, Australia, has utilised one bed as a ‘review program’ to assess patients’ functional livings skills and potential for engagement with the long-term rehabilitation program as part of a general more person-centered healthcare approach.  Aims: The purpose was to evaluate: (1) patient perception of the program and if this benefits their rehabilitation, (2) the perception of clinicians who refer to the program and (3) the perception of clinicians of the CCU multidisciplinary team (MDT).  Method: A purposive sample of patients and clinicians was employed. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 7 patients who had participated in the review program between January 2010 - April 2012 and an online survey was conducted with responses from 5 case managers who had referred patients and 9 clinicians in the CCU MDT team who had participated in conducting the review. Results: Our results indicated that patients found the process somewhat overwhelming and an adjustment to their daily routine; they were generally unclear as to the rationale for referral to the program. Clinicians found the program to be a useful process in assisting a more in-depth understanding of their patients’ needs.  Conclusion: Results suggest that review and modification to program delivery could enhance patient benefits and enhance more person-centered approaches to care. 

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