scholarly journals The Response of Community Mental-Health Professionals to Clients' Rights: A Review And Suggestions

1990 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 5-22 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leslie M. Tutty

Client's rights is an issue which resurfaces periodically in professional journals, but which is ever-present in the minds of consumers of mental-health facilities. While some of the most striking pleas for adherence to rights have centred in the past on inpatient mental-health facilities, similar issues related to client treatment continue to exist in community mental-health centres. This paper reviews the literature on outpatient clients' rights from the perspective of both clients and professionals. The paper provides suggestions for mental-health professionals to more adequately address the rights of their clients in terms of the workplace, the organization of their agencies, and through legal/legislated means.

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Roisin McGrath ◽  
Rodrigo Marino ◽  
Julie Satur

Abstract Background This study explored the oral health promotion practices of Australian community mental health professionals working with people living with severe mental illness (SMI). Methods An anonymous cross-sectional web-based survey was distributed to all Community Rehabilitation and Support Workers (CRSWs) working at Neami National (n = 471), an Australian community mental health service. The validated questionnaire assessed participants’ self-rated oral health knowledge and confidence (7 questions); their perceived barriers (9 questions) and attitudes (5 questions) to oral health promotion; and their oral health promotion practices (7 questions). Differences in responses between groups were analysed using Chi-square, Fisher’s exact and Mann–Whitney U tests. Logistic Regression Analysis served to explore the probability of providing oral health support to mental health consumers. Results A total of 141 CRSWs were included in this study, achieving a response rate of 30 percent. Roughly two-fifths (39.0%) of participants had oral health training in the previous 12-months. The majority of CRSWs (89.3%) believed (‘Agreed’ or ‘Strongly agreed’) that mental health support workers have a role to play in promoting oral health. However, less than half (44.0%) of CRSWs practiced oral health promotion activities when working with mental health consumers. When asked about barriers to promoting oral health, ‘lack of consumer interest’ was the most prevalent issue. CRSWs who had oral health training were over three-times (OR 3.5, 95% CI 1.25–9.83, p = 0.017) more likely to provide oral health support. Results showed the provision of oral health support was most strongly associated with self-rated knowledge and confidence (OR 4.089, 95% CI 1.629–10.263, p = 0.003) and attitudes to oral health promotion (OR 3.906, 95% CI 1.77–8.65, p = 0.001). Conclusion The results of this study suggest that mental health support workers who have more positive attitudes to oral health promotion and who have higher self-rated oral health knowledge and confidence are more likely to provide oral health support in their professional role. Training for community mental health professionals is essential to build confidence and skills to promote oral health for mental health consumers.


2018 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 173-186 ◽  
Author(s):  
Catherine Cosgrave ◽  
Myfanwy Maple ◽  
Rafat Hussain

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.


Author(s):  
Beatriz Gómez ◽  
Shigeru Iwakabe ◽  
Alexandre Vaz

Interest in psychotherapy integration has steadily expanded over the past decades, reaching most continents of the world and more mental health professionals than ever. Nevertheless, a country’s cultural and historical background significantly influences the nurturance or hindrance of integrative endeavors. This chapter seeks to explicate the current climate of psychotherapy integration in different continents and specific countries. With the aid of local integrative scholars, brief descriptions are presented on integrative practice, training, and research, as well as on cultural and sociopolitical issues that have shaped this movement’s impact around the world.


1983 ◽  
Vol 15 (4) ◽  
pp. 525-542 ◽  
Author(s):  
G B Hall ◽  
S M Taylor

Nonuser responses to community facilities are recognised as among the most important factors determining the success or failure of community-based systems of service delivery. A causal model of individual attitudes to community mental health care is defined and tested with survey data collected in Toronto, Ontario. The results from a path analysis show the strong antecedent influence of attitudes toward facility users and of perceived impacts of facilities on facility desirability. The importance of personal nonattitudinal characteristics on reactions to facilities is also revealed. The implications of familiarity with mental illness and of attitudes toward the mentally ill for the acceptance of community mental health facilities are considered.


2005 ◽  
Vol 40 (3) ◽  
pp. 223-232 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stefan Priebe ◽  
Walid K. H. Fakhoury ◽  
Karin Hoffmann ◽  
Richard A. Powell

1999 ◽  
Vol 175 (2) ◽  
pp. 106-113 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael King ◽  
Annie Bartlett

BackgroundOpposition to homosexuality in Europe reached a crescendo in the 19th century. What had earlier been regarded as a vice evolved as a perversion or psychological illness. Official reviews of homosexuality as both an illness and (for men) a crime led to discrimination, inhumane treatments and shame, guilt and fear for gay men and lesbians. Only recently has homosexuality been removed from all international diagnostic glossaries.AimsTo review how British psychiatry has regarded homosexuality over the past century.MethodReview of key publications on homosexuality in British psychiatry.ResultsThe literature on homosexuality reflects evolving theories on sexuality over the past century. The assumptions in psychoanalysis and the behavioural sciences that sexuality could be altered led to unscientific theory and practice.ConclusionsMental health professionals in Britain should be aware of the mistakes of the past. Only in that way can we prevent future excesses and heal the gulf between gay and lesbian patients and their psychiatrists.


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