<p> This action research study examined the impact of participation in an appreciative inquiry (AI) intervention on social service workers' level of compassion fatigue. Five workers plus two of their managers took part in the study. A 6-hour AI intervention was held and participants completed pre- and post-tests of the Professional Quality of Life Scale to measure their compassion satisfaction, compassion fatigue, and burnout. A focus group also was held to gather qualitative data about the impact of the intervention. Results indicated that the intervention was highly valuable for strengthening working relationships, underscoring the positives in otherwise emotionally difficult work, and learning how to avoid or reduce compassion fatigue. Based on these findings, periodic AI interventions are advised to reduce social service workers' compassion fatigue by sharing their experiences and focusing on the positive. Future research should eliminate the limitations of the present study by expanding the sample and gathering multiple forms of data.</p>

<p> The purpose of this project was to locate a potential funding source and write a grant to create a psycho-educational group for family members of adults with a mental health diagnosis. With this program, family members can receive guided and educated support. The additional support they receive will assist them in becoming more supportive to their loved ones who have mental illnesses. The group would take place at Alma Family Services in Long Beach, California. A search was conducted to locate an appropriate funder for this project. The Ralph M. Parsons Foundation had specific criteria about what type of agencies they fund, which was met by the agency and the program. </p><p> Individuals who experience mental health challenges face many difficulties during their lives. The support of knowledgeable, understanding, and caring family members may reduce some of life's challenges for individuals who experience mental illness. If funded, the program would benefit families who need psycho-education about mental illness and assistance with mental health questions. The actual submission and/or funding of this grant was not a requirement for the successful completion of the project.</p>

This empirical study explores if, and how, religion and spirituality are relevant subjects for those experiencing mental distress in Northern Ireland (NI) and how, if at all, the subject is engaged with in mental health social work practice. Although there is some controversy in United Kingdom based research regarding the apparent benefit of religion and spirituality within mental health, service user research and literature suggests its importance within recovery. Literature on religion, spirituality and social work practice suggests the need to examine the social and political processes which persist around this subject in social work practice (Henery, 2003; Wong and Vinsky, 2009). This examination is appropriate given the role of religion within the political conflict in NI, the impact of the conflict upon social work practice (Campbell et al, 2013), the high incidence of mental ill health in NI and the apparent role of religion and spirituality within mental distress. This study considers how mental health social workers may engage with this subject within their practice not only as an aspect of service users’ identity but also within post conflict Northern Ireland. The study methodology and design drew upon narrative theory and grounded theory. I interviewed twelve mental health service users and twelve mental health social workers, and half of the participants from each group also took part in a follow-up telephone interview. All of the participants were invited to bring an object which expressed what religion and spirituality meant to them. Analysis explored the views and experiences of mental health service users and social workers about religion and spirituality, within specific aspects of the wider social field. Service user and social worker participants’ accounts suggested that whilst the role of religion and spirituality within mental distress was recognised, its inclusion in mental health social work practice was marked with questions of legitimacy. Some of these questions were explicitly framed within the conflict, whilst others were less so. The study found that although religion was associated with politics, sectarianism and violence, its role, and that of spirituality, as an aspect of identity and meaning-making, appeared to be underdeveloped. Two key findings are of particular note. 10 Firstly that service user participants had their own ‘hierarchy’ of religious and spiritual expression, which on occasion appeared to result in their being critical of other service users’ expressions. Secondly, some service users preferred to keep their spirituality to themselves as a strategy of empowerment. In addition the study also found that service users viewed the mental health professional relationship as focusing upon medical aspects of their care, for example physical health and medication management, with no scope to explore religion, spirituality and mental distress. Thus questions of legitimacy focused around the notion of privacy and whether talking about religion and spirituality within the mental health service user and social worker relationship was too sensitive, given its association with sectarianism. Furthermore, mental health service users were concerned about how a disclosure of religion and / or spirituality within mental distress would be viewed by the mental health professional: would it be viewed as indicative of deteriorating mental health? Overall the study identified a significant gap between how service users draw upon spirituality and / or religion within mental distress, and the space given to this within mental health social work practice. This gap is due to a myriad of factors ranging from the social worker’s biography, to wider issues around how religion and spirituality are conceptualised in contemporary society. This study also highlights the continuing impact of the Northern Ireland conflict on frontline social work provision. There is a need for policymaking to acknowledge the ambivalence that exists around spirituality and religion in mental health social work practice due to the conflict and other relevant factors. Finally, support is needed for practitioners and service users to acknowledge this aspect of mental well-being in a manner that gives service users choice about its inclusion in their mental health care.

本研究探討心理衛生社會工作者與精神病患照顧者工作之中相互期待的角色內涵、影響角色期待之因素或歷程，以及相互期待之認知、行動如何修正與調整。本研究採質性研究深度訪談法，採立意抽樣選取研究對象，對三十九位受訪者（二十六位心理衛生社會工作者、十三位精神病患照顧者）進行半結構式訪談，主要研究發現如下： 1. 精神病患照顧者的照顧內容和與角色立場： （1）照顧內容：症狀因應、社區生活 （2）照顧態度：積極主動、合理期待、自我照顧 （3）與其他家屬互動：聚會交流、自助助人、權益倡導 2. 照顧者樣態與社會工作者對照顧者之角色期待： （1）所見樣態：積極參與、消極參與、不當期待、家庭動力不穩 （2）對照顧者之角色期待：配合服務、適度支持、個別化期待、如個案需要協助 （3）影響因素：社經認知條件、家庭文化因素、疾病照顧經驗、社區環境、社工接觸經驗 3. 社會工作者與照顧者之工作方法，與照顧者對社會工作者的角色期待： （1）工作方法：傾聽陪伴支持、協作釐清期待、衛教家屬團體、家庭動力工作、社區資源連結、權益倡導協調 （2）指導原則：聚焦正向改變、以個案為中心、重視家庭經驗、尊重照顧知識、抱持覺察開放的態度 （3）照顧者對社會工作者之角色期待：教育引導、家庭陪伴、權益倡導 （4）影響社會工作者角色因素：個人因素、專業教育、組織因素、結構因素 4. 照顧者與社會工作者關係：夥伴關係、工作關係、彈性關係 5. 照顧者與社會工作者相互角色期待調整方式： （1）照顧者對社會工作者期待調整：接受現況、調整期待、自立自強 （2）社會工作者對照顧者期待調整：接納現況、調整期待、擇善固執 （3）社會工作者挫折因應方法：經驗回饋、自我照顧、團隊支持 最後，研究者結合上述研究結果，嘗試繪製出心理衛生社會工作者與照顧者相互角色期待內涵與影響因素之概念架構圖，並提出本研究限制與建議，提供照顧者、心理衛生社會工作者和政策制定者、未來研究者參考，期冀本研究有助於減少照顧者可能產生的失望，甚至進而奠定一個基於夥伴關係的服務方式。 / The purpose of the study was to explore the content of mutual role expectation for mental health social workers and caregivers, the factors influencing role expectation, and the adjustment process of role expectation. This study used purposive sampling to select thirty-nine participants (twenty-six mental health social workers and thirteen caregivers), conducting in-depth interviews by using a semi-structured interview outline. The major results of the study include: 1. Care content and role of caregivers: (1) Care content: symptom management, community life promotion. (2) Care attitude: proactive, reasonably expected, self-care. (3) Interaction with other caregivers: family support group and gathering, help others and self-help, advocacy. 2. Caregiver pattern and role expectation of caregivers: (1) Caregiver pattern: actively participated, passively participated, improperly expected, unstable family dynamics. (2) Role expectation of caregivers： service adherence, moderate support, individual expectation, potential client. (3) Factors influencing role expectation: socioeconomic and cognitive conditions, family and cultural factors, caring experience, community environment, the experience of contacting social worker. 3. Working methods and role expectation of social workers: (1) Working methods: listening and accompanying, cooperating to clarify expectation, group psychoeducation, family systems therapy, mobilizing community resources, advocacy and negotiation. (2) Guiding principles: focus on positive changes, case-centered, attention to family experience, respect for caring knowledge, open-mindedness and self-awareness. (3) Role expectation of social workers: educator and guide, family supporter, advocate. (4) Factors influencing role expectation: personal factors, professional education, organizational factors, structural factors. 4. Professional relationship: partnership, working relationship, elastic relationship. 5. Adjustment process of role expectation for caregivers and social workers： (1) Role expectation of caregivers adjusted by social workers: accepting the status quo, adjusting expectation, self-reliance. (2) Role expectation of social workers adjusted by caregivers: accepting the status quo, adjusting expectation, persisting. (3) Frustration coping methods: experience feedback, self-care, team support. Based on above findings, researcher drew out the depiction of mutual role expectation for mental health social workers and caregivers, as well as the factors influencing role expectation, proposing the study restrictions and suggestions on policy making, partnership-based approach for mental health social workers and caregivers, and further research.

Le Plan d’action en santé mentale institué en 2005 marque le début d’une période de changements profonds qui auront un impact significatif sur les équipes de première ligne qui assurent la plupart des services au Québec. Le changement se manifestera sur deux fronts distincts. En premier lieu, le passage de services historiquement ancrés dans un modèle biomédical vers des services centrés sur le rétablissement. En second lieu, l’adoption de processus administratifs s’inscrivant dans une philosophie de gestion axée sur les résultats qui ont pour objectif de mesurer et d’assurer l’efficacité des services. L'objectif de cette étude est d’explorer le statu du développement des pratiques axées sur le rétablissement au niveau des travailleurs sociaux de première ligne dans le contexte administratif mentionné ci-haut. Le travail de recherche qualitatif et exploratoire est construit sur l’analyse de 11 interviews semi structurés avec des travailleurs sociaux et des gestionnaires dans des équipes de première ligne en santé mentale. Les entretiens m’ont non seulement permis d’identifier et d’examiner des actions concrètes s’inscrivant dans l’effort d’implantation du Plan d’action mais aussi de sonder et d’explorer la signification qui est donnée au rétablissement par les travailleurs sociaux de première ligne. Les résultats indiquent que certains facteurs relatifs à l'organisation du travail tels que la flexibilité, l'autonomie, la réflexivité et l’interdisciplinarité peuvent favoriser une pratique orientée vers le rétablissement. Aussi, les résultats démontrent que le modèle du rétablissement et la profession du travail social partagent des valeurs fondamentales mais que la signification et l'expression du rétablissement ont été profondément influencés par les modèles organisationnels et obligations administratives en vigueur. Il appert que les travailleurs sociaux sont confrontés, dans leur pratique, à des contraintes qui dépassent leur mandat professionnel et, à certains égards, leur savoir-faire. En somme, les résultats obtenus indiquent que le passage avec succès vers la pratique de services basés sur le rétablissement est compromis par les exigences d’un modèle de gestion axé sur les résultats. / Following the 2005 Mental Health Action Plan most mental health services are offered in primary care teams. This policy called for a paradigm shift away from a biomedical model of care toward a process-focused ‘recovery’ orientation in mental health. Concurrently, it called for the use of a results-orientation that is outcome-focused in order to ensure efficiency. The objective of this research project was to explore the development of recovery-oriented practices among social workers in first line mental health teams in Québec. To do this, I investigated the microprocesses of implementing recovery-oriented services and practices alongside results-oriented management techniques. In addition, this project explored the saliency of a recovery orientation specifically for first line mental health social workers. This qualitative, exploratory study consisted of 11 semi-structured interviews with social workers and managers in first line mental health teams. The results indicate that certain aspects of work organization, such as flexibility, autonomy, reflexivity, training, and interdisciplinarity can foster a practice that is recovery-oriented. In addition, the results show that the foundations of both the recovery orientation and the social work profession share common values. However, social workers face constraints to practice that go beyond their know-how and professional base. Our exploratory study leads us to contemplate the influence of work organization on changing practice. The results suggest that practicing from a recovery orientation was a shared ideal among the participants but that the meaning and expression of this ideal was profoundly shaped by practice contexts. The implications of these results are that recovery-oriented systems will be difficult to develop in a result-oriented paradigm.

Le Plan d’action en santé mentale institué en 2005 marque le début d’une période de changements profonds qui auront un impact significatif sur les équipes de première ligne qui assurent la plupart des services au Québec. Le changement se manifestera sur deux fronts distincts. En premier lieu, le passage de services historiquement ancrés dans un modèle biomédical vers des services centrés sur le rétablissement. En second lieu, l’adoption de processus administratifs s’inscrivant dans une philosophie de gestion axée sur les résultats qui ont pour objectif de mesurer et d’assurer l’efficacité des services. L'objectif de cette étude est d’explorer le statu du développement des pratiques axées sur le rétablissement au niveau des travailleurs sociaux de première ligne dans le contexte administratif mentionné ci-haut. Le travail de recherche qualitatif et exploratoire est construit sur l’analyse de 11 interviews semi structurés avec des travailleurs sociaux et des gestionnaires dans des équipes de première ligne en santé mentale. Les entretiens m’ont non seulement permis d’identifier et d’examiner des actions concrètes s’inscrivant dans l’effort d’implantation du Plan d’action mais aussi de sonder et d’explorer la signification qui est donnée au rétablissement par les travailleurs sociaux de première ligne. Les résultats indiquent que certains facteurs relatifs à l'organisation du travail tels que la flexibilité, l'autonomie, la réflexivité et l’interdisciplinarité peuvent favoriser une pratique orientée vers le rétablissement. Aussi, les résultats démontrent que le modèle du rétablissement et la profession du travail social partagent des valeurs fondamentales mais que la signification et l'expression du rétablissement ont été profondément influencés par les modèles organisationnels et obligations administratives en vigueur. Il appert que les travailleurs sociaux sont confrontés, dans leur pratique, à des contraintes qui dépassent leur mandat professionnel et, à certains égards, leur savoir-faire. En somme, les résultats obtenus indiquent que le passage avec succès vers la pratique de services basés sur le rétablissement est compromis par les exigences d’un modèle de gestion axé sur les résultats. / Following the 2005 Mental Health Action Plan most mental health services are offered in primary care teams. This policy called for a paradigm shift away from a biomedical model of care toward a process-focused ‘recovery’ orientation in mental health. Concurrently, it called for the use of a results-orientation that is outcome-focused in order to ensure efficiency. The objective of this research project was to explore the development of recovery-oriented practices among social workers in first line mental health teams in Québec. To do this, I investigated the microprocesses of implementing recovery-oriented services and practices alongside results-oriented management techniques. In addition, this project explored the saliency of a recovery orientation specifically for first line mental health social workers. This qualitative, exploratory study consisted of 11 semi-structured interviews with social workers and managers in first line mental health teams. The results indicate that certain aspects of work organization, such as flexibility, autonomy, reflexivity, training, and interdisciplinarity can foster a practice that is recovery-oriented. In addition, the results show that the foundations of both the recovery orientation and the social work profession share common values. However, social workers face constraints to practice that go beyond their know-how and professional base. Our exploratory study leads us to contemplate the influence of work organization on changing practice. The results suggest that practicing from a recovery orientation was a shared ideal among the participants but that the meaning and expression of this ideal was profoundly shaped by practice contexts. The implications of these results are that recovery-oriented systems will be difficult to develop in a result-oriented paradigm.

In my thesis I am going to focus on one of the areas of community care for people with mental illness and thus on the area of employment. The main focus of the thesis is on a description of current situation in the provision of the employment support for people with mental illness. The focus is also on the formulation of the specifics of the Employment Support Program for people with mental illness. Another part of my thesis contains empirical investigations focusing on the sustainability and the perspective of the Employment Support Program for people with mental illness. The goal of my thesis is to set up an updated oveview study on the issue of providing employment support for people with metal illness. Powered by TCPDF (www.tcpdf.org)