Mental health seems to be a growing area of concern worldwide with the number of people suffering from mental health issues rapidly increasing. In South Africa, over 17 million people are reported to be suffering from mental illness and mental health problems. Those suffering from mental health problems are identified as a vulnerable group greatly depending on the social work intervention and service provision for recovery. As a result, social workers form part of the five core professional groups in the field of mental health worldwide. The provision of mental health services by social workers is subject to numerous realities that have a significant impact on their overall experiences in the field however there has been little to no research conducted on the experiences of social workers in providing mental health services. Therefore, the rationale of the present study was to address the identified knowledge gap in literature by conducting research specifically looking into the experiences of social workers in the provision of mental health services at Weskoppies mental health facility. The goal of the present study was to explore and describe the experiences of social workers in the provision of mental healthcare services specifically at Weskoppies mental health facility. The present study was qualitative and employed the instrumental case study design in order to generate an understanding of the experiences of social workers in providing mental health services through thick and rich descriptions of the cases studied. The ten (10) social workers who participated in the present study were purposively sampled using the following sampling criteria: the social worker had to be providing mental health services at Weskoppies mental health facility; be registered with the South African Council for Social Service Professionals (SACSSP) and be in possession of a recognised bachelor’s degree from a South African university; have six months or more experience in mental health; give consent to participate in the study and be able to speak and understand or converse in English. Semi-structured one-on-one interviews with an interview schedule were utilised to collect data from the participants. The research findings show that the absence of a clear set scope of practice for social workers providing mental health services results in role confusion and also in social workers being subject to tasks falling outside of their broad scope of social work practice (for example, accompanying patients to the ATM or collecting patient parcels at an institutional gate/entrance). The risks with such tasks are observably not covered in danger allowances as the research explains in detail in analysed findings. In addition to the above, a lack of resources was identified as the main challenge affecting the overall quality of social work service provision and interventions. The findings also indicate that there is a great gap in mental health content within the undergraduate social work degree and that the degree alone is inadequate in capacitating social workers to undertake effective practice in mental health. Supervision and workplace training seem to be effective measures in bridging the presenting gaps resulting from the undergraduate BSW degree. Recommendations include capacity building for social workers providing mental health services through the Inclusion of mental health modules in the undergraduate social work degree as well as the development of a clear set scope of practice for social workers providing mental health services. Key Concepts: Social Worker, Mental health, Mental health services, Mental illness, Mental healthcare user, Metal health facility, Weskoppies mental health facility, Experiences / Mini Dissertation (MSW (Health Care))-University of Pretoria, 2020. / Social Work and Criminology / MSW (Health Care) / Unrestricted

Thesis--Wisconsin. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 332-363).

The goal of this study was to determine the bio-psychosocial treatment needs of dual diagnosis patients with depressive episodes and alcohol misuse. In order to achieve this goal, a qualitative research approach was adopted to gain a holistic understanding of dual diagnosis, as well as to explore and to describe the bio-psychosocial treatment needs of these individuals. This research study aimed to contribute towards solving a practical problem in practice by offering recommendations for a multidisciplinary team approach with regard to the treatment of patients diagnosed with depressive episodes and alcohol misuse in South African treatment centres. To this end, the collective case study design guided the research study. A two-stage sampling strategy was implemented in the study. Firstly, purposive sampling was used to identify potential participants, and it was followed up with, secondly, volunteer sampling to recruit 10 individuals with co-occurring depressive episodes and alcohol misuse from a private psychiatric clinic in Pretoria, which formed the research sample. Furthermore, a semi-structured one-on-one interview, guided by questions contained in an interview schedule, was used as a data collection method. The researcher implemented the qualitative data analysis process of Creswell (1998, in Schurink, Fouché & De Vos, 2011) to extrapolate themes and sub-themes from the raw data through thematic analysis. The trustworthiness of the data interpretation was confirmed through peer debriefing, member checking, as well as the assurance of confidentiality. An analysis of two different sources of data, namely the literature review and interviews, was used to answer the following research question: What are the bio-psychosocial treatment needs of dual diagnosis patients suffering from depressive episodes and alcohol misuse? The key findings indicated that persons suffering from a dual diagnosis of depressive episodes and alcohol misuse have idiosyncratic biological, psychological and social treatment needs. On a biological level it was found that patients with a dual diagnosis lead a less active and an unhealthy lifestyle and are therefore more prone to the development of chronic illnesses, such as hypertension and cardiovascular disease. It was also found that these individuals exhibit addictive behaviours apart from the alcohol misuse. With regard to psychological needs, the research found that dual diagnosis patients experience difficulties in expressing their needs and emotions to others. In this regard the research indicated that these individuals have poorly developed coping mechanisms and limited resources for gaining an improved sense of well-being. Identified areas in which these individuals may need assistance on a psychological level include: general coping mechanisms, communication skills, problem solving skills, and conflict management. With regard to violent and aggressive behaviour, it was found that these individuals are more likely to internalise their frustration and aggress towards themselves. On a social level it was found that individuals with a dual diagnosis of depressive episodes and alcohol misuse experience more relationship breakdown and less social support. Additionally, on a social level these individuals experience difficulties in coping in the workplace, as well as having problems with financial management. It is recommended that the multidisciplinary team participate in the development of psycho-educational groups that focus on the education of dual diagnosis patients regarding their needs on each level of functioning. Furthermore, it is recommended that effective clinical communication patterns are in place to prevent fragmented service delivery to individuals with a dual diagnosis. It is recommended that service delivery takes place in all forms of service delivery, including individual therapy, psycho-educational groups, group work activities, as well as family counselling. Further research could focus on the following: 1) Extending the research population to areas outside the Gauteng Province, or even South Africa, in order to determine if these findings can be generalised to all patients with a dual diagnosis of depressive episodes and alcohol misuse; 2) Conducting the research in public health care centres to determine if the findings of this study are also prevalent in lower socio-economic classes (taking into consideration that the present study was conducted at a private psychiatric clinic); 3) Repeating the study with different combinations of psychiatric illnesses, as well as substances of abuse, to determine if the conclusions drawn from this study can be made applicable to dual diagnosis in general, or only to dual diagnosis with depressive episodes and alcohol misuse in particular. / Dissertation (MSW)--University of Pretoria, 2014. / tm2015 / Social Work and Criminology / MSW / Unrestricted

No / Existing research on the impact of growing up in care focuses upon either the care experience itself or the period of transition from care to independence. Our knowledge of outcomes largely ceases when former residents of the care system reach their early twenties. There are strong social justice reasons for extending research into the older adult lives of such young people. We know a great deal about the multiple disadvantages that such individuals face as children. But research is largely silent about their subsequent adult lives. While we must be cautious in drawing causal links to the childhood care experience as the time period since life in care extends, we know that early experiences can affect care-leavers across their life coursejust as childhood experience affects all adults in a variety of ways. In this review, we highlight evidence drawn from research in Australia, the United Kingdom, Canada, Ireland, and the United States, with particular attention paid to the first two of those countries. We use a wide range of sources and identify areas for further consideration, including access to personal records, mental health, education, and parenting. By doing so, we seek to open up this area for further research with the hope that such research will lead to an increasing recognition of care-leavers' needs and thus to improvements in social policy and service provision.

Submitted by Micheli Abreu (mabreu@fiocruz.br) on 2016-05-18T15:01:23Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Liz_Feligueira_EPSJV_Mestrado_2016.pdf: 951739 bytes, checksum: 51f1738bf6221c9d30f305e9d5ecefe9 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Mario Mesquita (mbarroso@fiocruz.br) on 2016-07-18T14:54:13Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 Liz_Feligueira_EPSJV_Mestrado_2016.pdf: 951739 bytes, checksum: 51f1738bf6221c9d30f305e9d5ecefe9 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-07-18T14:54:13Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Liz_Feligueira_EPSJV_Mestrado_2016.pdf: 951739 bytes, checksum: 51f1738bf6221c9d30f305e9d5ecefe9 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2016 / Fundação Oswaldo Cruz. Escola Politécnica de Saúde Joaquim Venâncio. Programa de Pós Graduação em Educação Profissional em Saúde / A presente dissertação tem por tema o estudo dos discursos sobre as formas de recepção aos usuários em sofrimento mental que procuram atendimento no ambulatório geral de adultos do Instituto de Psiquiatria da Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, IPUB/UFRJ, ressaltando a participação do profissional de serviço social nesta prática. Para a execução da pesquisa, foram elencadas doze publicações científicas, entre monografias, artigos, e livros que versam sobre as práticas cotidianas de atendimento e ensino no ambulatório em questão. A análise do material foi realizada através dos pressupostos da Análise de Discurso e procurou-se verificar as condições históricas de produção dos diferentes discursos, bem como se estes dialogam com as reflexões produzidas pelo Movimento da Reforma Psiquiátrica, ligado à saúde mental, e pelo Movimento de Reconceituação, intrínseco à categoria do serviço social. O período estudado abarca desde a década de 1970, momento de surgimento do Movimento da Reforma Psiquiátrica e de renovação do serviço social até 2014. / La presente disertación tiene por tema de estudio de los discursos sobre las formas de recepción del usuario en sufrimiento mental que busca atendimiento en el ambulatorio general de adultos del Instituto de Psiquiatria da Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, IPUB/UFRJ, con énfasis en la participación del trabajador social en esta recepción. Para el desarrollo de la investigación fueron estudiadas doce publicaciones científicas, entre monografías, artículos e libros que tocaban sobre las prácticas cotidianas de atendimiento y enseñanza en el ambulatorio ya mencionado. El análisis de los datos se realizó de acuerdo con los presupuestos de Análisis del Discurso y se buscó verificar las condiciones históricas y de producción de los distintos discursos, así como si estos dialogaban con las reflexiones producidas por el Movimiento de la Reforma Siquiátrica vinculados a la salud mental y el Movimiento de Reconceptualización intrínseco a la categoría del trabajo social. El periodo estudiado comprende la década de 1970, momento de surgimiento del Movimiento de la Reforma Siquiátrica y de la renovación del trabajo social hasta el año de 2014. / La presente disertación tiene por tema de estudio de los discursos sobre las formas de recepción del usuario en sufrimiento mental que busca atendimiento en el ambulatorio general de adultos del Instituto de Psiquiatria da Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, IPUB/UFRJ, con énfasis en la participación del trabajador social en esta recepción. Para el desarrollo de la investigación fueron estudiadas doce publicaciones científicas, entre monografías, artículos e libros que tocaban sobre las prácticas cotidianas de atendimiento y enseñanza en el ambulatorio ya mencionado. El análisis de los datos se realizó de acuerdo con los presupuestos de Análisis del Discurso y se buscó verificar las condiciones históricas y de producción de los distintos discursos, así como si estos dialogaban con las reflexiones producidas por el Movimiento de la Reforma Siquiátrica vinculados a la salud mental y el Movimiento de Reconceptualización intrínseco a la categoría del trabajo social. El periodo estudiado comprende la década de 1970, momento de surgimiento del Movimiento de la Reforma Siquiátrica y de la renovación del trabajo social hasta el año de 2014. / 2016-05-02

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