This study investigates two facets of the relationship between mental health and religion. The first is an investigation into the effects of psychologist's and psychiatrist's religious belief on their assessments of a religious client. Previous research has argued that non-religious mental health workers display bias against their religious clients (Houts and Graham, 1986; and Jones, 1994). Other research has suggested that extrinsically religious indivi~uals and indiscriminately religious individuals tend to be more prejudiced than non-religious or intrinsically religious individuals (Donahue, 1985; and Richards and Bergin, 1997). The second facet of this study is an investigation into the differences between ministers of religion and mental health workers (psychologists and psychiatrists) in their assessment of a religious client. The DSM IV (APA, 1994) suggests that mental health workers should consider the cultural appropriateness of an individuals "symptoms" or behaviours before diagnosing them. It is argued here that psychologists and psychiatrists do not give due regard to the cultural appropriateness of their client's religious beliefs and the ministers of religion offer a gauge of what is culturally appropriate. To investigate these questions a group of mental health workers (consisting of 19 psychologists and 9 psychiatrists) and a group of Christian ministers of religion (consisting of 13 Pentecostal ministers and 17 mainstream ministers) was asked to complete a questionnaire based on a hypothetical case study. The hypothetical case study was constructed to have ambiguous religious characteristics, to allow the respondents to interpret the information according to their own biases. The questionnaire included Allport and Ross's Religious Orientation Scale (ROS) (Wulff, 1991). Data were analysed using Mann-Whittney U-tests and Kruskal Wallis H-tests. Significant differences were found between ministers of religion and mental health workers on most variables, with the greatest differences being evidenced between Pentecostal ministers of religion and psychiatrists. This suggests that mental health workers perceive religious clients as more mentally ill than ministers of religion do. However, no differences were found between mental health workers of different religious orientations according to the ROS and other measures of religiousness. This implies that mental health workers are not biased based on their own religious faith, but all mental health workers may be indiscriminately biased against religious individuals. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2001.

Thesis (M.A.) - Carleton University, 2007. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 97-103). Also available in electronic format on the Internet.

This study investigated the effects of an individually administered versus a group-administered stress management training program on various measures of stress, job satisfaction, and burnout among mental health workers. A total of 36 subjects, who were employed in Texas community mental health facilities, participated in the study. The subjects were randomly assigned to one of three groups: an experimental group (N = 12) which received training on an individual basis, an experimental group (N = 12) which received training in small groups of four to six subjects, and a control group (N = 12) which did not receive training. Both didactic and experimental modes were utilized during the six-week training program. All experimental subjects practiced relaxation daily and were exposed to a broad range of coping skills for stress management.This study investigated the effects of an individually administered versus a group-administered stress management training program on various measures of stress, job satisfaction, and burnout among mental health workers. A total of 36 subjects, who were employed in Texas community mental health facilities, participated in the study. The subjects were randomly assigned to one of three groups: an experimental group (N = 12) which received training on an individual basis, an experimental group (N = 12) which received training in small groups of four to six subjects, and a control group (N = 12) which did not receive training. Both didactic and experimental modes were utilized during the six-week training program. All experimental subjects practiced relaxation daily and were exposed to a broad range of coping skills for stress management.

The purpose of this study was to determine the factors associated with choosing mental health nursing as a career, and to explore the possible ways of improving recruitment and retention of mental health nurses in Kenya. Quantitative, explorative descriptive research was conducted. Data collection was done by using questionnaires and focus group discussions. Three groups participated in the study: practicing mental health nurses (n=10), post-basic mental health nursing students (n=10) and final year basic nursing students (n=184). The findings revealed that basic nursing students do not intend to pursue a career in mental health nursing, and that there is an aging population of mental health nurses. The barriers to the mental health field include stigma, a poor working environment and inadequate career guidance. Marketing, policy and regulatory reforms, as well as positive work environments have been identified as strategies for improving the recruitment and retention of mental health nurses in Kenya. / Health Studies / Thesis (M.A. (Health Studies))

Much research has studied cohesiveness within client groups in terms of making therapeutic gains. These studies have defined cohesiveness in terms of a) attraction of the group as perceived by a group member, b) how clearly each member sees his/her role within the group, and c) the effectiveness of one's skills in attaining group goals. Little research has dealt with the role of staff cohesiveness in developing an effective treatment program. Effectiveness, in this study, is defined as the degree to which clients are willing to disclose personal information to the staff. The results show a positive correlation between staff's perceived effectiveness with clients and the clients' willingness to self-disclose. On-hand experience with clients seems important in involving clients in therapy.

This study sought to explore the perceptions of mental health care practitioners’ perceptions on mental illness within the isiXhosa cultural context. A qualitative exploratory descriptive and contextual design was used for the study. A non-probability purposive sampling method was used to select eight participants from Komani Hospital in Queenstown. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews. The services of an Independent Interviewer were used to avoid any bias as interviews took place where the researcher is employed. All interviews were transcribed verbatim and the data collected was analyzed according to Tesch’s eight steps of data analysis as described in Cresswell (1994:155). The researcher utilized services of an Independent Coder who verified the identified major themes. Four major themes emerged from the analysis of the interview: Mental health care practitioner’s perceptions of mental illness, perception of the causes of mental illness within the isiXhosa cultural context, mental health care practitioners’ views in the management and treatment of mental illness and suggestions put forward to improve the services to mental health care users. The major findings of this study were the lack of knowledge of culture of mental health care users. It is recommended that it would be proper if there could be co-operation between mental health care practitioners and traditional healers by working together as a team.

AIDS-related stigma and mental health professionals.

This project is significant to social work because it addresses a topic that has not been given much attention. This particular population has not been studied much and we know little about the issues that are important to mentally ill gays and lesbians. Even in schools of social work this particular topic is frequently overlooked, and when it is discussed it is usually in relation to another topic.

Trauma-informed care (TIC) is an approach to service delivery based on the understanding of the prevalence of psychological trauma among service users, knowledge about the impact trauma has on engagement to services, and recognition that service settings can be re-traumatizing. For more than a decade, momentum has been building on this topic. Practitioners are pursuing the knowledge and skills needed to implement trauma-informed service delivery, while organizations are building infrastructure and processes aimed at supporting this approach. Disciplines across many human service sectors are eager to incorporate TIC into policy and practice. Despite this enthusiasm, implementation efforts are slow. Acquiring foundational knowledge about TIC has typically been recommended as a first step when implementing a trauma-informed approach. However, slow progress in implementation suggests knowledge may not be enough. This study investigated the individual characteristics that impact a commitment to TIC, with specific attention to the relationship between foundational knowledge about trauma-informed care and commitment to TIC. Other variables of interest included perceived principal support, TIC self-efficacy, beliefs about trauma and its impact, and organizational strain. Survey data were collected from 118 participants working in mental health, public health, and early childhood. Results from structural equation modeling suggest that foundational knowledge predicts affective commitment to TIC both directly and with the partially mediated paths through principal support, TIC self-efficacy, and beliefs about trauma. Organizational strain does not moderate these effects. However, group differences based on high and low levels of perceived organizational strain were observed and discussed. These findings add to the growing literature on TIC and should be considered as organizations strive to implement TIC.

This study was inspired by the desire to understand the experience of mental health clinicians coping with work related stress in treating traumatized children. In studying this experience, heuristic design and methodology was followed. The findings of this study are based on interviews of 3 Caucasian, female clinicians, a 49-year-old art therapist with eight years experience, a 61-year-old licensed clinical social worker with 34 years of postgraduate experience, and a 44-year-old licensed clinical social worker with 21 years of experience. Mental health practitioners, clinical supervisors and consultants as well as professionals in counselor education benefit from the findings of this study that extends knowledge of effective coping with work related stress in treating traumatized children. Participants in this study coped by using the following core characteristics the most often: seeking emotional and instrumental support from others, maintaining balance in work and private life, staying spiritually oriented, participating in leisure activities, focusing on health and using cognitive restructuring techniques. The least mentioned was the use of humor. Four themes permeated the experience of these clinicians: (1) Maintaining Balance: Coping included maintaining a balance in work and private life; (2) Healthy Personal Identity: Coping successfully meant keeping the career as work and not a definition of the self; (3) Clear Role Definition: Coping to continue the work included increased focus on professional and personal boundaries and the role of the clinician; (4) Realistic Control: Successful coping included differentiating between what can and can't be controlled. This study also found that part of coping with work-related stress meant moving from the public sector into private enterprise. In private practice, participants found that coping with stress improved with the decrease of high client caseload requirements and the ability to screen potential clientele for the purpose of creating a balance in treatment issues. Overall, this study found that the experience of coping successfully with work-related stress had a great deal to do with increased professional autonomy. / Graduation date: 2003