During the past decade or more, there has been a rapid evolution of mental health services and treatment technologies, shifting psychiatric epidemiology, changes in public behavioral health policy and increased understanding in medicine regarding approaches to clinical work that focus on patient-centeredness. These contemporary issues need to be articulated in a comprehensive format. The American Association of Community Psychiatrists (AACP), a professional organization internationally recognized as holding the greatest concentration of expertise in the field, has launched a methodical process to create a competency certification in community psychiatry. As a reference for a certification examination, that effort will benefit enormously from a comprehensive handbook on the subject.

Community mental health care has evolved as a discipline over the past 50 years, and within the past 20 years, there have been major developments across the world. The Oxford Textbook of Community Mental Health is the most comprehensive and authoritative review published in the field, written by an international and interdisciplinary team.

This handbook brings together authoritative contributions from leading mental health researchers, educators and practitioners to provide a comprehensive text for community mental health nurses in training and practice. In thirty-three chapters it covers a wide range of topics, from the history of the profession to current approaches to specific client groups, organised around three linked themes: professional context practice issues education and research. Each chapter includes a summary of key points and suggestions for further reading, and also includes useful appendices listing key professional and voluntary organisations, journals, Internet and mailing lists. The handbook reflects the diversity and scope of the role of the CMHN and recognizes the multidisciplinary and service user context in which nurses work. It is an essential text for CMHNs and mental health nurse educators, and offers a useful source of reference for allied professionals.

This timely book brings together the psychosocial work on experiences of space and mental distress, making explicit the links between theoretical work and clinical and community practice.

Best Practices in Community Mental Health: A Pocket Guide is a quick reference guide to best practices that are essential for providing comprehensive, holistic care. Intended for use across a wide range of disciplines within mental health-social work, counseling, psychiatric nursing and rehabilitation, public psychiatry-the pocket guide offers a well-rounded foundation of services that can be adapted to each practice setting. This comprehensive but compact overview lends itself well to in-service trainings and makes an ideal companion for students in mental health internships and practicums. The accessible, actionable format spares busy professionals the need to hunt through long textbooks and articles for the information they need right away. This pocket guide is the first book of its kind to compile such a diverse set of practices, providing essential theory and background for each one, along with a review of available evidence, steps for implementation, and strategies for assessment and evaluation. Each chapter opens with a case study that provides an insider's perspective and closes with a glossary and links to online resources.