This title is directed primarily towards health care professionals outside of the United States. In today's mental health services, there is a pressing need for practitioners to place greater emphasis on working with users of services and to use skills that have a sound theoretical basis. This book focuses on evidence-based practice but reflects that, in mental health, the best evidence is the personal experience of the user. Many publications explore theoretical aspects of service delivery or provide an in-depth analysis of specific clinical interventions. However, how practitioners comprehensively amalgamate theory with their practice is often missing. This book fills that gap and seeks to guide, plan and suggest down-to-earth treatment ideas for individuals on a day-to-day basis. Mental health practice focused Full of practical advice, user-friendly, clearly accessible and well-designed Reflects user-input, including a chapter written by a user of mental health services describing their experiences of mental illness Leading contributors from practice Early intervention Supervision Implementation and practice development issues Meaningful activity and recovery Engaging and working with carers Relapse prevention

Practical and evidence-based, this unique book is the first comprehensive text focused on person-centered approaches to people with serious mental illness such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. It reflects a range of views and findings regarding assessment, treatment, rehabilitation, self-help, policy-making, education and research. It is highly recommended for all healthcare professionals, students, researchers and educators involved in general practice, psychiatry, nursing, social work, clinical psychology and therapy. Healthcare service providers, and policy makers and shapers, will find the book's wide-ranging, multi-professional approach enlightening. 'Serious Mental Illness reflects a continued distancing from the outmoded and unsubstantiated belief that people with severe mental illnesses could not recover, and that they would respond positively only to goals and treatment plans chosen, designed and implemented by providers in order to prevent their further deterioration. Anyone with an interest in the concept of person-centered approaches will discover new ideas in this book. Indeed, anyone with an interest in person-centered approaches has to read this book. Not only is it the first such book on person-centered approaches, but it will serve as the gold standard in this topic area for years to come.' William A Anthony, in the Foreword

"This book can help you develop a spirited savvy in recovery-oriented cognitive therapy over the course of fifteen chapters, which we have organized into three parts: The first six chapters in Part I introduce you to recovery-oriented cognitive therapy, the basic model and how it works. Building on the basics, the five chapters in Part II extend understanding, strategy, and intervention to the challenges that have historically gotten the person stuck: negative symptoms, delusions, hallucinations, communication challenges, trauma, self-injury, aggressive behavior, and substance use. The final four chapters in Part III delve deeper into specific settings and applications - individual therapy, therapeutic milieu, group therapy, and families"--

While recent developments in psychopharmacology have been widely disseminated, equally important advances in psychological strategies for severe mental health problems have received less attention. Filling a crucial gap in the literature, this volume brings together leading clinical scientists to present evidence-based approaches for treating schizophrenia, mood disorders, substance use problems, and severe personality disorders. Cutting-edge modalities presented include behavioral and cognitive-behavioral therapies, dynamic therapies, interpersonal therapies, couple and family treatments, motivational interviewing, and more. Throughout, step-by-step clinical guidelines are accompanied by illustrative case examples and patient-therapist dialogues. Particular attention is given to strategies for integrating psychological and pharmacological interventions, as well as to gender and cultural issues in treatment.

Bringing together treatment and referral advice from existing guidelines, this text aims to improve access to services and recognition of common mental health disorders in adults and provide advice on the principles that need to be adopted to develop appropriate referral and local care pathways.

"People with serious mental illness get sick and die 10-20 years younger, compared to others in their same age cohort. The reasons, and possible interventions, are many, but further research is necessary for the continued development and evaluation of strategies to combat the health challenges faced by these patients. In thoroughly describing community-based participatory research (CBPR)-an approach that includes people in a community as partners in all facets of research, rather than just the subjects of that research-Health and Wellness in People Living With Serious Mental Illness provides a template for continued study. It is through this lens that this volume examines the health and concerns of people with mental illness, as well as possible solutions to these health problems. Through multiple case vignettes, the book delves into the challenges of health and wellness for people with mental illness, summarizing the research on mortality and morbidity in this group, as well as information about the status quo on wellness, and offers a grounded, real-world illustration of CBPR in practice"--

The concept of empowerment has become increasingly popular with mental health professionals. But while it is a frequently cited goal in the helping professions, empowerment is often nothing more than a buzzword that lacks specificity and grounding in real-world applications. Consequently, little practical guidance exists demonstrating how to achieve it in specific instances with specific groups of people. This book is the first professional guide that operationalizes the theory of empowerment, outlines the conditions under which it is likely to occur, and applies a practical model for working with people with severe mental illness. In this unique and thoroughly researched volume, Donald Linhorst analyzes the conditions that facilitate empowerment and provides the framework necessary to bolster this historically powerless population's access to the material and cultural resources they need to regain control of their lives. Chapters illustrate how to foster empowerment in treatment planning, housing selection, organizational decision making, mental health service planning and policy making, employment, participation in research and evaluation, and consumer provision of mental health and support services. Case studies from a public psychiatric hospital and a community mental health agency illustrate each of the seven areas and present evidence of the model's efficacy. Finally, the book maps out the roles that service providers, administrators, policy makers, advocacy groups, researchers, and clients can play in the empowerment process. Checklists, step-by-step instructions, historical overviews, and vivid examples make this a valuable teaching tool, planning guide, and everyday reference for mental health professionals seeking an innovative and evidence-based approach to working with their clients with severe mental illness.