Mental Health Social Work: Evidence-Based Practice

Mental health social work can be one of the most rewarding and one of the most frustrating areas of social work practice. Mental health is a key policy arena in which the involvement of service users has been particularly successful and in which there are a lot of new and controversial initiatives. The social worker must not only have a good knowledge of interventions, from pharmacology to psychotherapy, and their evidence-base, but also be able to work sensitively and effectively with both clients and care givers in a rapidly changing context. In Mental Health Social Work Colin Pritchard draws on his many years of experience in research, teaching and practice to set out some of the key objectives for the social worker who wants to work in mental health. Topics covered include: the multiple factors affecting mental health the bio-psycho-social model of practice depression, suicide, schizophrenia, personality disorder the mental health-child protectioninterface residential work treatment modalities. To help the reader consolidate what they have read, the book includes a series of case exercises and essential information is presented in a clear and accessible format throughout.

Colin Pritchard is Professor Emeritus at the University of Southampton and Research Professor in Psychiatric Social Work at the Institute of Health and Community Studies, University of Bournemouth