Bill Healy

Recovery from mental illness as an emergent concept and practice in Australia and the UK

The language of recovery is now widely used in mental health policy, services, and research. Yet the term has disparate antecedents, and is used in a variety of ways. Some of the history of the use of the term recovery is surveyed, with particular attention to the new meaning of the term, especially as identified by service users, supported and taken up to various degrees by research and in the professional literature. Policy and practice in two countries – Australia and the United Kingdom – are examined to determine the manner and extent to which the concept of recovery is evident. In its new meaning, the concept of recovery has the potential to bring about profound and needed changes in mental health theory and practice. It is being taken up differently in different settings. It is clear that – at least in Australia and the United Kingdom – there are promising new recovery models and practices that support recovery, but the widespread use of recovery language is not enough to ensure that the core principles of the recovery model are implemented.

Belief, Optimism and Caring : Findings from a Cross-national Study of Expertise in Mental Health Social Work.

What characterizes expertise in mental health social work? This article attempts to answer this question by reporting on the findings of a cross-national Australian and American study of social work practice expertise in mental health settings, particularly in working with people with long-term serious mental illness. The study identified expert practitioners through a peer-nomination process and asked each of them to describe a memorable practice situation in focus groups. These group interviews were transcribed verbatim and analysed using a constant comparative method. In the face of often complex and demanding work situations, these social workers demonstrated qualities specific to mental health social work that were designated as belief, optimism and caring. These three qualities are delineated and discussed in this article, as well as the implications for social work practice and education

The Rediscovered Concept of Recovery in Mental Illness: A Multicountry Comparison of Policy and Practice

Recovery has recently reemerged in many countries as a key concept in mental health. Several long-term outcome studies have highlighted much higher recovery rates than previously assumed for persons with long-term mental illness. Service users (consumers) and professionals are now promoting this approach, and for users, recovery is about taking control over their own lives and introducing improvements which may or may not be related to clinical indicators of recovery. This approach also requires that professionals work with consumers in a much more collaborative fashion then in the past. Australia, Canada, England, and Israel have all formally accepted recovery as the cornerstone of their mental health policies and are currently in various phases of implementation. This paper describes these developments and identifies the implications for mental health social work.

Watching the Experts: Findings from an Australian Study of Expertise in Mental Health Social Work

Summary: What characterizes the practice of expert mental health social workers? An observational study of social workers in a public mental health network in Melbourne, Australia sought to answer this question and the findings are reported in this article. As part of a larger study of mental health social work expertise, direct observation was done of the work of six practitioners engaged in a range of activities about which they were subsequently interviewed. Findings: In the first stage based on group interviews, six themes were identified. These were termed: 1) ‘The Knowledge’; 2) ‘A lot of hard grind’; 3) ‘We are here for the clients’; 4) ‘The complicated and the difficult’; 5) ‘The stone in the shoe’; and 6) ‘Going ten rounds with the system’. In this second stage observational study, evidence was found for all of these six themes, plus two additional ones relating to supervision and the emotive content of the work. Applications: Development of expertise consists of three elements: 1) a personality predisposition and personal capacity; 2) education; and 3) a conducive workplace environment. The application of the findings lies in developing the conditions for these elements to emerge.

Dilemmas in the Case Manager's Role: Implementing Involuntary Treatment in the Community

Frontline non-medical practitioners in mental health services are frequently working as case managers with involuntary clients in the community who are subject to community treatment orders (CTOs). In this work they often experience tensions between the various legal and organisational expectations of their role, their professional orientation and wider understandings of social justice and consumer rights. This paper reviews literature on the purpose and efficacy of CTOs before discussing the current, limited role of the case manager within the Mental Health Review Board (MHRB) process in Victoria. In the concluding sections, it is argued that a more involved function for the case manager may enhance the decision-making process of mental health review tribunals.

Doing It Well : An Empirical Study of Expertise in Mental Health Social Work

SUMMARY Social workers are being challenged internationally to be accountable by defining competency standards at beginning and advanced levels. The study that is the subject of this article will develop the work of one of the authors, which involved a 5-year longitudinal study of beginning social workers and another of experienced social workers. These studies resulted in a book on professional expertise (Fook, Ryan, & Hawkins, 2000). The present study furthered that work and subjected this theory of professional expertise to further testing by examining the work of a sample of expert (rather than experienced) social workers in the mental health field in Melbourne, Australia. Data was collected from a selected sample of mental health social workers by the use of focus group interview. This article reports on the studys findings and discusses their significance and application.

Elements in the Development of an Australian Radical Social Work

Abstract This paper contends that there has been a limited sense of an Australian radical social work and attempts to redress that lack. Emphasis is given to tracing the emergence of a distinctive theory and practice through the literature over the past two decades. These developments are located in the changing policy contexts of their times and to related progress in other countries. Finally, the rich potential of feminist and empowerment ideas and methods are highlighted and presented as a basis for contemporary radical practice.

Consumer Groups in Mental Health: A New Force for Change?

User or consumer groups are an emergent phenomena in the mental health field. This paper examines their policy contexts, history of development, conceptual underpinnings and transfer potential for the region. User groups are seen as a means of enhancing social and community support, a key factor in improved outcomes, and as a major new force in policy and service development.