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. --- from the publisher Reviews "Bravo to Dr. Linhorst! Rarely has a text documented what has long been known by consumers and family members-the history of powerlessness experienced by people with severe mental illness that has served to keep them the most disenfranchised of all the disability groups. The books unique and most significant contribution is its presentation on the extent to which empowerment of people with mental illness is possible and what needs to happen to make it a reality. Cleverly organized and integrated, this book is packed with all the information most relevant to understanding and shaping policy and practice for severe mental illness."--Carol T. Mowbray, Ph.D., University of Michigan School of Social Work "This book should be required reading for psychiatrists and other mental health professionals and service providers!" --Joseph A. Rogers, President and CEO, Mental Health Association of Southeastern Pennsylvania
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