Social Work Perspective within a Mental Health Role - Essay Example

Download file to see previous pages As the paper stresses the 21st century is an age of major changes, in the areas covered by the delivery of mental health services within the society. The changes have led to rivalry, between social and health care, where mental health social work has exited to integrate mental health care trusts. There has also been an emphasis on the staffing levels available at mental health institutions, which has led to the development of new classes of workers. These classes include the support, graduate primary care staffs, time and recovery staffs and the community development staffs working with minority groups. The multi-disciplinary work outlooks have also triggered talks on the changing roles of different professions. Additionally, the reform of the Mental Health Act of 1983 was put under extensive debate and consultations, in the light of upcoming bills, since the year 2000.

This discussion highlights that underlying the different developments, there is a major change in the understanding developed around, where and how to address the issues of mental health patients. For instance, there is a shift from the outlook that mental health patients were restricted to long-stay residential facilities or hospitals; to a case where mental health issues are addressed as a social issue, just like a medical one. The objective of social care is offering support to the people suffering from mental distress – across all ages – has been acknowledged....
Taking the changing social outlook into account, there is the opportunity for social workers, to articulate and actualize their contribution to the delivery of mental health care. For example, social work can increase the guidance of mental health patients, to ensure faster and easier long-term recovery. Following the changes, more attention has been focused towards the interdisciplinary nature of mental health services; professionals are realizing the shared skills, knowledge and values that depict the fluidity of the boundaries between social and health care. The contribution of social workers in mental health care teams The objective of social care is offering support to the people suffering from mental distress – across all ages – has been acknowledged. The support offered in employment and housing, community and family, as well as that of daycare workers are much-appreciated aspects of the services, by the users of the services (Bland & Renouf, 2001). The support staffs take an important role in improving the social inclusion experienced by the users. Particularly, in the field of mental health issues management, social workers are likely to explore the causes of mental health, from a wider scope, than traditional medical personnel would. For example, a social worker is likely to diagnose the personal triggers of mental-health problems, and then find some or lack any evidence. However, instead of addressing the issues at that point, they are likely to explore the family of the victim and in the case that they cannot address the problem at that level, they can move ahead to explore the social fabric of the society (AASW, 2008). Sustaining emotional, mental and social well-being is a crucial undertaking for social workers, when working with different groups ...Download file to see next pagesRead More