Year: 2013
Type: dissertation
Abstract: Purpose: The aim of the study is to explore and describe the experience of the worker on Assertive Community Treatment (ACT), an inter-disciplinary mental health outreach team, surrounding their efforts to facilitate social integration for the client with severe mental illness (SMI).ACT is very successful at assisting people with SMI to remain in the community.However, minimal focus has been devoted to improving social relationships.This area of concern regarding social integration warranted further exploration.Background: The mental healthcare workers on ACT represent a variety of disciplines such as nurses, social workers, peer counselors, and substance abuse specialists.Working together, they provide comprehensive, long-term services in the homes for clients who are the most severely mentally ill in the community.As such, these frontline workers are very familiar with the difficulties and barriers associated with social integration for people with SMI.Methods: This is a qualitative study using the Interpretive Description approach.Sixteen mental healthcare workers were individually interviewed about the topic of social integration; eight additional workers participated in two focus groups.The study participants represented workers on seven ACT teams in two Northeastern states and represented rural, suburban, and urban populations.Results, Conclusions and Implications: Results of this research are that it is through caring and trusting relationships with the ACT workers that ACT clients engage in higher level treatment goals that lead to social integration.It is through office based educational groups and community activities that social skills are enhanced and opportunities for social interaction arise.Implications of this study suggest that the frequency of community based activities be increased, and that the clients be assisted and supported in their attempts to socially interact in the community with peers or people who are not mentally ill or both, around areas of shared interests and dependent on the clients' comfort with the interaction.In addition it is recommended that a social integration specialist be added to the ACT team so that the goal of social integration for people with 8MI can be structurally incorporated into ACT as targeted focus of service.
Author: Sheila J. Linz
Language: English
Subfield: Clinical Psychology
Field: Psychology
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W205606006