Empowering People with Severe Mental Illness: A Practical Guide
Donald M. Linhorst
Abstract
The purpose of this book is to examine the opportunities for, and limitations to, empowerment among adults with severe mental illness who, historically, have lacked power and have been the focus of stigma and discrimination. Its central premise is that despite significant limitations to empowerment, people with severe mental illness can be empowered when certain conditions are met. Building on the work of Joel F. Handler, nine conditions are outlined under which empowerment is likely to occur and be sustained long-term. These conditions are then applied to determine the circumstances under whi ... More
The purpose of this book is to examine the opportunities for, and limitations to, empowerment among adults with severe mental illness who, historically, have lacked power and have been the focus of stigma and discrimination. Its central premise is that despite significant limitations to empowerment, people with severe mental illness can be empowered when certain conditions are met. Building on the work of Joel F. Handler, nine conditions are outlined under which empowerment is likely to occur and be sustained long-term. These conditions are then applied to determine the circumstances under which people with severe mental illness can be empowered through participation in each of seven activities. These including treatment planning; the selection and control of housing; decision making in the organizations from which services are received; planning and policy making; securing and maintaining employment that produces a liveable wage; research and evaluation; and service provision to other people with mental illness. Case studies from a public psychiatric hospital and a community mental health agency illustrate each of the seven areas. Finally, the book identifies the roles that service providers, administrators, policy makers, advocacy groups, researchers, and clients can play in the empowerment process.
Keywords:
empowerment,
mental illness,
stigma,
treatment planning,
housing,
organizational decision making,
policy making,
employment,
research,
service provision
Bibliographic Information
| Print publication date: 2005 |
Print ISBN-13: 9780195171877 |
| Published to Oxford Scholarship Online: January 2009 |
DOI:10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195171877.001.0001 |
