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An Overview of Social Work Approaches in Working with Families of People with Serious Mental Illness

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Mental Health and Social Work

Part of the book series: Social Work ((SOWO))

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Abstract

Families commonly assume the role of providing care to their relatives with serious mental illness in the community. Caring for someone with a serious mental illness can often result in negative consequences such as disruption in family activities, poor psychological and physical health, and diminished quality of life. Social work, with its unique emphasis on systems theory, can provide a useful understanding of the relational dynamics between the people with mental illness and their families and help ameliorate such negative interactional cycles. With the strengths perspective, social workers can also recognize and support families’ resilience and positive attitudes in caregiving. Family interventions have shown robust effects in reducing patient symptomatology and relapse rate and in enhancing their functioning. They have also improved quality of life of both patients and their families, bettered communication, and reduced negative expressed emotions within families. Key elements of family psychoeducation include education about the illness, skills training in problem-solving and communication, and social support. Partnership with carers in the treatment process is also crucial. Despite evidence supporting the effectiveness of family interventions, notable barriers that limit the implementation of this evidence-based practice include the emphasis on individual-focused models, limited financial resources, and the lack of skilled family-oriented workers. By aligning with the current focus on recovery in the mental health field, social workers should utilize the systems perspective in their practice to support the recovery of people with mental illness by assisting them and their families to lead more productive lives in the community.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Social Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia

    Abner Weng Cheong Poon

  2. Fordham University, New York, NY, USA

    Winnie W. Kung

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  1. Abner Weng Cheong Poon
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Correspondence to Abner Weng Cheong Poon .

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  1. National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapur, Singapore

    Rosaleen Ow

  2. University New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia

    Abner Weng Cheong Poon

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Poon, A.W.C., Kung, W.W. (2020). An Overview of Social Work Approaches in Working with Families of People with Serious Mental Illness. In: Ow, R., Poon, A. (eds) Mental Health and Social Work. Social Work. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-0440-8_8-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-0440-8_8-1

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