Constraints on Family-Sensitive Mental Health Practices

Abstract

Research reports and current policy settings across all fields of clinical practice have encouraged clinicians to support and work well with the relatives of their primary clients. Yet, clinicians often continue to find this difficult to achieve. In order to better understand why partnerships with families have been difficult for clinicians to establish and maintain, a review of the mental-health field as a particular case study was undertaken. This review focused on the available research literature investigating family-clinician relationships. The results of this review were taken as “foreground” data and this material was analysed with respect to a “background” derived from organisational, social, and cultural theory. This analysis has identified seven implicit factors that are argued here to have contributed to an understanding of why clinicians have found it difficult to work well with families, despite an intention to be sensitive. These factors are discussed and it is concluded that while the presence and influence of these factors tends to be opaque, they are both important and enduring.

Key Words:

• Family
• Patient
• Client
• Clinician
• Partnership
• Conflict
• Interdependence