Family-centered care in adults’ mental health: Challenges in clinical social work practice

ABSTRACT

This article presents findings from an exploratory study to examine mental health social workers’ perspectives on factors that impede the implementation of family-centered care to adult mental health practice in Hong Kong. Seven mental health social workers were interviewed. The analysis identified a paradigm shift from a biomedical to a family-centered and strengths-based perspective; a paradigm shift from risk control to proactive case management, and a paradigm shift from management accountability to professional empowerment as affecting the frontline practitioners in applying a family-centered approach to mental health care. Recommendations for clinical social work practice at individual, organizational, and policy levels are outlined.

KEYWORDS:

• Family-centered care
• mental health culture
• paradigm shift
• policy support
• professional identity

Acknowledgment

The authors are grateful to the participants of the study.

Notes

¹ New Life Psychiatric Rehabilitation Association is the largest mental health service provider that specializes in mental illness. Baptist Oi Kwai Social Service is a multi-service organization that also provides mental health services. The two NGOs play a pivotal role pioneering new services and initiatives in the mental health field locally.

² For details of Funding and Service Agreements, please go to http://www.swd.gov.hk/en/index/site_ngo/page_serviceper/.