Education Of Mental Health Professionals Research Articles

The Theory of Planned Behavior Applied to Continuing Education for Mental Health Professionals

This study evaluated the effects of a continuing education class that applied the theory of planned behavior to the intentions and behavior of mental health practitioners.In 2006 a total of 94 mental health practitioners were randomly assigned to either a standard continuing education class or one that applied principles of the theory of planned behavior. The class topic was a brief, self-report tool that assesses felt need for employment among people with serious mental illnesses. Participants' intentions to apply the tool were evaluated before and after each class. Participants' implementation of the tool was measured three months after the class.The class guided by the theory of planned behavior significantly and substantially increased the participants' intentions to use the tool in comparison with the standard class. Significantly more participants in the theory-guided class than in the standard class (74% versus 42%) had applied the tool by the three-month follow-up. Among those who implemented the assessment tool, the participants in the theory of planned behavior class also assessed significantly more of their caseload.The theory of planned behavior can improve and may be well suited to continuing education in psychiatry.

The Theory of Planned Behavior Applied to Continuing Education for Mental Health Professionals

This study evaluated the effects of a continuing education class that applied the theory of planned behavior to the intentions and behavior of mental health practitioners. In 2006 a total of 94 mental health practitioners were randomly assigned to either a standard continuing education class or one that applied principles of the theory of planned behavior. The class topic was a brief, self-report tool that assesses felt need for employment among people with serious mental illnesses. Participants' intentions to apply the tool were evaluated before and after each class. Participants' implementation of the tool was measured three months after the class. The class guided by the theory of planned behavior significantly and substantially increased the participants' intentions to use the tool in comparison with the standard class. Significantly more participants in the theory-guided class than in the standard class (74% versus 42%) had applied the tool by the three-month follow-up. Among those who implemented the assessment tool, the participants in the theory of planned behavior class also assessed significantly more of their caseload. The theory of planned behavior can improve and may be well suited to continuing education in psychiatry.

Assessing the quality of a scientific journal: the case of Revista Brasileira de Psiquiatria

Scientific production in the field of Psychiatry is growing exponentially, as reflected by the number of scientific journals now available. Current strategies to objectively estimate the quality of a specific publication are mostly based on indexation and citation criteria. The concept of impact factor, a measure of the frequency with which an article has been cited in a particular period, is key to understanding the way journals are evaluated. The recent indexation of Revista Brasileira de Psiquiatria in the two major medical databases has increased the journal's visibility, as indicated by the rising number of citations received over the last years. As researchers' scientific productivity measures are largely associated with citation indices of journals in which manuscripts are published, it is essential that Revista Brasileira de Psiquiatria continues to attract high quality, innovative articles, with the ultimate goal of providing state-of-the-art continuing medical education for mental health professionals.

The role of a mental health consumer in the education of postgraduate psychiatric nursing students: the students' evaluation.

Recent Australian Government policy reflects the integral nature of active consumer participation to the planning and delivery of mental health services. The effectiveness of consumer participation in improving mental health services has received some attention in the literature. Commonwealth Government funding enabled the development of a partnership between the Centre for Psychiatric Nursing Research and Practice and the Melbourne Consumer Consultants' Group. The successful application enabled the employment of a mental health consumer as an academic staff member of the Centre for Psychiatric Nursing Research and Practice. One important aspect of this role involved the mental health consumer teaching a consumer perspective to postgraduate psychiatric nursing students. The primary aim was to increase the students' awareness of and sensitivity to greater consumer participation within the mental health arena. This paper presents the results of an evaluation of the consumer academic role in teaching within the Postgraduate Diploma in Advanced Clinical Nursing (Psychiatric Nursing). An evaluation form was distributed to students (n = 21) on completion of the semester. The findings suggest the experience was considered beneficial to students and was impacting significantly on their current practice. This project supports the value of consumer participation in the education of mental health professionals.

Changing attitudes: the role of a consumer academic in the education of postgraduate psychiatric nursing students.

Consumer participation in health care is increasingly becoming an expectation within mental health services. Consumer involvement in the education of mental health professionals, including nurses is considered crucial to achieving this aim. This article describes the impact of a mental health consumer academic on the attitudes of postgraduate psychiatric nursing students towards consumer participation. A questionnaire was administered to students before (n = 25) and following (n = 19) exposure to the teaching of the consumer academic. Comparison of results suggests that support for consumer participation increases after exposure to the consumer academic reinforcing the value of mental health consumers in psychiatric nursing education.

Changing attitudes: the role of a consumer academic in the education of postgraduate psychiatric nursing students

Consumer participation in health care is increasingly becoming an expectation within mental health services. Consumer involvement in the education of mental health professionals, including nurses is considered crucial to achieving this aim. This article describes the impact of a mental health consumer academic on the attitudes of postgraduate psychiatric nursing students towards consumer participation. A questionnaire was administered to students before (n = 25) and following (n = 19) exposure to the teaching of the consumer academic. Comparison of results suggests that support for consumer participation increases after exposure to the consumer academic reinforcing the value of mental health consumers in psychiatric nursing education.

Attitudes of postgraduate nursing students towards consumer participation in mental health services and the role of the consumer academic.

Consumer participation in health care is increasingly becoming an expectation of health services. While important progress has been made in the mental health area, the attitudes of mental health professionals towards consumers poses a severe limitation. Greater consumer involvement in the education of mental health professionals has been presented as a strategy to encourage the development of a greater acceptance of consumer involvement by health professionals. A consumer academic position has been introduced into the Centre for Psychiatric Nursing Research and Practice. An important aspect of this role concerns the education of postgraduate psychiatric/mental health nursing students, in order to provide a consumer perspective and encourage greater consumer participation. In order to determine the impact of this project a questionnaire was developed by the authors to measure attitudes to consumer participation and the role of the consumer academic. This paper presents the first stage of this study. The questionnaire was administered to students (n = 25) on the first day of the course. The findings suggest that most students favour a high level of consumer participation but that this is limited to specific areas of treatment planning and delivery. Furthermore, the students' demonstrate some level of ambivalence regarding the value and necessity of the consumer academic role.

Mapping training to support the implementation of the National Service Framework for mental health

A study was carried out to map university-accredited, post-qualifying, training and education for mental health professionals, targeted specifically for work with people with serious mental health problems. Questionnaires were devised and issued to the providers of appropriate programmes. The 'relevance' of courses to support the implementation of the National Service Framework was assessed, which demonstrated that there are wide regional variations in the amount, type and level of existing and planned training. There were very few multi-professional programmes and a small amount of meaningful input from service users to training courses. Interviews were held with panels of relevant stakeholders from each of the Regional Office patches, the results of which, inter alia, highlighted the need to ensure that the teachers of such courses were themselves appropriately skilled. The results will be useful to Regions as plans are developed to provide education/training that will enable the implementation of the National Service Framework for Mental Health.

Adolescents with mental retardation: perceptions of sexual abuse.

Reactions of nonretarded female undergraduates to sexually coercive situations in which neither, one, or both protagonists had mental retardation were examined. Results indicated that retardation affected perceptions of both responsibility and harm. Implications for the education of mental health professionals about the emotional needs of individuals with retardation are discussed.

Education and training on a shoestring: The Clinical Case Conference as a Staff Development Tool

Staff training in a public psychiatric center that is without an academic affiliation often becomes a secondary administrative consideration. The pressures generated by high-volume patient care frequently relegate educational efforts to a back burner. The continuing cycle of the new professional receiving a trial by fire without the support provided by personalized, mentor-like training and supervision by senior staff is an important factor influencing such young professionals to seek work in less stressful positions, often in the private sector. Therefore, the development of cost-effective and innovative means to support new treatment staff and enhance their clinical skills is essential in state, county, and municipal psychiatric facilities. The lack of literature on the training and continuing education of mental health professionals is, in itself, an indicator of the low activity level in this area. Journals in social work, psychology, and psychiatry reveal a paucity of reporting on staff development programs, while issues relating to the

Promises, promises or community mental health services and training: ships that pass in the night.

In common with other publicly funded human-service programs, community mental health centers are victimized by a political advocacy process that inflates expectations, distorts value judgments and, as a result, helps promote ultimate disillusionment. The problems resulting from this "overpromise" are compounded by the performance of staff who are inadequately trained for their jobs. By and large, the education of mental health professionals does not equip them for work in community mental health centers. What they learn in school is not sufficiently related to what they do. The development of "undisciplined" mental health professionals with degrees in mental health should be considered. Their training would rest on new curricula that reflect the needs of patients in community mental health settings and be free of the constraints inherent in traditional disciplinary models.

"Great Literature" as a Teaching Tool in the Education of Mental Health Professionals

"Great Literature" as a Teaching Tool in the Education of Mental Health Professionals