Skip to main content
Log in

Assessment of therapeutic relationship of community-agency workers

  • Articles
  • Published:
Psychiatric Quarterly Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

This article reports on the ratings of the personal and professional characteristics of community-based workers for children and adolescents who had recently been released from a psychiatric inpatient service. The child/adolescent's family members/caregivers and the community workers both responded to the same items of a questionnaire. Families/caregivers rated the community workers with whom they were the most and the least satisfied. Community workers rated themselves in relation to these study children and/or their families. Findings indicate that both family members/caregivers and the community workers themselves saw community workers performing relatively well in the areas of providing information and offering support to families. Likewise, both assessed the service providers as having the greatest deficits in the area of teaching skills for child/adolescent home management. Suggestions for meeting the needs of the families and for ensuring that a system of care for child/adolescents is child-centered and family-focused are discussed.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Knitzer, J: Unclaimed children, Washington, D.C., Children's Defense Fund, 1982.

    Google Scholar 

  2. Friedman, RM: Seriously emotionally disturbed children: An undeserved and ineffectively served population. Tampa, FL: Florida Mental Health Institute, 1984.

    Google Scholar 

  3. President's Commission on Mental Health: Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1978.

  4. Joint Commission on Mental Health of Children: Crisis in child mental health challenge for the 1970's. New York, Harper and Row Publishers, 1969.

    Google Scholar 

  5. Tarico, VS, Low, BP, Trupin, E, et al: Children's mental health services: A parent perspective. Community Mental Health Journal 25:313–26, 1989.

    Google Scholar 

  6. Wells, K, Whittington, D: Prior services used by youths referred to mental health facilities: A closer look. Children and Youth Services Review 12:239–52, 1990.

    Google Scholar 

  7. Koroloff, NM: Moving out: Transition policies for youth with serious emotional disabilities. Journal of Mental Health Administration 17:78–86, 1990.

    Google Scholar 

  8. Pfeiffer, S, Strzelecki, S: Inpatient psychiatric treatment of children and adolescents: A review of outcome studies. Journal of American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry 29:847–53, 1990.

    Google Scholar 

  9. Lourie, I, Katz-Leavy, J: Severely emotionally disturbed children and adolescents. In W. W. Menninger & G. T. Hannah (Eds.), The Chronic Mental Patient/II. Washington, D.C.: American Psychiatric Press, Inc., 1987.

    Google Scholar 

  10. Stroul, B, Friedman, RM: A system of care for severely emotionally disturbed children and youth. Washington, D. C., CASSP Technical Assistance Center, 1986.

    Google Scholar 

  11. Collins, B, Collins, T: Parent-professional relations in the treatment of seriously emotionally disturbed children and adolescents. Social Work 35:522–27, 1990.

    Google Scholar 

  12. Friesen, B, Koroloff, N: Family-centered services: Implications for mental health administration and research. The Journal of Mental Health Administration 17:13–25, 1990.

    Google Scholar 

  13. Hatfield, AB: What families want of family therapist. In W. McFarlane (Ed.), Family Therapy in Schizophrenia. New York: The Guilford Press, 1983.

    Google Scholar 

  14. Critchley, D, Berlin, I: Parent participation in milieu treatment of young psychotic children. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry 51:149–55, 1981.

    Google Scholar 

  15. Pilisuk, M, Parks, SH: Caregiving: Where families need help. Social Work 33:436–40, 1988.

    Google Scholar 

  16. Hatfield, AB: The family. In J. Talbott (Ed.), The Chronic Mental Patient. Grune & Stratton, 1984.

  17. Walsh, J: Social workers as family educators about schizophrenia. Social Work 23:138–41, 1988.

    Google Scholar 

  18. Bernhneim, K, Lehman, A: Teaching mental health trainees to work with families of the chronic mentally ill. Hospital and Community Psychiatry 36:1109–11, 1985.

    Google Scholar 

  19. Smets, A: Family and staff attitudes toward family involvement in the treatment of hospitalized chronic patients. Hospital and Community Psychiatry 33:573–75, 1982.

    Google Scholar 

  20. Hatfield, AB: Psychological costs of schizophrenia to the family. Social work 23:355–59, 1978.

    Google Scholar 

  21. Holden, D, Levine, R: How families evaluate mental health professionals, resources, and effects of illness. Schizophrenia Bulletin 8:626–33, 1982.

    Google Scholar 

  22. Solomon, P, Beck, S, Gordon, B: Family members' perspectives on psychiatric hospitalization and discharge. Community Mental Health Journal, 24:108–117, 1988.

    Google Scholar 

  23. Hanson, SG, Rapp CA: Families' perceptions of community mental health programs for their relatives with a severe mental illness. Community Mental Health Journal, 28:181–197, 1992.

    Google Scholar 

  24. Bernheim, K, Lehman, A: Working with families of the mentally ill. New York: W. W. Norton and Company, 1985.

    Google Scholar 

  25. Bernheim, K, Switalski, T: Mental health staff and patient's relatives: How they view each other. Hospital and Community Psychiatry 39:63–68, 1988.

    Google Scholar 

  26. Solomon, P, Evans, D: Service needs of youth released from a state psychiatric facility as perceived by service providers and families. Community Mental Health Journal, 28:305–315, 1992.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Solomon, P., Evans, D., Delaney, M.A. et al. Assessment of therapeutic relationship of community-agency workers. Psych Quart 63, 251–264 (1992). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01065296

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01065296

Keywords

Navigation