"Mental Health Practice: a guide to compassionate care" examines the relationship between mental health professionals and people using services during the recovery process. The disabling distress experienced by many people with mental health problems is viewed from a holistic, person-centred perspective with the road to recovery being seen as the result of true collaboration between professionals and service users.
1 The nature of human distress
2 Social exclusion in the experience of distress
3 Transcultural issues and the experience of distress
4 Gender issues and the experience of distress
5 Creative solutions to crises
6 Working with risk
7 A person-centred approach to assessment
8 Creating pathways to recovery
9 Humanistic approaches to helping and healing
Part 2 The working alliance
10 Beginnings and the working alliance
11 A framework for the working alliance
12 The working alliance as an enabling relationship
13 The working alliance with families and carers
14 Reluctance, resistance and disengagement
15 Endings and the working alliance
Part 3 The therapeutic use of self
16 Dynamics of therapeutic care
17 Intentional use of self in developmentally needed or reparative relationships
18 Person to person relationships
19 Spiritual dimensions of therapeutic care
20 The shadow side of helping
Part 4 Personal management
21 Personal development in professional education
22 Taking care of ourselves
23 Being a reflective practitioner