Interdisciplinary Teamwork

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As a professional working in the mental health field, one is often part of a team of professionals working with a client. Teamwork within the healthcare field is vital to the effective treatment of patients. When each member of the team has the same goals and fosters communication, a better work environment can be created; however, this is not always the case. The current study introduces the clinical team working with an 8-year-old client with multiple diagnoses and delays, who are not functioning effectively as a team. Although all seem to have Connor’s best interests at heart, they struggle with how to best achieve the goal. In this presentation the strengths and weaknesses of the team will be discussed and suggestions are made based …show more content…

However, when a group of professionals with various specialties and backgrounds come together to form an interdisciplinary team, difficulties can arise which make the team less efficient. A high level of communication between members and a focus on client needs, goals, and outcomes is necessary to ensure the team is functioning efficiently and the client outcome stays on track. Teams who consist of a diverse group of highly trained professionals who are able to contribute to the team utilizing their individual skills in a cohesive manner and are committed to the team values and mission often engage in several necessary components of the team process (Fulmer, 2016). A team which fails to engage in the active exchange of information between members, fails to understand roles or has conflicts over separation and overlap of roles within the case, has major cultural or professional differences, such as, need for autonomy, failure to engage others in decisions, or different core values, or engages in stereotyping team members, will have limited success in client-centered treatment, which is measured by client outcome (Barr, 1997; Fulmer, …show more content…

In order to be an effective team leader he must not only display active listening skills, but gain group trust. It is up to to leader to develop a team mission and vision in order to foster a sense of shared end goals as well as promote team cohesion through maintaining positive expectations of the group members despite any contention between members concerning roles or motives while building predictability throughout the daily interactions (Carter & Mossholder, 2015).
In addition, the client is receiving services from an occupational therapist who is concerned with the lack of attention to his sensory needs as well as a speech and language pathologist who is concerned with role overlap with his board certified behavior analyst (BCBA). The BCBA provides in-home services, which are focused on functional communication of basic needs, decreasing self-injurious behavior, and improving self-care skills. A special education teacher is working on his academic goals as well as addressing goals similar to those of the BCBA. The teacher reports the client is, in fact, making progress on joint goals during his school day. Through utilizing methods described within performance management, individual members will improve their skills and understanding of their roles within the interdisciplinary team, develop a team vision and mission, and be better equipped

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