Psychiatric Social Work

Psychiatric social work is another branch of the medical social work field. Its roots “can be traced back to the work of earlier charitable organizations that worked with those who experienced mental distress and their families within community settings” (Long, 2011, p 225). Also there was a growing understanding, knowledge, and acceptance of mental disorders that proved to be influential to the development of the profession of psychiatric social work. “In 1929 the Association of Psychiatric Social Work was inaugurated with the dual objectives of promoting mental hygiene, and raising the professional status of psychiatric social work” (Long, 2011, p 226).
The understanding of mental disorders was a large influential factor in the development

“Those within the psychiatric hospitals have a duty to comply a social history of cases and help patients readjust following discharge from hospital…While those who work with the authorities are to provide support to people living in the community who experience mental health problems” (Long, 2011, p 226). There is not much of a difference between the two. The only difference is one is associated with hospital patients who have doctors and therefore have psychiatrists. Since psychiatric social workers, who work in hospitals, work so closely with the patient and have more in depth conversations they also help with the diagnoses. The regular conversations between the social worker and patient allow the worker to get a better understanding of the patients’ behavior and all the contributing factors in the patients’ behavior. Therefore, making their input in the diagnostic process with the psychiatrist very

Ferard refers hers as ‘psychiatric social treatment.’ “She argued that if a psychiatric social worker was in possession of a professional skill that he/she consciously employs with a therapeutic aim, it must follow by carrying out the treatment…it is designed to help the patient to fit into the community as well as possible in spite of the symptoms” (Long, 2011, p 231). The goal of her method is to focus on the capabilities rather than the symptoms. This method proved to assist her clients with employments, and hence, more independence. “Heimler created a Social Function Scale test that measured levels of satisfaction in the fields of family relationships, friendships, work, hobbies, sexual satisfaction, and financial security” (Long, 2011, p 232). Heimler sought to adjust the environment to suit individuals, therefore, anyone with any condition could live normal lives if given the appropriate environment. He came up with this theory because he “worked with prisoners from Auschwitz, Buchenwald, and Troglitz and wondered if mental distress could be alleviated if people were given a sense of purpose” (Long, 2011, p 232). “While other social psychiatrists, such as John Wing, argued that patients could only be socially reintegrated through a program of rehabilitation which focused on employment, family, and social functioning” (Long, 2011, p