Mental Health and Social Work

1. Front Matter

   Pages i-xix

   PDF

2. Introduction

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 1-1

      PDF

   2. Theories on Mental Health, Illness and Intervention

      • Rosaleen Ow, Abner Weng Cheong Poon

      Pages 3-21

   3. Ethics, Values, and Recovery in Mental Health Social Work Practice

      • Bani Aadam, Melissa Petrakis

      Pages 23-43

3. General Theories on Mental Health and Etiology of Mental Illness

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 45-45

      PDF

   2. Psychological Perspective

      • Virgil L. Gregory Jr.

      Pages 47-65

   3. Behavior Analysis and Social Work

      • Bruce A. Thyer

      Pages 67-85

   4. Social-Cultural Ecological Perspective

      • Monit Cheung, Carol A. Leung

      Pages 87-107

   5. Developmental Approach to Mental Health

      • Antoinette Lombard, Nontembeko Bila

      Pages 109-128

   6. Qigong Practice

      • Jessie S. M. Chan, Siu-man Ng

      Pages 129-149

   7. Medical Perspective on Mental Health

      • Carol Harvey

      Pages 151-174

4. Overview of Social Work Approaches in Working with Individuals, Families, and Communities

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 175-175

      PDF

   2. Individual Approach to Mental Health from a Psychodynamic and Cognitive Behavioral Perspective

      • Mun Heng Low, Stuart Stevenson

      Pages 177-198

   3. An Overview of Social Work Approaches in Working with Families of People with Serious Mental Illness

      • Abner Weng Cheong Poon, Winnie W. Kung

      Pages 199-217

   4. Community and Mental Health

      • Robert Bland, Gabrielle Drake

      Pages 219-236

   5. Community, Mental Health, and Social Work

      • Caroline Lim, Rosaleen Ow

      Pages 237-257

   6. Māori Social Work and Māori Mental Health in Aotearoa New Zealand

      • Hannah Mooney, Andrea (Ange) Watson, Paulé Ruwhiu, Awhina Hollis-English

      Pages 259-279

5. Contextualized Practice with Individuals and Families

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 281-281

      PDF

   2. Trauma-Informed Social Work Practice with Children and Youth

      • Yogeswari Munisamy, Diane E. Elze

      Pages 283-310

   3. Application of Mindfulness-Based Approaches in the Context of Social Work

      • Si Ying Tan, Shian-Ling Keng

      Pages 311-329

This book showcases current thinking on social work in the field of mental health and illness from a bio-ecological and spiritual framework reflecting the transition in mental health care from institution to community. The book presents a valuable tool for understanding theories on aetiology and social work interventions in mental health from varying socio-cultural, economic and political contexts.

Topics covered include: the values and ethics of social work practice in mental health; psycho-social theories on mental health and illness, including psychological perspective and the structural/ social development perspective; social work approaches in working with individuals, families and communities; contextualized social work practice in mental health with a specific population group or community;  structural factors such as legal provision and financial challenges in mental health and illness; and new directions in social work and mental health.

• Mental health and social work
• Mental health and illness
• Environmental and public health
• Behavioral Sciences
• Community mental health
• Aetiology and social work
• Psycho-social theories on mental health
• Values and Ethics in social work practice
• Alternative Medicine
• Ayurveda approaches
• Complimentary & Traditional Chinese Medicine
• Medical perspective on mental health
• Families and Mental Health
• Self-help in rehabilitation
• Moral and spiritual approach to mental health

• Department of Social Work, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore

  Rosaleen Ow

• School of Social Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia

  Abner Weng Cheong Poon

Rosaleen Ow is currently Grant Manager of the Mrs Lee Choon Guan Endowed Research Fund in the Department of Social Work, National University of Singapore (NUS). She graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Social Work from NUS; a master’s degree (Econs.) from University College, Cardiff, Wales; and a Ph.D. in Social Work from the National University of Singapore. She was a social work practitioner working mainly with children and families in Singapore and Wales before becoming an academic at the National University of Singapore. Apart from teaching, she had been and is still an active volunteer for NGOs serving children with cancer and chronic illnesses and those with challenges in intellectual development. Working closely with NGOs and formal government bodies, her research and writing are focused on examining the social and cultural factors that are interlinked with the needs and challenges of different types of families and services available to support such families. She publishes in peer-reviewed journals and edited books mainly on issues related to direct social work practice and cross-cultural social work.


Abner Weng Cheong Poon is Senior Lecturer of Social Work in the School of Social Sciences, University of New South Wales. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts from the National University of Singapore, Master of Social Work (Mental Health) from the University of Melbourne, and Ph.D. from the University of Melbourne. He teaches social work practice in mental health and evidence-informed practice in social work. His research focuses on social work practice in mental health, impact of mental illness on families and caregivers, family intervention in mental health, children of parents with mental illness, health and wellbeing of migrants experiencing mental health problems, intimate partner violence in China, and community mental health teams. He has published peer-reviewed articles concerning caregivers of people with psychosis, families from culturally and linguistically diverse communities, intimate partner violence, community mental health teams, and parenting needs of people with mental illness. He collaborates actively with mental health services and non-governmental organizations to conduct practice-based research that provide important and useful implications for practice and policy.

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