Social Work and Mental Health: Evidence-Based Policy and Practice

Clear, comprehensive, and accessible, this textbook presents an overview of the contemporary American mental health system and its impact on clients and social workers. The failure of the system to provide quality care for the mentally ill is explored, including issues and policies that social workers face in accessing mental health care for their clients, while also discussing the ways in which social workers can improve the overall functioning of the system and promote the development and expansion of policy and practice innovations.

This is the first textbook to examine the lack of understanding of the roots of mental illness, the challenges in classification of mental disorders for social workers, and difficult behavioral manifestations of mental illness. By looking at the flaws and disparities in the provision of mental health services, especially in relation to the criminal justice system and homelessness and mental illness, social work students will be able to apply policy and practice to improve mental health care in their everyday work. A focus on the lived experiences of the mentally ill and their families, along with the experiences of social workers, adds a unique, real-world perspective.

Key Features:

• Delivers a clear and accessible overview and critique of social work in the broader context of mental health care in the US
• Reviews historical and current mental health policies, laws, and treatments, and assesses their impact on social services for the mentally ill
• Investigates racial and ethnic disparities in mental health provision
• Incorporates the experiences of people with mental illness as well as those of social workers
• Offers recommendations for future social work development of mental health policies and services
• Includes Instructors Manual with PowerPoint slides, chapter summaries and objectives, and discussion questions
• Addresses CSWE core competency requirements


Author: Sylvia I. Mignon
Publisher: Springer Publishing Company
Published: 09/10/2019
Pages: 322
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 1.30lbs
Size: 9.90h x 7.17w x 0.68d
ISBN: 9780826164421

About the Author
Mignon, Sylvia: -

Sylvia I. Mignon, PhD, MSW is Professor of Human Services, and Director of the MS in Human Services Program and the Forensic Services Graduate Certificate Program at the University of Massachusetts Boston. She has many years of experience in the human services field in settings such as hospitals, substance abuse treatment programs, and correctional facilities. Her research and publication specialty areas include family violence, child welfare, substance abuse, and criminal justice. She is the author of three previous books: Family Abuse: Consequences, Theories, and Responses (2002, Allyn and Bacon), Substance Use and Abuse: Exploring Alcohol and Drug Issues (2009, Lynne Rienner), and Substance Abuse Treatment: Options, Challenges, and Effectiveness (2015, Springer Publishing Company).