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By Alivia Bray
I entered the field of mental health social work just a few weeks ago, joining a psychosis team. I had been warned by friends, family, taxi drivers and the media that this area of work is in dire straits and suffering hugely from cuts and poor practice.
After a couple of days, I could confirm that the former is true: swingeing cuts have had a drastic effect. Therapeutic groups 2 and the time practitioners are able to spend with service users are incredibly stretched, and diaries no longer set aside any time for breaks-or, it seems, any time to breathe. However, my observations of current practice contradict the tales of woe.
I spent one day with a mental health support worker, shadowing him on four home visits with service users, and I was touched by the remarkable work he is doing. In the car between visits, we spoke about the value of things like listening, getting fresh air, and working collaboratively with each service user.
I had come across words like“collaborative”and“active listening”time and again in literature and legislation on mental health practice, but had pessimistically assumed that, for the most part, this language served to tick boxes for inspectors.
Here, I witnessed these things being practised in the truest, most genuine sense. The support worker valued the time spent with each service user as much as they did with him, and I observed them continuously teaching and learning from one another.
This was not in an expensive psychiatric unit or over a ￡4 coffee, but simply during walks, exploring new areas and the changing seasons, discovering the best places to go. It occurred to me that so much essential work, even administrative obligations, could take place in these settings. Why not?
Understanding of what good practice means is changing, and mental health finally seems to be taking centre stage in public discourse.
Unfortunately, because these changes have taken place in the era of austerity, many ideas about the value of a social approach feel unfeasible in practice. 3 As a result, a return to a medical model is tempting, and can seem like the most time—saving and cost—effective option. However, from what I have seen, expensive medication with often complex side effects, compares poorly with therapeutic support.
Medication is undeniably an important part of recovery for some service users, but the knowledge that they have been prescribed drugs to alter their thoughts automatically places them in a category of“in need”, or in some sense“less human”.
The social work I have observed is therapeutic input at its best. Despite the challenges ahead—inevitable in every job—I am so grateful that the negative attitudes towards the field of mental healthcare are being challenged and contradicted in daily practice. Workers, such as the people I've met, are not giving up hope, and as a result, service users are not giving up hope either. This, to me, is the greatest outcome we could wish for.
1. mental health social workers 精神健康社会工作者：属于医务社工，但更具专业性、独特性，主要任务是通过与患者、患者家属及其他重要联系人之间的专业沟通，协助了解疾病、引导接受并运用现有治疗。此外，共同探讨影响正常社会功能和妨碍治疗的因素，积极利用患者潜能，促进寻求有效的改善途径、发展健康的人际关系。在此过程中，社工致力于协助患者脱离医疗机构的保护环境，适应社会及其自身的局限。
2. therapeutic groups 治疗团体／小组：通常指心理治疗小组。它对工作者的专业能力要求较高，侧重于协助组员改变问题行为或生理、心理、社会创伤后的治疗。在小组中，工作者被视为专家、权威人士，与组员一起诊断问题，制定治疗目标。
3. Unfortunately, because these changes have taken place in the era of austerity, many ideas about the value of a social approach feel unfeasible in practice. 不幸的是，由于发生了这些变化，在当今紧缩时期，许多关于一种社会价值的想法在实践中被认为是不可行的。
续表
mental health social workers 精神健康社会工作者
in dire straits 在水深火热之中，陷入绝境
a couple of days 一两天
swingeing cuts 大幅削减
therapeutic groups 治疗团体／小组
set aside 把……搁置一旁，把……存储起来，抽出（时间等），驳回
shadow sb. on 跟随某人
home visit 家访，[医]出诊
time and again 屡次，常常
for the most part 在极大程度上，多半
from one another 彼此
It occurred to sb. that… 某人突然想起……
administrative obligations 行政义务
the field of mental healthcare 精神卫生保健领域
1. What's the main idea of the passage?
2. What other people think about mental health social work?
3. What happened to the author believe the former after a couple of days?
4. What did author gained from spending one day with a mental health support worker?
5. It's there any difference between medical model and therapeutic support? If so, what are they?
6. As a social worker, what is the most important thing you have to do?
7. In writer's view, what's the greatest outcome we could wish for?
8. According to the text, what are the attitudes of the author towards mental health social work?
1. What are your first impressions in mental health social workers?
2. Do you think whether the mental health social work is special? Why or why not?
3. How did you now think about mental health social work?
4. Do you want to be a mental health social worker? Why or why not?
5. What skill you should master if you become a mental health social worker after graduation?
After a couple of days, I could confirm that the former is true: swinging cuts have had a drastic effect. Therapeutic groups and the time practitioners are able to spend with service users are incredibly stretched, and diaries no longer set aside any time for breaks-or, it seems, any time to breathe. However, my observations of current practice contradict the tales of woe.
1. 对于良好做法的理解正在发生变化，最后心理健康似乎占据了公共话语的中心舞台。
2. 因此，回到医学模式是有吸引力的，就像是最节省时间和成本效益的选择。
3. 我所观察到的社会工作就是最好的治疗输入。
4. 尽管未来的挑战——在每个工作中不可避免。我很感激对心理健康领域的消极态度正在日常实践中被挑战、被抵触。
A. suffer hugely from poor practice
B. mental health
C. therapeutic groups
D. home visit
E. working collaboratively with
F. in dire straits
G. set aside time to breathe
H. take center stage
I. side effects
J. a cost-effective option
1. I entered the field of____________social work just a few weeks ago, joining a psychosis team.
2. I had been warned by friends, family, taxi drivers and the media that this area of work is____________and suffering hugely from cuts and poor practice.
3. After work, he would do some gardening to____________.
4. In the car between visits, we spoke about the value of things like listening, getting fresh air, and____________. each service user.
5. AI can help humans tame a lot of complexities and are_____________. in many industries.
6. For various reasons, it is often the case that the field of mental health social work____________.
7. ______________are composed of professionals to help the clients more effective in some tricky settings.
8. However, from what I have seen, expensive medication with often complex side effects, ____________poorly____________therapeutic support.
9. Medication has many complex____________.
10. The social worker has done a remarkable work by frequent____________.