Rockmore, John Myron

John Myron Rockmore (1913–2002) had an outstanding career in which he developed and expanded psychiatric social work practice as an essential component of World War II and post-World War II mental health programs. He was a strong advocate for a strong social work presence in the Connecticut mental health department.

Working in cases: British psychiatric social workers and a history of psychoanalysis from the middle, c.1930–60

Histories of psychoanalysis largely respect the boundaries drawn by the psychoanalytic profession, suggesting that the development of psychoanalytic theories and techniques has been the exclusive remit of professionally trained analysts. In this article, I offer an historical example that poses a challenge to this orthodoxy. Based on extensive archival material, I show how British psychiatric social workers, a little-studied group of specialist mental hygiene workers, advanced key organisational, observational, and theoretical insights that shaped mid-century British psychoanalysis. In their daily work compiling patient histories, conducting home visits, and interviewing the parents of ‘maladjusted’ children, psychiatric social workers were uniquely positioned to expose the importance of family relationships in the development of childhood neuroses. As this article details, their analytic attention to these dynamics not only influenced, but fundamentally constituted the innovative research on maternal-child relationships and family therapy pioneered by eminent psychoanalyst John Bowlby. In addition, psychiatric social workers produced and published independent psychoanalytic research, and fiercely debated the limitations of analytic concepts such as transference. In presenting the relationship between British psychiatric social work and psychoanalysis, this article suggests a new way of telling the history of both.

Who is a psychiatric social worker anyway?: A burning debate in India

The Mental Healthcare Act 2017 defined various mental health professional which including "Psychiatric Social Worker” which hasten an ongoing debate on the qualification of a Psychiatric Social Worker. This write up will critically discuss some of the issues related to this debate. Since it is deemed necessary to have an open and inclusive perspective for the profession to practice efficiently and effectively in a very competitive contemporary era; where many other disciplines are competing not only to excel in the field practice but also on the ground of grabbing opportunities like employment, getting prominence, having policies in their favour, consuming maximum share of available resources and getting remuneration other. Keywords: Psychiatric social work, India, Mental Health Act

Psychiatric social work intervention with a person with severe depression based on cognitive behavioural case work approach: A case study

Background: Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) is a widely recognized and accepted approach of treatment for depression. Aim: To examine the application of case work based on a cognitive behavioural approach concerning working with a client experiencing severe depression. Methodology: The single-subject case study design was adopted. Based on the assessment, psychiatric social work intervention was provided to client and family members. Pre and post assessment was done to see the effectiveness of psychiatric social work intervention in person with depression. Assessments were done using the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSE), Bradford Somatic Inventory (BSI), and Family Assessment Proforma. Results: Client’s level of understanding about the illness was improved and the depressive symptoms were significantly reduced along with somatic complaints. Conclusion: The outcome of the case study approves that the cases with depression can be effectively seen using cognitive behavioural case work approach along with pharmacological treatment. Keywords: Depression, cognitive behaviour therapy, psychosocial, social work intervention

Psychosocial Intervention Needs and Psychiatric Social Work Practice

From the very beginning of the Social Work, human needs have long been part of the social work theory, practice and research as an implicit conceptual foundation but practically it has long been a neglected and contested concept in the published literature of social work though social work has been instrumental in meeting the various needs of individuals. Social Work Practice in the field of mental health is also not an exception for the same. The need of an hour is to explicitly discuss the role of social work in meeting the human needs on the research and literature; the practice of which has already begun. It will have a significant influence on the contemporary practice of Psychiatric Social Work as well in India.       Keywords: Psychiatric social work, psychosocial intervention, needs

Mental Hygiene and the Limits of Reform

This chapter examines key innovations that began to project Saint Elizabeths’ psychiatric authority into the community—specifically, the outpatient clinic, psychiatric social work, and child guidance centers. Broadly defined as mental hygiene, these efforts were aimed at reducing the number of institutionalized patients and providing them follow-up care. They were also aimed at preserving the mental health of individuals and consequently preventing their institutionalization in the first place. The chapter is in part concerned with how black patients and their family members shaped the outpatient experience. It also addresses the role of Washington’s segregationist culture and politics in limiting these larger mental hygiene reforms among the District’s African American community.

Idareta Goldaracena, Francisco (2018). Trabajo social psiquiátrico. Reivindicación ética de la dimensión social en salud mental.[Psychiatric social work. Ethical vindication of the social dimension in mental health] Valencia: Nau Llibres. 239 pp.

El profesor Francisco Idareta Goldaracena, del Departamento de Sociología y Trabajo Social de la Universidad Pública de Navarra, acaba de publicar en la editorial Nau Llibres una sugestiva obra sobre el trabajo social psiquiátrico. Orientado a la salud mental, reivindica la dimensión ética y social de esta importante materia en el ámbito de las ciencias humanas y sociales. El interés esencial del autor es enfatizar la relevancia de los factores socioculturales a lo largo de todo el proceso psicoterapéutico, tanto desde la prevención como desde el tratamiento y posterior reinserción social.

Contemporary Indian Legislations Pertaining to PSW and Its Implication

Since last couple of months seeing the apathy of the Indian PSWs (professional social workers or psychiatric social workers) and various social work associations towards the issues related to the new legislation and implication PSW practice. I was wondering whether anyone would be interested in this or not. But now at least some movement can be seen though direction and impact are still not very clear at least to me which has given me the courage to write on this issue though in my mind these issues were raising since the beginning when I entered in this profession. Keywords: Psychiatric social work, Indian legislations, Allied and Healthcare Professions BillÂ