Community Health Network Study examining how social contacts, meaningful activities and the places that people with mental health problems-- benefit health and well-being
Much of daily support and care in ACTT is about understanding the community context and supports the individuals we help are living in. Our own role within client networks and the ensuing exchange in advancing a client’s recovery and planning is a constant in our work, but could use greater legitimacy as an evidence informed practice. Martin Webber, one of the authors of this study explains:
“The study aimed to understand the personal networks of people living with a mental health problem from their own perspective. We were also interested in how personal well-being was supported by the exchange of resources so that we could better understand how individuals’ networks could be supported by practitioners and mental health providers.”
The Study defined three kinds of networks and their relevance to an individual’s health and wellbeing:
- Diverse and active networks
- Family and stable networks
- Formal and sparse networks
See a summary of findings on Webber’s blog http://martinwebber.net/archives/1792