Community mental health in Kerala: issues, challenges and opportunities for social work practice
Other Publication ResearchOnline@JCUAbstract
This chapter is based on community practice experience and a reflection on the community mental health well-being initiatives implemented in Kerala, the southernmost State of India, as a result of a collaborative effort between Australian Mental Health Practitioners and Indian Professionals in 2012. With the support of collaborating Australian partners, an International Centre for Wellbeing was started to initiate community mental health practices. Mental health and wellbeing is viewed as experiencing healthy or positive self-esteem and contributing positively to the society with a sense of being worthwhile. The major elements of promoting positive mental health initiatives encompass mental health promotion activities which aim at increasing wellbeing, competence and resilience by creating conducive living environments and conditions. The reduction of mental health disorders are also included as the secondary result of mental health promotion activities. Partnerships in mental health practice between the professionals of two different nations, where human development indices are at opposite extremes, demands a synchronisation of many professional attributes. Evidence based practices are necessary in working with communities to enhance the wellbeing of people in a developing country. In this paper, the authors discuss the very nature of establishing collaboration, the design of community mental health programs and the delivery of services to people in Kerala. Furthermore, based on the field evaluations and evidences gathered from the services by the first author, this chapter will explore the challenges and opportunities for social work practice in the Kerala context.
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Social Work Practice in Mental Health: cross-cultural perspectives
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978-81-8424-958-3
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14
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Allied Publishers
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New Delhi, India
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