TRANSITIONS IN PSYCHIATRIC INPATIENT CLINICAL SOCIAL-WORK

As a group, psychiatric inpatient clinical social workers have been dramatically affected by the economic crisis in mental health. As they have attempted to cope with a myriad of changes, they also have become leaders in bringing change about. This article describes the transition process as experienced by 27 social workers who were interviewed in a descriptive exploratory study. The study showed that inpatient social workers are struggling to create ways to meet increased workload demands and are questioning the effectiveness of short-term hospital treatment. Respondents reported personal and professional losses as well as challenges. They expressed considerable concern about the future of their profession because of pressure to compromise standards.