Current vocational services for adults with serious mental illness remain largely atheoretical and disconnected from mainstream vocational psychology research and practice. This study explored the perspectives on work of adults with serious mental illness, compared perspectives of young and older adults, and assessed these perspectives for the applicability of a well-established theory of vocational psychology. A national sample of 76 individuals with mental illness engaged in the workforce completed a semistructured questionnaire. We applied the principles of a participatory approach to consensual qualitative research methodology in the study design and data analysis. Results yielded a large number of categories, which clustered under domains representative of the primary constructs of social cognitive career theory (SCCT; Lent, 2013). These domains included the antecedents of self-efficacy, namely, personal accomplishments, vicarious learning, social persuasion, and physical or emotional states as well as additional constructs of outcome expectations, personal goals, and contextual barriers. The SCCT model will likely provide a useful framework to bridge the gap between career development theory and vocational services for individuals with mental illness.

Abstract:The topics of spirituality and psychotherapy have often been controversial in the literature on schizophrenia treatment. However, current research indicates many potential benefits of integrating issues of religion and spirituality into psychotherapy for individuals with schizophrenia. In this paper, implications are presented for incorporating spiritual and religious issues in psychotherapy for individuals with schizophrenia. A background on the integration of spirituality into the practice of psychotherapy is discussed. The literature on spiritually-oriented psychotherapy for schizophrenia is provided. Clinical implications are offered with specific attention to issues of religious delusions and cultural considerations. Lastly, steps for implementing spiritually-oriented psychotherapy for individuals with schizophrenia are delineated to assist providers in carrying out spiritually sensitive care.

Mental health practices are fundamentally situated within systems of power and colonial hegemony and continue to be used as tools of neocolonialism in relation to Asian mental health. Mental health experiences of Asian American communities are characterized by disconnections from ancestral culture and land due to colonization, alienation from culturally and spiritually grounded mental health practices, racial trauma, intersectional oppression, and systemic inequities. Postcolonial discourse on Asian mental health is essential to addressing mental health disparities and concerns related to stigma of mental illness from a social justice perspective. In this paper, we deconstruct contemporary mental health practice by challenging European colonial hegemonic beliefs, addressing domination, discrimination, and systemic oppression, and reflecting on the erasure and appropriation of Asian values and traditional cultural practices. We recommend a postcolonial perspective that centers Asian experiences by responding to cultural mistrust, dissonance, and conflict, examining the matrix of domination through the lens of intersectionality, and shifting the therapist's positionality to prevent further perpetuation of neocolonial invalidation and trauma. We also propose an Asian-centric reconstruction of mental health practices that prioritize collectivistic values, (re) integrate religion and spirituality, and elevate recovery, resilience, and resistance. These mechanisms and processes are illustrated through diverse Asian American clinical case examples.What is the public significance of this article? This paper addresses the legacy of colonization and its impact on the mental health of Asian American communities. It provides a road map to decolonize and reconstruct the existing mental health practice framework through a social justice lens of postcolonialism. Centering Asian collectivistic values, (re) integrating religious and spiritual traditions, and elevating recovery, resilience, and resistance are discussed as ways to enhance clinical practice with Asian American communities.

The process of acceptance of mental illness is a central component of recovery and has been linked to functioning, illness management, and quality of life. A number of barriers and facilitators have been theorized as impacting this process. This study was conducted with 30 participants with serious mental illness (a major psychiatric disorder with impairment in multiple areas of functioning) to elicit the barriers to and facilitators of the acceptance of mental illness. Grounded theory methodology was utilized to analyze the 30 semistructured interviews. Results revealed barriers to and facilitators of acceptance of mental illness at the micro level (cognitive, emotional, behavioral, identity-related), meso level (relational), and macro level (cultural, systemic). Clinical and research implications are discussed with regard to facilitating acceptance of mental illness.

Highlights• Our study examined community participation for individuals in recovery from serious mental illness.• We conducted an in-depth examination of key stakeholder perspectives.• Self-determination has important meaning in the psychological sense of community for this population.• Community integration can be improved through special attention to motivational constructs.Abstract Decades after deinstitutionalization, individuals living with serious mental illnesses remain isolated, socially disengaged, and devalued members of communities. Burgeoning research and services need conceptual clarity to improve such social conditions. This qualitative inquiry used grounded theory and participatory approaches to conduct an in-depth exploration of community participation for individuals living with serious mental illnesses based on key stakeholder perspectives (n = 45). Results revealed that community participation is a multifaceted construct with layers of meaning for individuals living with serious mental illnesses. Overarching themes are contextualized in Self-Determination Theory and presented with deidentified illustrations. Implications for services, research, and policy are discussed.