Untitled

Abstract

A great deal of discussion and research has gone into defining and clarifying the role of "case manager" (CM) for persons with severe mental illness. This three state survey examines the philosophy and activities of practicing CMs in an attempt to identify current styles of case management. A cluster analysis based on CM rankings of five CM functions suggested four styles of case management: "supportive social workers", "individual therapist", "therapist broker", and "community advocate". Overall, CMs rated supportive interventions as most important and formal psychotherapy as relatively unimportant. CM style was related to CM activity (i.e., distribution of effort). Differences between states are noted and implications for future research are discussed.

Case managers' perspectives on what they need to do their job.

“…The prerequisites for case management are usually bachelor’s, or occasionally even high-school preparation, without restrictions on the major field of study. Surveys of case management teams in Iowa, Illinois and Indiana show that over 80% of case managers possess only bachelor-level degrees, 50% of which are in fields unrelated to mental health, although case managers in some specific regions, including New York and Oregon, appear more likely to have postgraduate training (Rohland et al, 1998; Gellis et al, 2004; Hromco et al, 1997). Thus, few case managers begin their work with any substantial training to prepare them specifically for the clinical or resource coordination aspects of their jobs.…”