Client involvement: Practical advice for professionals.

Abstract

She has directed a number of research projects in mental health. Her background includes counseling, teaching, and supervision of mental health services. Janet Ford is a doctoral candidate at Case Western Reserve University's School of Applied Social Sciences. She is a Research Associate at Hill House, Cleveland, Ohio. She has worked in Kentucky's Mental Health system.

A comparison of care consumer and care provider perspectives on the quality of life of persons with persistent and severe psychiatric disabilities.

“…According to , the perspec tives of the patient, close relatives or friends of the patient, and the therapist or independent observers should be taken into consideration when psy chotherapeutic outcome is being as sessed. If the ideal of empowering consumers to assert greater control over their therapy is to become more of the reality of psychiatric rehabilitation (Smith & Ford, 1986), evaluating thera peutic outcome both from the perspec tive of the person with the psychiatric disability and from the perspective of the professional who provides this per son with care would appear to be espe cially important. Becker and Diamond (1997) (Leete, 1987).…”

Promoting Participation in Organizational Decision Making by Clients with Severe Mental Illness

“…Executive staff indicated that they made a concerted effort to listen to clients' opinions and suggestions, to carefully consider them, and to explain reasons for not enacting their suggestions when they chose another policy option. Others, too, have highlighted the need for staff to listen to clients carefully and respectfully and acknowledge their contribution (Carling, 1995;Smith & Ford, 1986;Winship, 1996). Carling emphasized this point: "The major strategy for building consumer involvement in policy and planning is to listen, listen, and listen some more" (p. 281).…”

Psychosocial rehabilitation: Toward a definition.

“…The self-determination principle is also extended to the agency level. People with emotional disabilities should participate in the management of the agency, along with staff, in all levels of planning, policy making, implementation, and evaluation (Smith, Brown, Gibbs, Sanders, & Cremer 1984; Holland, Konick, Buffum, Smith, & Petchers 1981; Smith & Ford 1986). Furthermore, self-determination also implies the right to satisfaction with service, i.e., clients have the right and the ability to evaluate service, and staff should seek to solicit and accept their evaluation (Tanaka, 1983).…”