People are greatly influenced by the way other people treat them. This is especially true of the relationship between mental health provider staff and consumers. Consumers have identified the stigmatizing behavior of mental health professionals and paraprofessionals as a major obstacle to recovery.
As part of a cross-site study on housing programs for persons with serious mental illness, we designed a staff relationship scale to measure the relationship between staff and residents. Dimensions of staff relationships including authority and sensitivity. The resident-staff relationship questions were incorporated in the larger interview for two housing study sites, Upstate New York and Massachusetts. Where we had resident permission to do so, staff was also asked about their relationships with residents at approximately the same time points.
This presentation will describe how residents and staff viewed this relationship, including the level of agreement between them. We will also report on how this relationship affects congruence in resident and staff perceptions of needs for supportive services and of resident level of substance abuse. Lastly we will discuss the influence of program type on resident-staff relationships and the influence of their influence on resident outcomes (e.g., housing stability, hospitalization, resident empowerment).
Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of the session, the participant will be able to: 1. Describe how residents and staff of supported housing view their relationships, including the level of agreement between them. 2. Discuss how the staff/resident relationship affects congruence in resident and staff perceptions of need, and or resident level substance abuse. 3. Discuss how the staff/resident relationship differs in various types of housing for people with severe mental illness, and how this influences various residential outcomes (e.g., housing stability, hospitalization).
Keywords: Housing, Mental Illness
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: None
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.