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Staff experiences of working in crisis resolution and home treatment

Jon Freeman (Clinical Psychologist working for the Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust, Swindon, UK)
Andrew Vidgen (Consultant Clinical Psychologist and Principal Lead for the South Wales Doctoral Programme in Clinical Psychology based in Cardiff, UK)
Ellen Davies‐Edwards (Consultant Clinical Psychologist working for R&R Consulting Rooms, Cardiff, UK)

Mental Health Review Journal

ISSN: 1361-9322

Article publication date: 17 June 2011

639

Abstract

Purpose

This paper seeks to explore staff experiences of working in Crisis Resolution and Home Treatment (CRHT). There is a paucity of research in the area and a particular lack of in‐depth qualitative accounts of staff experiences with most research focused on output and outcomes of CRHTs, including inpatient admission and bed‐occupancy rates.

Design/methodology/approach

Interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) was used to investigate participants' experiences of working in this service context. Five CRHT workers were interviewed about their experiences, including the aspects of their work that they found enjoyable and those that they found stressful, and how they coped with challenges related to the work.

Findings

Three master themes, each with corresponding subordinate themes, emerged from the analysis. These were: “motivating factors”, “stressors” and “coping”. These findings indicated these subjective experiences emphasised the opportunities to make a difference and help service users and build therapeutic relationships. Perceived stressors were understood in the context of a complex service context, operational issues, responsibility for service users, and supervision and training needs.

Research limitations/implications

The implications of the research for CRHT staff are discussed as well as the limitations of this study.

Originality/value

This study offers a timely development in understanding the experiences of staff working in CRHTs.

Keywords

Citation

Freeman, J., Vidgen, A. and Davies‐Edwards, E. (2011), "Staff experiences of working in crisis resolution and home treatment", Mental Health Review Journal, Vol. 16 No. 2, pp. 76-87. https://doi.org/10.1108/13619321111158016

Publisher

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Emerald Group Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2011, Emerald Group Publishing Limited

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