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Practice wisdom on custodial parenting with a mental illness: a strengths view
- Authors:
- ZEMAN Laura D., BUILA Sarah
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Family Social Work, 10(3), 2006, pp.51-65.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
- Place of publication:
- Philadelphia, USA
The social work principles of strengths, empowerment and consumer-centred care for people with mental illness are based on the notion that all individuals have a range of talents, capacities, skills, resources and aspirations, as well as the potential for continued growth. This study examines parents with mental illness as a sub-set of the wider population, and distils the findings of an exploratory qualitative study with 36 US social workers who have experience in engaging with this group. Discussions in focus groups were taped and analysed to identify recurrent themes. These include the role of the child’s attachment to the parent in facilitating resilience, the importance of the extended family as a source of support, issues in family functioning such as role reversal, the reaching out by parents for self-care resources within and outside their families, and the positive aspects of mental illness experienced by some parents. The implications for strengths-based practice with families containing a mentally ill parent are discussed. (Copies of this article are available from: Haworth Document Delivery Centre, Haworth Press Inc., 10 Alice Street, Binghamton, NY 13904-1580).