Clinical Case Management:Integrating Psychological and Environmental Domains

Integrating psychological and environmental perspectives, clinical case management is an essential component of interventions with individuals with psychotic disorders.  Clinical case management can be defined as a modality... [ view full abstract ]

Integrating psychological and environmental perspectives, clinical case management is an essential component of interventions with individuals with psychotic disorders.  Clinical case management can be defined as a modality of mental health practice that, acknowledging the importance of biological and psychological factors, addresses the overall function and maintenance of the person’s physical and social environment toward the goals of facilitating physical survival, health and mental health, personal growth, and community functioning (Kanter, 1989).  In clinical case management, five principles are emphasized:  1) continuity of care; 2) use of the case management relationship; 3) titrating support and structure in response to client need;  4) flexibility of intervention strategies (i.e., frequency, duration and location of contact); and 5) facilitating consumer resourcefulness and strengths.

Using Winnicott’s ideas about facilitating holding environments (Kanter, 1990), this workshop will outline the key components of clinical case management and the important dimensions of the case management relationship, differentiating these from the usual parameters of individual psychotherapy.  Finally, a clinical example will be presented to illustrate this model and facilitate discussion among the participants.

References:

Kanter, J. (1989). Clinical case management: Definition, principles, components. Hospital and Community Psychiatry, 40(4), 361–368.

Kanter, J. (1990). Community-based management of psychotic clients: The contributions of D. W. and Clare Winnicott. Clinical Social Work Journal, 18, 23–41.