A solution-focused approach to case management and recovery with consumers who have a severe mental disability

Community mental health systems have been increasingly emphasizing providing services and using interventions that support mental health consumers recovering from severe mental disability. It has been noted in the literature that the strengths approach to case management is supportive of mental health consumers experiencing recovery. Although strengths-based case management has been operationalzed by six principles and five functions, it has not been very well operationalized at the micro level of direct interactions between case managers and mental health service recipients. This article describes how the perspective of and techniques from solution-focused therapy can be used to further operationalize the strengths perspective for these direct, one-on-one interactions to facilitate mental health consumer recovery. Copyright 2006 Alliance for Children and Families.