Ms Claire Hyland1
1Rural And Remote Mental Health Services, SA Health, Forestville, Australia
Biography:
Claire Hyland is the Advanced Clinical Lead Social Worker (Mental Health) for the Regional Local Health Networks in South Australia. Claire has worked in health, predominantly mental health services for 24 years as a social worker. Her roles have been in country South Australia, metropolitan Adelaide and the United Kingdom. Claire is committed to promoting the valuable and unique contribution of social work to mental health services. She has an interest in the legislation surrounding state based mental health care and values social justice and human rights in the delivery of care.
Abstract:
Clinical formulation is a key component of mental health assessment; it aims to integrate biopsychosocial history and current functioning to develop a comprehensive understanding of a client’s difficulties. Despite its importance, many social workers lack formal training in clinical formulation, limiting their ability to apply this crucial tool effectively. This abstract presents a training framework aimed at enhancing social workers' ability to use clinical formulation in mental health settings.
The training program involves regular workshops using Microsoft Teams to capture social work staff from across country South Australia and offers a blend of theoretical instruction and practical exercises to teach the biopsychosocial the 5 P's model of clinical formulation. Social workers are learning to synthesise clinical information, drawing from social work theories and perspectives, and use this knowledge for collaborative care planning and interventions with a focus on social justice and strengths. Through use of case studies and structured exercises, it is hoped that participants will gain confidence in conceptualising cases and collaborating with interdisciplinary teams. Furthermore, it aims to provide social workers with the skills to improve client outcomes and enhance their overall practice in a supportive, collegial environment. In doing so we hope to promote the valuable contribution of social work in mental health services and the importance of the social determinants of mental health in the client journey.
We will seek formal feedback through surveys to ensure social workers are benefiting from the workshops and able to translate this learning to their team settings.