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Coping with conflict and confusing agendas in multidisciplinary community mental health teams
Author(s) -
LANKSHEAR A. J.
Publication year - 2003
Publication title -
journal of psychiatric and mental health nursing
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.69
H-Index - 63
eISSN - 1365-2850
pISSN - 1351-0126
DOI - 10.1046/j.1365-2850.2003.00634.x
Subject(s) - negotiation , multidisciplinary approach , mental health , coping (psychology) , psychology , isolation (microbiology) , nursing , public relations , social psychology , medicine , sociology , psychiatry , political science , social science , microbiology and biotechnology , biology
This paper arises from a study, conducted in the final year of general practitioner fundholding in Britain, which was designed to explore the factors influencing client allocation within six community mental health teams in the north of England. It describes the strategies employed to manage the problems created by the disparity between the stated and agreed purpose of the teams and the actual pattern of referrals. A number of strategies were identified in the six teams to manage this fundamental conflict – isolation, homogenization, fraternization, negotiation and manipulation. A sixth strategy was designed to ameliorate the loss of professional identity experienced by those who were operating in a ‘foreign’ milieu – that of demarcation.