Relationships and Mental Health: Relational Experience in Distress and Recovery

Acknowledgements
Contents
Contributors
List of Figures
List of Tables
Part I: Relationality and Relatedness in the Context of Distress and Recovery: Key Foundations
	1: Introduction: Why Relationships Matter for Mental Health
		References
	2: Conceptual Foundations: Relational Thinking for Mental Health Contexts
		Being-With as a Fundamental Aspect of Personhood
		Understanding Relational Experience from a Developmental Perspective
		The Contrasting Experiences and Consequences of Intimacy and Loneliness
		Social Disadvantage and Mental Health
		Conclusions
		References
	3: Clinical Foundations: A Brief History of Relational Practice
		The Relationship as Therapeutic
		The “Independence Imperative” in Adult Mental Health Services
		A Paradigm Shift? Towards a Relational Practice
		Relational Alternatives and Innovations
		Conclusions
		References
Part II: Relational Trauma; Relational Recovery
	4: Family Relatedness for Māori Survivors of Familial Childhood Sexual Abuse
		Whanaungatanga and Doing Family
		Kaupapa Māori Methodology
		Survivor Experiences of Whanaungatanga
			Whanaungatanga Iho Supports Movement Through Distress into Recovery
			Enacting Whanaungatanga Iho to Create Long-Lasting Change
		Conclusion
		Glossary
		References
	5: Relational Contexts as Causal and Curative Pathways in Recurrent Suicidal Distress and Repeated Police Mental Health Act (Section 136) Detention
		Introduction and Research Context
		A Note on Terminology
			Suicidality
			Personality Disorder Diagnoses
		A Relational Model of Recurrent Suicidality
		Relationships: The Critical Scaffold to Psychosocial Development
		Distress as a Relational Disorder
		Conclusion: The Reparational Potential of Relationships
		References
	6: Working Through Relational Trauma: An Exploration of Narratives of Lived Experiences of Trauma and Recovery
		Understanding Psychological Trauma in Adulthood
		Methodological Approach
		Case Studies
			Challenge and Struggle
			Connection
			Power and Loss
			Independence and Perceived Helpful Coping Strategies
			Awareness and Making Sense of Memory
			Hope
		Reconceptualising Relational Trauma and Recovery Through a Relational and Existential-Phenomenological Approach
			Relational-Centred Principles
			Integrating an Existential-Phenomenological Approach
		Recommendations for Working Through Relational Trauma
		References
Part III: Peers, Family and Community: Care and Companionship Through Distress and Recovery
	7: Understanding the Value Base That Supports the Development of Peer Support Relationships
		What Is Peer Support?
		Evolution of Peer Support in the Global North
		The Peer Support Relationship
			Sharing Experiences of Mental Health Challenges
			Taking an Interest in One Another’s ‘Whole Lives’
			Considering One Another to Be Equals
			Boundaries
			Pooling Expertise Based on Lived Experience
			Has a Different Feel to the Relationships Peers May Have with Friends or Family
			Not Time-Limited
		Benefits of Peer Support
		What Is the Value Base That Underpins This Relationship?
		How Do You Create the Conditions in Which Those Relationships Can Flourish?
			Facilitation
			Types of Leadership
			Focus of Peer Support Sessions
			Membership Type
			Organisational Support
			Paid Versus Unpaid Roles
		Conclusion
		References
	8: Exploring Family Experiences and Relationship Dynamics Where One Member Experiences Psychosis: “We’ve Been on That Journey Together”
		A ‘Whole Family’ Study
			Data Collection and Analysis
		Adapting Through Learning and Communicating: From ‘Not Talking’ to ‘Trying to Understand’
		Unity, Sharing and Delegating: Facing Difficulty Together
		Damage, Repair and Revisit: Maintaining Balance in the Family System
		Reflections
			Family Resilience
			Connections
		References
	9: Relatedness and Connectedness Over Time: How Young People Make Sense of Their Relationships During Their Recovery from First-Episode Psychosis
		The Developmental and Relational Context of First-Episode Psychosis
		Relatedness, Connectedness, and Recovery from First-Episode Psychosis
		Relatedness and Connectedness Over Time
		Relationships Can Thrive or Wither
		Re-constructing the Self in Relation to Others
		Shifting Between Dependence and Independence
		Relationship Re-appraisal and Re-evaluation
		The Evolution of Others’ Sense-Making
		Re-engaging with a Reciprocal Network
		Reflections
		References
	10: Hunger Trauma, Relational Care and Emergency Food Support
		Hunger, Suffering and Care Ethics
		The Research
			Findings
		The Unavoidable Desperation of Hidden Hunger
		The Constant Crisis
		The Shame of Hunger
		Food as a Relational Commitment
		The Indignity of Food Support
		Relational Opportunities for Dignity
		Gendered Hunger
		Concluding Thoughts
		References
Part IV: Love and Sex: Negotiating Intimacies in Mental Health Settings
	11: Implicating the Institution: Who Is Responsible for Sexuality-Related Silence in Mental Health Settings?
		Sexuality in Mental Healthcare: What and Why?
		Sexuality in Mental Healthcare: Current Practice and Research
		Sexuality-Related Silence: Implicating the Institution
		Moving Forward: Beyond the Clinician’s Skills and Deficits
		Conclusion
		References
	12: Romance in the Context of Psychosis: A Risky Business or Are Mental Health Services Just Risk Averse?
		Psychosis
		Risk
		How Are Risk Averse Attitudes Regarding Romantic Relationships Formed and Maintained?
		Are Relationships Really that Risky? Potential Benefits of Romantic Relationships
		Recommendations
		Conclusion
		References
	13: “You Don’t Even Get a Hug”: Sexuality and Relational Security in Secure Mental Healthcare
		Outside-In: Relational security
		Relational Security in Forensic Mental Healthcare
		Relational Security and Recovery
		Inside-Out: Patient Experiences of Intimate and Sexual Relationality in Forensic Mental Healthcare
			Brianna
			Jake
		Intimacy and Sexuality in Relational Security
		References
Part V: New Directions: Building a Relational Approach to Distress and Recovery
	14: The Development of a Relational Practice Movement
		Introduction
		Rationale
			Contextual History
		A ‘Relational Practice Movement’
		Definition of Relational Practice
		Research and Evidence Supporting Relational Practice
			Recognition of Relational Practice
		Theoretical Framework Underpinning Relational Practice
		Levels of Relational Practice
			Personal Qualities
			One-to-One Relationships
			Group Culture
			Organisational Culture
		Conclusion
		A Manifesto
		References
15: Concluding Thoughts: Relational Hopes, Relational Realities
	References
Index