Holistic Care Program for Psychiatric Rehabilitation in a Chinese Context

This book provides an effective model for helping persons with serious mental illness and is suitable for readers working in psychiatric rehabilitation. It is well documented that persons with serious mental illness suffer from severe psychosocial issues. Studies suggest that many of them also have different spiritual problems such as lacking hope and losing meaning and a purpose in life. In Hong Kong, a Christian non-governmental organisation has developed a holistic care program for the rehabilitation of persons with serious mental illness. Holistic care is conceived as the care delivered to meet an integral, independent individual''s health needs including physical, psychosocial, spiritual, cultural and environmental aspects as a whole. The holistic care program is characterised by a Self Help Group (SHG) approach with the adoption of holistic care principles where the physical, psychological, social and spiritual needs of the clients are emphasised. Beyond using solely conventional therapeutic intervention such as psychodynamic, cognitive and behavioural strategies in running SHGs, spiritual intervention in the form of hymn singing, Bible reading, personal sharing and intercessions is also used.