Social Work: Benefit Of The Population

The professional application of the principles, values and techniques of social work for the benefit of the population is known as social work practice. The social work comprises of the psychotherapy with the individuals and helps the communities to improve their social lives. The issue of mental health has global impact and is considered as the most significant contributor in the burden of disease worldwide. The post modern perspectives impacted the social work in a dramatic way (Fook & Pease, 2016). It contributed to the individual perceptions about our societies and the process of the creation of knowledge. The practice of improving mental health in Australia considers the knowledge of social, cultural, economic dimensions and the human development along with the interconnecting factors (Fook & Pease, 2016). The social constructivism perspectives emphasizes on the fact that the human development is directly related to the social situation and knowledge can be gathered from the interactions with others. The critical approaches provide an in-depth assessment of the current situation and help to devise suitable strategies in the mental health practice.

Mental health, as defined by World Health Organizations (W.H.O), is a state of emotional as well as social well being that helps the individuals to cope up with the usual stresses of life and hence realize its true potential (World Health Organization, 2016). A complex interplay of the social, environmental, economic, psychological and biological factors affects the mental capabilities of the people (World Health Organization, 2016). The issues of the mental health are characterized by retarded social, emotional and cognitive functioning that affects the mental well being of the population (World Health Organization, 2016). The mental health practice is a part of the social work domain which consists of the social context of the mental illness. The purpose of the mental health practice in Australia is the promotion, recovery and restoration of wellbeing of the community so that the individuals have enhanced capabilities to control their own lives (World Health Organization, 2016). The practice of social work takes place at the interface between the environment and the individual.

The registered providers of Australia, “Accredited Mental Health Social Workers”, are specialized “mental health experts” who are assigned responsibilities by the “Commonwealth Government by Australia” to safeguard the mental health of the population (Aasw.asn.au, 2016). They are eligible to provide better services in mental health care programs and better management of the chronic diseases (Aasw.asn.au, 2016). They treat various mental disorders such as mood disorders, anxiety problems, depression, personality disorders, suicidal thoughts, psychosis, family conflicts, relationship issues, life crisis and others (Aasw.asn.au, 2016).

The mental health social workers should possess good knowledge of the mental health as well as mental illness in Australia. It consists of the psychiatric classifications, crucial syndromes and the social history of the mental diseases (Dudgeon, Milroy & Walker 2014). It also consists of the recovery principles, psychological interventions, mental health disciplines and the consumer issues concerning mental health (Aasw.asn.au, 2016). The mental health social workers should be knowledgeable about the practice standards in Australia such as “Practice Standards for Mental Health Social Workers” and the “Code of Ethics” (Aasw.asn.au, 2016). These standards give an idea of the social practices concerning mental health in an Australian context. The workers should also identify the value positions that put emphasis on this domain. There are general principles that should be followed by the social health workers engaging in mental health. They should have respect for individuals, obligation for social justice, maintain confidentiality and self-determination while dealing with the patients. The social work theories explain the purpose of the society towards the victims of mental illness (Aasw.asn.au, 2016). They focus on the social environment, human behaviours and the change processes that dominate the mental health domain.

There is an impact of the economic, political and social factors on the mental work practice in Australia. The political conflict in a country affects the living conditions of the people and also the disease burden of the community. The social workers need to take account of the political scenario in Australia and assess the present emotional state of the community. The patients may be suffering from emotional stress, anxiety, fear, clashing of the national identities or cultures, resilience and others (DuBois & Miley, 2013). There are several moral dilemmas of the people which need to be addressed by the mental health social workers. The political unrest between the international boundaries demands the special attention of the mental health social workers (DuBois & Miley, 2013). The political ideology of the country determines the course of action taken by the mental health social workers. The political ideology determines the major decisions taken by the Government for the betterment of the people (DuBois & Miley, 2013). The social work is affected by the political framework of the country as it provides the possible course of action according to the environmental pressures (DuBois & Miley, 2013). The revolution of the welfare classes may affect the mental status of the population.

The economic factors also affect the population to a large extent. The recession affected the mental health of the population. The social workers need to understand that the people would become prone to anxiety and panic in the case of economic downturn (Blanchard, Jaumotte & Loungani, 2014). The economic recession also affects the unemployment, which in turn contributes to the stress of the people (Blanchard, Jaumotte & Loungani, 2014). The lack of employment opportunities deprives the people of housing facilities. The mental health social workers should understand these parameters and should strive to provide effective solutions to them. They should be befriending with their clients and link their conditions to the economic scenario of the country. There would be increased debt, which would cause significant fear in the minds of the people. There is a need of counseling and understanding the viewpoints of the victims of the mental illness (Sue et al., 2015). There is also a need to increase the support of the mentally ill patients by creating legislative frameworks. The social workers should strive to protect the employment rights of the mentally disabled patients (Sue et al., 2015). They should not be entitled to reduced employment opportunities (Sue et al., 2015). The mental health social workers should emphasize on the support of the job centers in providing customized employment opportunities to the mentally disabled patients.

The social factors also impact the mental health of the people of Australia. The effect of the mental illness may have great influence on the society. The social problems of the society like poverty, reduced productivity due to trauma, customs, ineffective government policies, work stress, problems in the work environment and others impact the mental health of the people. In Australia, the phenomenon of racism is common, which is a major cause of mental disabilities among the patients (de Lepervanche, 2013). This causes psychological trauma among the native people, which needs to be addressed by the mental health social workers (de Lepervanche, 2013). The social workers need to be careful about the violence in schools which affects the young population. They are also vulnerable to the emotional imbalances at the time of puberty. The unfair labor conditions in Australia also pose serious threats to the mental health of the population (Milner et al., 2015). The employees may not be satisfied with their jobs which may further increase their stress levels (Milner et al., 2015). The social workers need to be careful about the problems of the youth, who represent a major section of the population. There are increased incidents of drug abuse among the youths. The community disorganization and low neighborhood attachment are some of the common reasons of low morale of the youths. The youths from the ethnic minority groups pose greater chances of low self confidence as well as low self-esteem. The social workers should identify issues such as sexual abuse, depression, suicidal tendencies and identification of the high risk teenagers (Geldard, Geldard & Foo, 2015). They should make the health care accessible to all, especially the adolescents. There should be more health care providers for the young population (Geldard, Geldard & Foo, 2015). The mental health social workers must understand the fact that mental health is a prerequisite for achieving an optimum quality of life. 

The mental health social workers are crucial in improving the health status of the population. The social workers need to have extensive knowledge regarding the health status of the community. They should assess the impacts of the external environments in the mental well being of the society. The external factors include the political, economic and social parameters that determine the degree of mental disability among the people. This paper discusses about the mental health situation in Australia and the role of mental health social workers in upgrading the condition of the population. This paper also strived to connect the critical social work perspectives with the approaches of the mental health social worker. It would broaden the understanding of the role of the mental health social workers in the world, especially in Australia. 

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