25 Years of the \u3cem\u3eCanadian Journal of Community Mental Health\u3c/em\u3e: Reflections and Future Directions

As a former senior editor, a long-term member of the editorial board, and a regular contributor to the Canadian Journal of Community Mental Health (CJCMH), I am delighted with the invitation to comment on the 25-year review of the contents of CJCMH by Fortin-Pellerin, Pouliot-Lapointe, Thibodeau, and Gagné. I want to begin by acknowledging that I cannot pretend to give an objective account of CJCMH, not only because of my deep investment in it, but also because of my personal and professional biases, values, and position of privilege. What I can offer are some reflections on CJCMH, as well as suggestions for future directions, from my perspective as a senior academic community psychologist

Moving Forward: Negotiating Self and External Circumstances in Recovery

This article presents a framework for understanding the concept of recovery from serious mental illnesses and other life struggles. The framework is based on findings from a longitudinal, qualitative study that involved in-depth interviews with 28 people who experienced serious mental health challenges. The purpose of this article is to clarify the concept of recovery by presenting a grounded theory analysis of the components of recovery. The framework recognizes the experiences of struggle constructed through the words of study participants and captures four main components of recovery: a) a drive to move forward, b) a spiral of positive and negative changes, c) the context of recovery, and d) a dialectical process of ongoing negotiation between self and external circumstances

Current and Preferred Housing of Psychiatric Consumers/Survivors

As part of a participatory action research project, we surveyed 300 psychiatric consumers/survivors from southwestern Ontario regarding their housing preferences and housing satisfaction. We found that, while 79% of the sample preferred independent living, 76% were living in some other type of setting (e.g., temporary shelter, supportive housing, sheltered care). Those living in temporary shelters reported the lowest levels of housing satisfaction, and those who were living in the type of housing that they preferred had the highest levels of housing satisfaction. This information is being used by stakeholder groups involved in the project to help build the capacity of the community to provide the types of housing that are preferred by consumers/survivors

All I Remember Is Everybody Started Singing : A Qualitative Exploration of the Intended Learning Outcomes of General Music Courses

Music is one of the most fundamentally human forms of art and communication in existence. Since Ancient Greece, music has served as a central component of a liberal arts education, a practice that continues today. In the modern higher education context, students are often required to take an art or music course as part of the liberal arts curriculum. Despite the importance of the study of music, general music courses face many challenges in regard to student learning. Some of the most prominent challenges include increased musical illiteracy and the increasingly saturated and diverse musical preferences of the modern student. This study examined whether general music courses achieve the course-level and institutional-level intended learning outcomes at a specific institution. Through interviews and focus groups with general education committee faculty members, music faculty members, and students, this study revealed specific areas of connection and disconnection among the three groups in regard to the effectiveness of the intended learning outcomes. Based on these areas of connection and disconnection, the study also provides a set of implications for practice and future research

Housing for People with Serious Mental Illness: Approaches, Evidence, and Transformative Change

The evolution of housing approaches for people with serious mental illness is described and analyzed. A distinction is made between three different approaches to housing: (a) custodial, (b) supportive, and (c) supported. Research evidence is reviewed that suggests the promise of supported housing, but more research is needed that compares supported housing with different supportive housing approaches. It is argued that the current move to a supported housing approach represents a fundamental shift or transformative change in mental health policy and practice. Strategies to facilitate this shift are discussed

Review of \u3cem\u3eHomelessness, Housing, and Mental Illness: Broadening our Understanding of Wellness.\u3c/em\u3e Russell K. Schutt with Stephen M. Goldfinger. Reviewed by Geoffrey Nelson.

Book review of Russell K. Schutt with Stephen M. Goldfinger, Homelessness, Housing, and Mental Illness: Broadening our Understanding of Wellness. (2011). Harvard University Press. $49.95 (hardcover)

A Narrative Approach to the Evaluation of Supportive Housing: Stories of Homeless People Who Have Experienced Serious Mental Illness

We present the findings of a narrative approach to the evaluation of supportive housing for formerly homeless people who have experienced serious mental illness. According to the accounts of 11 men and 9 women, their youth and adult years were piled with personal problems, troubled relationships, and a lack of adequate social resources. Since entering supportive housing, participants noted more stability in their lives and the beginning of journeys to recover positive personal identities, restore or develop new supportive relationships, and reclaim resources vital to leading lives with dignity and meaning. The findings add to the literature on housing interventions for this population in suggesting many positive gains beyond reductions in hometessness and hospitatization

A Comprehensive Evaluation Framework for Mental Health Consumer/Survivor Organizations: Values, Conceptualization, Design, and Action

This article provides a framework for the evaluation of mental health consumer/ survivor organizations that consists of four main components: (a) participatory processes, (b) conceptualization of the activities and outcomes at the individual and systems levels of these organizations, (c) the combination of quantitative and qualitative methods for examining activities and outcomes, and (d) dissemination and action. We assert that these components form a comprehensive and holistic framework for evaluating mental health consumer/survivor organizations; we illustrate how these components can be put into action through a case study of four mental health consumer/survivor organizations in Ontario; and we reflect on the lessons that we have learned in conducting this evaluation

The Prevention of Child Physical Abuse and Neglect: An Update

We reviewed research that has evaluated prevention programs for child abuse and neglect. A few universal educational and parenting programs (e.g., abusive head trauma educational programs, enhanced pediatric care interventions) have been found to be effective. Moreover, a few selective home visitation programs (e.g., the Nurse-Family Partnership program), have shown evidence that they can prevent child abuse and neglect. As well, there is some evidence that multi-component programs are successful. Finally, the research on the importance of program length and intensity as a moderator of program effectiveness is mixed. While the evidence base of effective prevention programs for child abuse and neglect is growing, current interventions are more likely to be program-focused than policy-focused, selective than universal, ameliorative than transformative, and directed at the micro-level than the macro-level. Unless prevention programs are accompanied by social policies that have an agenda of social justice, poverty reduction, and community capacity-building, their potential to prevent child abuse will be seriously challenged