The pros and cons of the preventive mental health approach

Abstract

This chapter discusses some of the reasons why Caplanian principles of preventive mental health have not generally as yet found their way into practice and policy in England and Wales. It then explains why services for children in this field, such as they are remain largely uncoordinated and focused on remedial services when problems have become acute and entrenched. Finally, it discusses why the development of preventive services in particular has proved so difficult. It argues that to be effective, supportive help needs to be provided during the crisis, not weeks or months after unrealistically maladaptive defences have been erected and when related problems have escalated. By enabling frontline community care agents such as school teachers to undertake crisis intervention when it is needed, the need for more expensive specialist therapeutic intervention is reduced later.