Summary

Background: The field of Single-Session Therapy (SST) is expanding rapidly, as more individuals, families, groups, and communities use one-at-a-time mental health services in different contexts all over the world. Previous research has documented empirical evidence of the efficacy and effectiveness of SST on clients’ outcomes but the framework for practitioner competencies that contribute to optimal SST outcomes has not been sufficiently covered. While single-session thinking has been taken up by social work practice in health settings and adapted into single-session social work, more exploration is needed to inform future social work health/mental health practice, education, and research.Purpose: With the rise of agencies and organizations including SST as a delivery service, more practitioners are in the need to use and implement this modality. However, there are very few courses or training opportunities that support practitioners to enhance their competencies in SST. In addition, little has been studied on competences required to effectively implement SST. The objective of this paper presentation is to describe and explain the SST practice developments and practitioners’ competences to inform social work education.Method: Review of relevant peer-reviewed and grey literature on SST developments including context, use and evidence for SST as well as key competences to implement SST. Results: SST has expanded in the last three decades to embrace different uses and contexts from psychotherapy, counseling, and family therapy to single social work practice with individuals, couples, and families. Evidence shows that SST is an effective and efficient service delivery model for various presenting concerns and diverse populations with no less effect than multiple session treatment. Key SST competence areas include client-centered skills and practitioner use of self.Conclusion: While there is evidence about SST efficacy, more studies are needed to examine practitioner’s competences in different contexts.

Keywords (separate with commas)

Single-session therapy, competences, education, social work, mental health

Summary

Hoarding behavior is frequently observed in Taiwanese communities. The mental health sector hardly encounters hoarding disorder cases. Individuals with hoarding behaviors often suffer from other mental disorders and experience difficulties in social environments. This study aims to provide insight into some existing hoarding behaviors, including the disclosure, treatments, and services.\  Despite the increasing concern related to public health and safety, Taiwan still lacks institutional regulations and treatment methods for hoarding behavior.\ The disparity between the community services and mental health section in Taiwan has sparked the researchers' interest in hoarding issues in Taiwanese communities. This study reviews the different findings of the studies of hoarding individuals in Taiwanese communities and international literature.\ This study employed qualitative research methods and conducted interviews with social workers, community worker, clinical psychologists, and professional organizer to provide unique contextual insights in local settings.\ An interesting finding appears that different generations hoard different items, including cosmetic products and idol goods which are uncommon and unidentified in previous related research.\  It remains challenging to provide mental health support for hoarders and their families.This research represents one of the few local studies on hoarding individuals in Taiwan. Our findings can serve as a reference for relevant organizations in understanding and formulating intervention methods for addressing the hoarding issue in Taiwanese communities.

Keywords (separate with commas)

Hoarding disorder, Compulsive hoarding, Taiwanese local study, Community work, Mental health

Summary

As Ghana continues to develop into one of the most thriving democracies and economies on the continent of Africa, more attention has been paid to mental health concerns, particularly as mental health concerns are often a result of pressure to accumulate material wealth. \\ Stigma toward mental health concerns serves as a barrier to treatment in many parts of the developed world. \\ However, little is currently know about mental health related stigma in Ghana. \\ A convenience sample of 196 respondents was field recruited to participate in a survey about attitudes toward mental health. A randomized experimental vignette methodology was used to assess multiple domains of mental health stigma and their relationship to the sociodemographic characteristics of the vignette subject and respondents. \\ The symptoms experienced by the vignette subject (anxiety, depression or psychosis) and gender of the subject of the vignette (male or female experiencing the mental health concern) were varied to produce 6 variations of the experimental vignette. Multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) was used to analyze these data. \\ Results indicate that there were statistically significant associations between the gender of the vignette subject, his or her diagnosis, and the various domains of stigma. For example, an individual experiencing signs of psychosis was perceived as more dangerous than one experiencing depression or anxiety and respondents expressed a greater desire for social distance from women experiencing mental health concerns relative to men. Contrary to expectations, religiosity, urbanicity, cultural background and perceived etiology of the mental health condition were not predictive of stigma.\\  This work adds to our currently limited knowledge concerning mental health stigma in Ghana.\\ 

Keywords (separate with commas)

Ghana, stigma, mental health, vignette

Summary

Stigma towards mental health concerns can have a more negative impact on a person's well-being than the actual symptoms of their condition. Stigma acts as a significant barrier to accessing mental health services, particularly for racial and ethnic minorities. However, existing research often fails to recognize the cultural differences within these minority groups, such as Latino communities, and more studies are needed to understand and address the specific nuances of stigma within diverse cultural groups to reduce the mental healthcare gap among Latinos. This presentation will share findings from a study that examined the influence of cultural context on social distance and perceptions of stigma towards mental health conditions among Latino populations in Houston, TX, USA and Mexico City, Mexico. Utilizing a community-based vignette survey, we assessed 513 participants' perceptions of individuals demonstrating symptoms of alcohol misuse, depression, and psychosis, focusing on public acceptance, perceived stigma, anticipated threat, potential positive outcomes, and the capacity to change. The outcomes revealed a marked contrast in stigma perceptions between Latino respondents in the USA and Mexico, with those in Houston manifesting lower public stigma and perceived danger associated with mental health conditions than Mexico City's respondents. Notably, the cultural environment appeared to shape the relationship between various dimensions of stigma, leading to some inverse correlations depending on the location of participants. These results highlight the intricate relationship between cultural context, mental health symptoms, and stigma, emphasizing the need for culturally sensitive interventions to mitigate mental health stigma and encourage service utilization within Latino communities.\ 

Keywords (separate with commas)

mental health, stigma, Latino, cultural context