Reaching Out: The Psychology of Assertive Outreach

Assertive outreach is a means of helping people with serious and persistent mental health difficulties who have not engaged with conventional mental health services. Reaching Out examines the application of psychological approaches in assertive outreach – a process which involves forming new relationships and offering hope to people who have been alienated from traditional methods.

Reaching Out begins with a discussion of topics including:

• engagement
• the team approach
• assessments
• team case formulation
• managing stress and burnout for staff.

The second half of the book focuses on the task of delivering psychological therapies and considers a range of models including psychodynamic therapy, family therapy, cognitive behaviour therapy and community approaches.

Reaching Out: The Psychology of Assertive Outreach demonstrates that the relationship between staff and service users is essential to the process of recovery and personal growth. The approach will apply not only to assertive outreach teams, but also to clinical psychologists, counsellors and other mental health professionals who are interested in psychological approaches to outreach work.

Caroline Cupitt is a consultant clinical psychologist with Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust specialising in assertive outreach. She has worked in assertive outreach since 1996, in both statutory and non-statutory settings, and is particularly interested in fostering psychological approaches.