Solution Focused Practice for Approved Mental Health Professionals: Skills for Promoting Autonomy and Choice

Following the critically acclaimed Solution Focused Practice and Mental Health Crisis: Inclusive Support Towards Safety and Hope, this unique new book from Nick Perry provides an in-depth application of Solution Focused Practice (SFP) to the role of the Approved Mental Health Professional (AMHP) in England and Wales.

The book explains how SFP assists AMHPs to interview ‘in a suitable manner’ and provide a more deliberative, strengths-based perspective on decision-making as well as to practice according to the guiding principles of the newly amended Mental Health Act. With contributed chapters on how the approach supports anti-racist practice, how it can change the experience of people being assessed and the wider implications for AMHP training courses, the book starts with a full transcript of a solution focused conversation and is jam-packed with practice stories showing the approach in a range of settings, including police custody, medical hospitals, psychiatric hospitals and the community.

It is a must-read for AMHPs committed to providing useful, least restrictive interventions and any other professionals working in a mandated setting keen to promote autonomy and choice for people in mental health crisis.

Nick Perry is a registered social worker, an Approved Mental Health Professional and is accredited by the UK Association for Solution Focused Practice. He has experience as an educator, supervisor, inspector and practice lead, and is a visiting lecturer at Brighton University.