Nursing in Child and Adolescent Mental Health

Nurses have a key role to play within the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Team. Yet there are few textbooks devoted to the specialist and advanced roles which many undertake within this field of practice. This text will fill the void addressing legal and ethical issues while focusing upon clinical practice and the application of theoretical concepts.
Fiona Smith, Adviser in Childrens and Young Peoples Nursing, Royal College of Nursing

This book focuses on child and adolescent mental health (CAMH) for nurses training and working in this field. The authors explore the various roles CAMH nurses fulfil and consider how these roles might be undertaken with confidence.

Drawing upon both the academic evidence available, and grounded in the reality of clinical practice, the book looks at how to assess the different issues and the various interventions used in practice. The authors consider the effect of child and family development on mental health, as well as broader factors influencing mental health and well-being. Among the core issues considered are::

• Definitions and consequences of mental health, illness and stigma
• Child development
• Legislative frameworks
• Assessment skills
• Therapeutic work:: individual counselling, cognitive behavioural therapy, family work and medication
• Clinical governance and supervision
• Research

Nursing in Child and Adolescent Mental Health is relevant to nurses at all levels, but is especially useful to postgraduate nurses and nurses in specialist child and adolescent mental health services (SCAMHS). Other professional staff will also find it useful.

Contributors:: Laurence Baldwin, P. Mani Das Gupta, Clay Frake, Neil Hemstock, Michael Hodgkinson, Sarah Hogan, Cath Kitchen, Peter Nolan, Theresa Norris, Ged Rogers, Noreen Ryan, Mervyn Townley, Panos Vostanis and Richard Williams.