Perceptions of Professionals about the Nature of Rehabilitation Relationships with Persons with Mental Illness and the Dilemmas and Conflicts that Characterize these Relationships

The development of rehabilitation relationships with persons with mental illness is a topic that has had limited attention in psychiatric rehabilitation literature. This research presents findings from in-depth interviews that were conducted with 10 psychiatric rehabilitation workers in Israel. Six of them were social workers, two were psychologists, and two were occupational therapists. Eight central components that characterize the development of rehabilitation relationships have been highlighted. These components indicate that the rehabilitation relationship is unconventional and differs in many ways from traditional therapeutic relationships. In addition, the challenge of coping with the conflicts and dilemmas which professionals encounter during the implementation of these components has been emphasized. The findings illuminate the need to develop a knowledge base that would prepare rehabilitation workers to cope with these difficulties and provide suitable professional training and supervision.