Meeting the whole life needs of a person through
a community whole systems approach

The IMHCN and its partners have been at the forefront of pioneering community mental health services for the last twenty years.

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• • We promote the development and sustainability of community mental health services founded on the whole person and their whole life needs. We believe services must be developed  through a Whole life – Whole Systems Community Approach.

• • The objective is to build an integrated and comprehensive system with widespread community ownership capable of meeting the identified whole life needs of individuals and local communities.

• • In most countries downsizing and closing the psychiatric institutions through a process of de-institionalisation as the main objective.

• • It is widely acknowledged that this will improve peoples quality of life and provide opportunities for recovery from mental health issues. However, closing institutions does not necessarly lead to ending institutional thinking and practice.

• • If these reforms are to be effective we should start by changing the thinking and practices within institutions by creating and applying a whole life recovery approach.

• • This work brings many challenges and opportunities for people with mental health issues, family members, mental health workers, services and communities.

• We have designed programmes to assist people and organisations to make these changes which are being developed and have been implemented across the world.

You can read more about our work here.

We invite you to join us as members (services, individuals and communities) in promoting and developing our work in your country and internationally. For more information about membership go here.

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