Redressing the Emperor: Improving Our Children's Public Mental Health System

(Hardback)

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Lyons provides a fresh and thought-provoking understanding of the children's public mental health system, as well as the need to foster its evolution and improvement. He presents the history of child mental health systems, including the U.S. system's roots and the early 19th-century case of the Wild Boy of Aveyron, which demonstrated the potentially therapeutic effects of environment. He shows us why modern leaders and presidents have issued calls for improvements to the U.S. child mental health system, and what barriers have slowed or even halted this evolution. Such barriers, Lyons explains, can be removed with community development and better clinical outcomes management. In addition to providing information for parents, family members, and advocates for improving the lives of children needing mental health care, this work will also interest clinicians, policy makers and students in social work, clinical psychiatry, public health and public policy.

Reviews

.,."[P]rovides the reader with a wonderful, at times witty, historical and contemporary overview of the complex web of mental health systems that children must navigate for care.... Dr. Lyons proposes Total Clinical Outcome Management (TCOM), an innovative approach whereby children are supported and understood by a system that is responsible, accountable, effective and clinically grounded. This book is an essential read for all who dare to be agents of change in developing and sustaining a system of care that fosters and strengthens the children and youth it serves."-Lise Bisnaire, Clinical Director, Inpatient Psychiatric and Mental Health Services Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario
"A renowned authority on mental health services research, John Lyons not only diagnoses the problems plaguing public mental health programs for children, but provides insightful guidance on how to solve them. "Redressing the Emperor" is essential reading for all professionals concerned with the psychological welfare of our children."-Richard J. McNally, Ph.D., Professor of Psychology Harvard University Author of Remembering Trauma
"I recommend Redressing the Emperor to policy-makers, funders and children's service providers. It de-constructs the child serving system of care for children and youth and identifies a process, Total Clinical Outcomes Management, by which the inherent tensions and syndromes in the system can be managed or eliminated. It is a clear and common sense approach badly needed in our field if we are to achieve our goal--more effective management of care for children and families."-Mary Beth Rauktis LSW, Director of Research and Evaluation Pressley Ridge
"In this important book, John Lyons persuasively argues how psychological assessment can be closely tied to treatment utility. Adoption of his recommendations will lead to substantial advances in helping to provide treatment for children in the public mental health system. This book also provides a powerful commentary on the status of our public mental health system."-Dr. Howard N. Garb, Chief, Psychological Research Service Department of the Air Force, Lackland AFB
"This readable, authoritative overview is written with an insider's voice and viewpoint. In seven chapters, Lyons provides a historical overview of children's mental health services and a critique of the current system; he discusses building healthy communities, measuring outcomes, and current systems of care....[t]he volume has value for a broad audience, and an appendix and other scholarly apparatus serve the book well. Upper-division undergraduates through faculty and professionals; general readers."-Choice
[T]imely and progressive....[t]his practical and well-researched analysis is highly recommended for mental health policy collections and large public libraries.-Library Journal
Redressing the Emperor's multidisciplinary pragmatism makes it a worthy read for all professionals and parents concerned with the mental health of children. Lyons tackles public mental health in its complexity and helps the reader navigate its complex webs of services, practices and systems. Redressing the Emperor is a powerful commentary on the state of affairs of public mental heath care for children and an even more powerful commentary on what can be done to improve it.-Metapsychology/mentalhelp.net
This readable, authoritative overview is written with an insider's voice and viewpoint. In seven chapters, Lyons provides a historical overview of children's mental health services and a critique of the current system; he discusses building healthy communities, measuring outcomes, and current systems of care....[t]he volume has value for a broad audience, and an appendix and other scholarly apparatus serve the book well. Upper-division undergraduates through faculty and professionals; general readers.-Choice
"Timely and progressive....this practical and well-researched analysis is highly recommended for mental health policy collections and large public libraries."-Library Journal
"[T]imely and progressive....[t]his practical and well-researched analysis is highly recommended for mental health policy collections and large public libraries."-Library Journal
"Redressing the Emperor's multidisciplinary pragmatism makes it a worthy read for all professionals and parents concerned with the mental health of children. Lyons tackles public mental health in its complexity and helps the reader navigate its complex webs of services, practices and systems. Redressing the Emperor is a powerful commentary on the state of affairs of public mental heath care for children and an even more powerful commentary on what can be done to improve it."-Metapsychology/mentalhelp.net

Author Bio

JOHN S. LYONS is Professor of Psychiatry and Community Medicine at Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine, and Director of the University's Mental Health Services and Policy Program.