Case Study: Analyzing the Open Minds PHaMs Mental Health Program

This case study examines the Open Minds Personal Helpers & Mentors Program (PHaMs), a voluntary support group for individuals with mental illness. The study highlights the stigma associated with mental health issues and the lack of awareness surrounding treatment. PHaMs provides customized support, including community access, health support, and assistance with daily living, focusing on patients' strengths to facilitate recovery. The program employs personal mentors who help patients set and achieve goals, connect with family, and engage with society. The case study references the program's recovery enhancement framework and the importance of peer support. It emphasizes the positive impact of the program and the significance of continuous support for individuals with mental health challenges. The assignment includes references to relevant literature on mental illness stigma, program evaluation, and support systems.

Running head: PHAMS CASE STUDY
Open Minds, PhaMs Case Study
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author’s Note

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There is still a stigma that is associated with mental illness, many people who are
suffering from mental health issues are most of the time ignorant about the procedure of
treatment. Many times people live in denial that they even have any and of problem that needs to
be looked after and treated in the first place. There are also people who are shy to admit their
problems and share it with their closed ones. Hence, it is evident that there are several
apprehensions and wrong notions about mental illness among people (Corrigan, Druss & Perlick,
2014).
There are several reasons for this apprehension to occur in the minds of the people but the
first and foremost reason is that people have very less knowledge about mental illness and the
procedures how to cure the problem. Lack of awareness in the people sometimes leads to a
serious illness which could have been resolved if steps would have been taken before.
A mental illness is a condition that impacts the thinking process of an individual and
affects the feelings and mood of that person. Every human being is different in his or her own
ways and so the same diagnosis may have different outcomes with every other person. Mental
illness may also cause difficulty in performing day to day work.
Mental issues may have various causes like genetics, living environment, serious trauma,
lifestyle choice etc. imbalance in the biochemical processes and basic brain structure may also
cause mental illness. It does not only affect the life of the patient it also affects the lives of other
people who are related to that person.
Open Minds Personal Helpers & Mentors Program (PHaMs) is a voluntary support group
who understand the importance of assistance to a person who are suffering from mental illness.
Open minds works with enthusiastic individuals with the vision of improving the metal health

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and wellbeing of the patients who are in need of assistance. The organization is known to
provide the patients with a variety of customized support which are concentrated on the
particular requirements of each of them. The service that is provided by the institution can be
tailored as per the duration and the type of support can also be decided. Not only that Open
Minds offers community access, set up a standard livelihood, offer health support and other
services. The organization helps an individual to focus on their strengths and talents so that they
can have rapid recovery and also achieve individual development.
The recovery enhancement framework is the concept and model on which the institution
runs this service is comprehensive and forms the basis of training of the staff in specialized cases
(Ho, 2016).
The PhaMs program appoints an individual to a patient with mental illness and is striving
towards his or her betterment. The concept works on the fundamental basis of respect of the
desires of the individual who are seeking help. The recovery process is more focused on
developing and betterment of the strengths of the patients than battling the weakness. The
personal mentors that are appointed to the patients help the in setting milestones for them and
also assist them to achieve these goals with strategy and organization. The mentors help the
patients in every way possible even some of the basic way of living like taking a public transport
may be a huge deal for a person with mental illness the mentors supports the patient and
encourages the patient to also perform simple budgeting and look for a place to live etc. People
who have a mental issue has also this problem of getting detached with the family and closed
ones the mentors help the patent to connect back to the near and dear ones this in turn helps in
the recovery process as the person gains confidence and self respect in the process. Apart from
getting detached with the relatives a person with mental issues have a tendency to retract oneself

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from the society, they usually do not like socializing or making friends or even going out for
shopping, the mentors are there to assist in social networking and more involvement in the
community (PHaMs Personal Helpers and Mentors, 2017).
The people who are volunteering for this program are skilled and trained in various
backgrounds and are people who understand the requirements and the expectations of the
patients. It is important to meet the needs of the patients in their own way and receive
appropriate training, encouragement and guidance. If the patents want then the family or the
friends can also be approached by the institution to get involved in the process of recovery of the
patient (Wadsworth, 2011).
The patent is first put through a screening test that assesses the patient’s level of illness
that is whether or not this person is functional on a daily basis and also what is the severity of the
problem that the patient is suffering from. In case of people who are not clinically diagnosed are
also offered a mentor who can help the person to go through further assessments and recovery
process (Owen & Rogers, 1999).
The success of this program can be evaluated by the statistic of the number of people who
have gained positively from the program and also form the amount of patients who come to
enroll themselves on a daily basis. Doctors can also be a part of the evaluation process but
periodically testing the patient’s health (Hoggarth & Comfort, 2010).
For people who are suffering from mental illness it is very important for them to have a
sense of belonging and company at all times. Insecurity, confusion and apprehension are some of
the few reasons why the patients are unable to recover. The peer system in the PhaMs program
offers the patent an individual who not only will help the patient to recover but at the same time

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work towards boosting the lost morale and self confidence of the person. This is one of the best
ways to deal with mental sickness as these patients need consistent and continuous surveillance
for recovery.

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Reference List:
Corrigan, P. W., Druss, B. G., & Perlick, D. A. (2014). The impact of mental illness stigma on
seeking and participating in mental health care. Psychological Science in the Public
Interest, 15(2), 37-70.
Ho, R. T., Potash, J. S., Ho, A. H., Ho, V. F., & Chen, E. Y. (2016). Reducing mental illness
stigma and fostering empathic citizenship: Community arts collaborative
approach. Social Work in Mental Health, 1-17.
Hoggarth, L., & Comfort, H. (2010). A practical guide to outcome evaluation. Jessica Kingsley
Publishers.
Owen, J. M., & Rogers, P. (1999). Program evaluation: Forms and approaches. Sage.
PHaMs Personal Helpers and Mentors. (2017). openminds.org.au. Retrieved 14 August 2017,
from http://www.openminds.org.au/blog/phams-personal-helpers-and-mentors
Wadsworth, Y. (2011). Everyday evaluation on the run. Left Coast Press.