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- Page navigation anchor for RE: Gerald Caplan, then and now: Public mental health applications to the current psychological challenges of the pandemicRE: Gerald Caplan, then and now: Public mental health applications to the current psychological challenges of the pandemic
Mental health (MH) providers are struggling to meet the “surge on surge” pandemic demands for MH services especially for the child population. MH reactions range from adjustment reactions to the impact of the pandemic on the individual or his social network to exacerbation of pre-existing psychological problems. An overall strategy for managing and preventing MH problems from developing is lacking.
Five decades ago psychiatrist Gerald Caplan proposed a MH public health preventive model applied at the population level. While shunned by mainstream psychiatry his ideas were embraced by schools, organizations and communities. In addition to addressing the “access” issue, Caplan demonstrated how community approaches challenge the traditional paradigm of individual clinic and office delivery of psychological services.
In the next two decades, Caplan laid the foundation for school, community and organizational psychology including: 1) a shift from the individual to the systems level , 2) primary, secondary and tertiary prevention applied to MH, 3) the consultant plays a facilitating role for individual consultees or organizations to solve their work problem, 4) a need to understand the context of the whole institution, organization or culture, 5) he introduced brief methods of intervention, 6) he formulated social support theory as a means of dealing with crises (Erchul,1993,2015).
Subsequent evidence has supported his approach that early intervention...
Show MoreCompeting Interests: None declared.References
- Sharon C. Smile. Supporting children with autism spectrum disorder in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic. CMAJ 2020;192:E587-E587.
- Erchul William P (1993,2015). Consultation in Community,School and Organizational Practice,William P Erchul (editor),Taylor and Francis, Washington,DC.
- Knoff H and Batsche G (1993,2015)in Consultation in Community,School and Organizational Practice, William P Erchul (editor), Taylor and Francis, Washington D.C., p125,chapter 7