This book considers how principles derived from a theory of human behaviour - Perceptual Control Theory - can be configured to create mental health services that are more effective, efficient, and humane. Authored by clinicians, academics, and experts-by-experience, the text explores the way Perceptual Control Theory (PCT) principles can be applied within the secondary mental healthcare system – from the overall commissioning and design of services to the practice of individual clinicians. A range of topics relevant to the delivery of secondary mental healthcare are covered, including community and inpatient working, the delivery of individual psychological therapy, the use of restrictive practices, and working with relatives and carers. The book concludes by describing PCT’s unique contribution to the field of mental healthcare. The book, one of the first of its kind, will be of interest to students and practitioners from a range of health and social care backgrounds, as well as service managers, commissioners, academics, and policy makers.

Given the fundamental challenges to society in this era, a radical rewrite of how we approach science and culture is necessary. This handbook applies Perceptual Control Theory (PCT) to achieve a much needed convergence across the physical, life and social sciences, the humanities and arts. In doing so it addresses challenges such as mental illness, dementia, cancer care, toxic masculinity and societal oppression. It also reveals how PCT can be applied to practical issues such as understanding healthcare service implementation and human-machine interaction, as well as deeper questions such as consciousness and imagination. This second volume of the successful interdisciplinary handbook offers rich examples of how the unifying perceptual control framework can provide a viable alternative to existing theories and methodologies for a timely paradigm shift.

This book considers how principles derived from a theory of human behaviour - Perceptual Control Theory - can be configured to create mental health services that are more effective, efficient, and humane. Authored by clinicians, academics, and experts-by-experience, the text explores the way Perceptual Control Theory (PCT) principles can be applied within the secondary mental healthcare system – from the overall commissioning and design of services to the practice of individual clinicians. A range of topics relevant to the delivery of secondary mental healthcare are covered, including community and inpatient working, the delivery of individual psychological therapy, the use of restrictive practices, and working with relatives and carers. The book concludes by describing PCT’s unique contribution to the field of mental healthcare. The book, one of the first of its kind, will be of interest to students and practitioners from a range of health and social care backgrounds, as well as service managers, commissioners, academics, and policy makers.