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"Sometimes What They Think is Helpful is Not Really Helpful": Understanding Engagement in the Program of Assertive
Miriam George1, Jennifer I Manuel2, Megan E Gandy-Guedes3
1School of Social Work, Virginia Commonwealth University, 1000 Floyd Avenue, PO Box 842027, Richmond, VA, 23220, USA. mgeorge@vcu.edu.
Abstract:
This exploratory study recruited a purposive sample of twelve clinical staff from a Program of Assertive Community Treatment (PACT) team in central Virginia to understand the perceptions and experiences related to assertive engagement. The researchers coded the transcribed data initially as twenty-three sub-themes and further refined the data into four overarching themes: characteristics of assertive engagement, PACT engagement strategies and engagement strategies for difficult to engage clients. Further analysis emphasized that PACT team members emphasized the importance of the therapeutic relationship for engagement, which proves challenging for hard-to-engage clients.
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