Expressed emotion and schizophrenia: the efficacy of a staff training programme

The presence of expressed emotion (EE) in five community care facilities was investigated and levels of high EE were found in some staff-client relationships. A training programme was developed drawing on a variety of research findings and based on a successful community psychiatric nurse training package for work with families. Its aims were to enable community mental health workers to increase their knowledge about schizophrenia and repertoire of strategies for managing a variety of difficulties in addition to decreasing levels of EE present in their relationships with clients. A small but non-significant increase in knowledge was achieved, in addition to increases in the use of strategies aimed at effecting change and involving the use of resources. No significant changes in EE levels were reported.