ABSTRACT
This conclusion presents some closing thoughts on concepts discussed in this book. The book provides a vision for the practice of the person-centred approach in mental health settings, whilst drawing attention to major philosophical and theoretical differences between this approach and much of psychiatric practice. It explains how much it is possible to cultivate the spirit and values of the person-centred approach in mental health settings that are dominated by logical positivism, reductionism and the medical model, and where power and expertise are assumed to reside mainly in mental health professionals. The book considers how to maintain the basic humanity within a system that has become, amongst other things, mechanistic, protocol-driven, depersonalised, and a fertile breeding ground for cynicism. It also explains the corrosive effects of a system of care that devalues persons and the uniqueness of individuals, in the quest for material efficiency, economic supremacy and a striving for the competitive edge.
