ABSTRACT
According to Perceptual Control Theory (PCT), human health and wellbeing are contingent on people’s ability to control important aspects of their experience. This chapter considers how PCT principles might inform service design and clinical practice in environments that are specifically designed to be restrictive and limit control, such as mental health inpatient settings. Restrictive environments and practices, and concepts related to these, such as coercion and power, are examined through the lens of PCT. It is argued that we can reduce the likelihood of harm occurring in inpatient settings and other restrictive contexts by taking an approach that maximises patients’ capacity to control important aspects of their experiences. The adoption of PCT principles could contribute to the creation of inpatient services that are places of safety, healing, and recovery.
