Has deinstitutionalisation led to the loss of the therapeutic landscape in mental health care?
TASA 2023 Sustaining the Social: Book of Abstracts
Sustaining the Social: Voices Cultures Natures, TASA 2023 (University of Sydney, 27/11/2023–29/11/2023)
28/11/2023
58
Wilbert Gesler (1992) used the term “therapeutic landscape” in 1992 to explore why certain places or situations were perceived to be therapeutic. He drew on extensive literature from the social sciences and philosophy and devised a three-factor conceptual framework that considered physical, social and</p><p>symbolic domains. Gesler emphasised that the concept was an analytic framework rather than an ideal type, and that it could be applied in practice to investigate places where healing took place.Subsequently, it has been widely used in studies of asylums and mental health care. In the first part of my presentation, I will critically analyse the concept and provide examples of its use,drawn from my study of the former Beechworth asylum. I will then consider aspects of contemporary mental health care, asking whether deinstitutionalisation led to the loss of the therapeutic landscape and consequent shortcomings in care. I take a broad view of “therapeutic”, extending from patients to include their families, asylum staff and the wider community.
- Has deinstitutionalisation led to the loss of the therapeutic landscape in mental health care?
- Eileen Clark (Author) - Charles Sturt UniversityJennifer Munday Dr (Author) - Charles Sturt UniversityAlison Watts (Author) - Southern Cross University
- TASA 2023 Sustaining the Social: Book of Abstracts
- Sustaining the Social: Voices Cultures Natures, TASA 2023 (University of Sydney, 27/11/2023–29/11/2023)
- The Australian Sociological Association
- 991013154613002368
- Faculty of Health
- English
- Abstract