If someone asked you, “how do you navigate mental health rehabilitation,” what would you say? Working in the mental health field quickly instills the notion that one must adapt to each situation, respectively, while providing effective services to those who have mental illnesses. To combat the difficulty of mental illness and it’s debilitating nature, community residential rehabilitation programs, or CRRs, are incorporated into society to foster growth and skills that are necessary for daily functioning. Community residential rehabilitation programs are temporary programs that provide housing, treatment plans, and facilitate daily living skills to transition individuals with a mental illness back into independent living (Allied Services Integrated Health System, 2020). Moreover, these types of programs require mental health professionals to provide leadership over the consumers that participate in the rehabilitation program. With the complexity of follower characteristics that consumers display, and the wide range of tasks that they are expected to complete, different leadership styles are necessary to accomplish the common goal of rehabilitation and transition. The path-goal theory in leadership research suggests that shifting leadership styles to the demands of followers’ needs will increase overall performance (Northouse, 2016). The path-goal theory is commonly applied to mental health services, like community residential rehabilitation programs, and it is through this practice that followers are able to navigate tasks in order to reach a common goal.
Northouse (2016) suggested that the leadership style used depends on outlined objectives and follower attributes. In CRR programs, there are individuals from all walks of life, with different stories, and different diagnoses. How a leader assists one consumer might be different from how they assist another. Path-goal theory suggests that there are four leadership styles that promote followers’ performance and facilitate their needs. These four leadership styles are directive, supportive, participative, and achievement-oriented (Northouse, 2016). It is with these four leadership styles that rehabilitation support staff are able to help these different individuals achieve their goals to promote independent living skills and mental health well-being.
Directive leadership is used in CRR programs when consumers are in need of guidance through difficult situations. Northouse (2016) illustrated that followers who need structure, and who depend on outside factors to determine their situations, benefit from directive leadership, which tackles tasks that are obscure and perplexing. For instance, in my time of working at a CRR program, I have been faced with several consumers who struggle to navigate through independent living skills due to being in and out of psychiatric facilities their whole lives. These consumers, who have been dependent on structure and external interventions, benefit from directive leadership. For instance, a consumer in this situation may be faced with the goal of self-transporting themselves to the pharmacy to obtain their medication. However, how are they to do so without a license or a personal vehicle? This is where directive leadership comes into effect, and the CRR support staff establishes specific and clear objectives to achieve the goal of self-transportation. The support staff may encourage the consumer to buy a bus pass, print off bus routes, and set dates and times for the consumer to complete these objectives.
Similarly, supportive leadership is used in CRR programs when consumers are in need of connection and encouragement through difficult situations. Northouse (2016) illustrated that followers who require connection, and who prosper from interactions with another, benefit from supportive leadership, which tackles tasks that are dull and recurrent. For instance, I have encountered consumers who struggle with implementing healthy coping mechanisms into their daily routines, because they have conformed to unhealthy coping mechanisms in the past. These consumers, who have struggled to implement repetitive coping mechanisms, benefit from supportive leadership. For example, a consumer in this situation may be dissatisfied with the recurrent nature of implementing healthy coping mechanisms when they are feeling anxious. Supportive leadership calls for the support staff to instill confidence in the consumer. In this situation, the support staff could share a personal narrative of when they felt anxious and utilized healthy coping mechanisms. Alternatively, the support staff could perform the coping mechanism with the consumer to demonstrate equality and similarity.
Moreover, participative leadership is used in CRR programs when consumers are in need of autonomy. Northouse (2016) suggested that followers who require a say in certain decisions, and who need a clear path, benefit from participative leadership, which tackles tasks that are disorderly and obscure. I have encountered consumers in a CRR program who struggle to follow required community participation, because they feel as if they are being forced to do so. In this situation, participative leadership is effective, because the support staff can utilize the consumer’s ideas and decisions into their suggestions. For example, if a consumer thinks that community gardening is interesting, then the support staff can include that in their treatment plan to satisfy community participation. Then the consumer would have a say in this decision.
Finally, achievement-oriented leadership is used in CRR programs when consumers are in need of outstanding outcomes. Northouse (2016) suggested that followers who desire prosperity, and who have intricate assumptions, benefit from achievement-oriented leadership, which tackles tasks that are complicated and difficult. I have worked with consumers that find it challenging to transition out of the CRR program. For example, if a consumer has reached optimal levels of functioning, then the support staff can encourage the consumer to look into alternative, independent housing. In this situation, the support staff could challenge the consumer to independently complete daily living tasks, coping mechanisms, and interactions with external supports for several weeks while they are still living at the CRR. In this situation, the consumer would have to demonstrate their growth and rehabilitation independently, proving to themselves that they are capable of independently supporting themselves.
Mental health rehabilitation looks different for each individual. Through effective, adaptive leadership, independent skills can be accomplished by followers. In fact, the path-goal theory provides followers with task-completion expectations and overall confidence in goal achieving processes (Northouse, 2016). For this reason, the path-goal theory can be both beneficial and innovative within the context of CRR programs that focus on mental health rehabilitation.
References
Allied Services Integrated Health System. (2020, June 29). Community residential rehabilitation in 2020. Retrieved February 22, 2022, from https://www.allied-services.org/news/2020/june/community-residential-rehabilitation-in-2020/
Northouse, P.G. (2016). Leadership Theory and Practice. Los Angeles: Sage Publications