Dr. Fiona Keogh:

It would look different. It would involve a different kind of interaction from the outset after someone got in touch with a mental health service and would entail establishing what the issue was for the person. Sometimes, there can be a response that does not take full account of the person's life experience and what has brought him or her to that point and is instead just about fixing the presenting problem. Sometimes, a little more time and engagement are needed. The model would involve listening to and engaging with the person and identifying what his or her priorities are instead of moving too quickly to determining how to fix the presenting problem. A great deal of work has been done on this model.

I am trying to remember the actual term for it, but a dialogue programme that has been running in west Cork involves a system of assessing and working with individuals and their families that has been successful in Finland. I believe it is called Open Dialogue. It is completely different. A team comes together, the person and his or her family members are there if that is what he or she wants, and they work together to establish what the issues are and how they can be resolved. Care planning is a part of that approach. The care planning process can sometimes be seen as overly bureaucratic, but if it is done well and properly, a care plan is a jointly produced programme wherein the mental health professionals, the person and his or her family have to work together. It cannot just be about prescribing something and telling the person to do what he or she is told. Rather, it has to be a more interactive process.