L'assistente sociale in psichiatria : riflessioni ai margini di una professione

The research is a study of two cases and have been used 15 in-depth interviews made to the social workers of different mental health services in Messina and Agrigento. Research is moving along a path of inductive and exploratory. It has tried understanding the characteristics of the social worker's job. They were examined by public psychiatric services of the Departments of Mental Health of Messina and Agrigento. The aim of this paper is to reflect on the close relationship between social workers and other professionals in the mental health care of public facilities, such as psychiatrists. The intention is to respond to the need to examine the interaction of this professional group and better understand the different path by which you can keep autonomy and/or negotiate professional position, especially in relation to other professions medical sector.

We have chosen to focus on the social worker's role in psychiatry because it is the key figure of the present socio-health integration process. This has given rise to numerous challenges related to building and strengthening its social identity-professional. [Publishers' text].