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The role of an interdisciplinary team is different from that of a multidisciplinary or transdisciplinary team. For example, a multidisciplinary team is controlled by a doctor, the team meets to discuss and coordinate client care and clients do not take part in the decision-making process. In contrast, an interdisciplinary team might not be coordinated by a doctor since such teams usually consist of professionals from different disciplines who work within their areas of expertise (Schultz et al. 2014). Decision-making in these teams is also different: professionals base their decisions on the results of case conferences. At the same time, the individual with the most expertise serves in the role of leader in the given case. One of the most important factors affecting the roles of individuals serving on an interdisciplinary team when compared to a multidisciplinary team is patient-centred care. The client is the team’s focus, and he or she also significantly contributes to the goal-setting function of the team. A precise definition of an efficient interdisciplinary team is as follows: “This team represents a joint intellectual effort of working together in mutually supportive teams optimising the skills and knowledge of each individual to the fullest extent” (Petrakis 2018, p. 115).
Contribution of Social Workers, Nurses, and Psychologists
Mental health nurses bear a variety of responsibilities as they determine clients’ goals and the interventions that can help achieve them, assess the mental status of a client, help complete a mental health care plan, assist the client’s family, provide care and support and more. Nurses are also responsible for monitoring clients’ health and self-harm or suicidal tendencies, home visiting and counselling if necessary (for example, when clients experience psychological distress due to their condition).
Mental health social workers work with people who have mental health disorders to resolve subsequent psychological problems, as well as with families coping with issues such as distress, unemployment, poverty and disability (Schultz et al. 2014). The scope of their practice includes providing cognitive behavioural therapy, skills training, interpersonal therapy, narrative therapy and more. These social workers assess mental illness in individuals and its influence on their lives as well as work with communities to find solutions to identified mental health problems.
Psychologists are responsible for implementing client programs that can prevent illness or facilitate self-management. They also work with emotional and behavioural issues related to chronic conditions. Additionally, they help clients with life-threatening or terminal illnesses to manage pain, adhere to treatment and cope with the side effects of medications.
Mutual Impact
According to Schultz et al. (2014), health professionals from different areas have different sets of responsibilities and qualifications helpful to individuals with mental health issues. Interdisciplinary care is important, and recognising the significance of diversity and family-centred approaches is also necessary.
Social workers’ impact can vary: they help clinicians understand the specifics of the community and how to work with them. Social workers can affect decision-making processes in the team as well as balance the input from each member of the team (Petrakis 2018). To facilitate effective teamwork, social workers can become leaders on their teams, dealing with group dynamics and managing the relationships within the team. Possessing cultural community knowledge will help them to assist other professionals in working with diverse populations (Schultz et al. 2014). Thus, correctly perceiving the influence of other, non-health-related factors on mental health allows professionals to understand the importance of inviting other specialists, such as social workers, to the team. Social workers also contribute by conducting evidence-based assessments and interventions (AASW 2015).
The role of the mental health nurse is to plan and deliver care to the patient. He or she needs to provide patient-centred, holistic care based on acceptance and empathy (NSW Government 2017). The team will benefit from the nurses’ understanding of the family’s background and the patient’s perception of care. Nurses also contribute by defending and supporting patients’ rights and ensuring treatment progress.
The role of psychologists is different: they assess each patient’s mental health and provide a diagnosis, deliver and supervise treatment and make contributions to the facility’s mental health policies; they must also possess appropriate cultural competence (CPA 2017). They support the actions of nurses and social workers by providing solutions and suggesting plans of treatment or suitable interventions. Psychologists therefore take an active part in meeting diverse situations together with nurses and social workers. Additionally, they can review suggested interventions using evidence-based knowledge, thus contributing to social workers’ and nurses’ treatment plans. Another benefit of psychologists’ involvement is their qualification to supervise therapy (for example, provided by social workers).
Challenges and Issues
While interdisciplinary teams are effective, it is necessary to clarify the roles of each team member so that everyone’s contribution is meaningful and to the point. While mental health nurses in clinical settings provide treatment plans and deliver care, their role in the community remains unclear. As Peck and Norman (1999) indicate, the role of nurses in hospitals remains relatively unchanged but becomes more diffuse in community settings, where nurses must rely on their experience in hospitals and former understanding of their role.
Because the role of social workers overlaps with the roles of other mental health professionals in some ways, social workers are not perceived as distinct specialists but rather as equal to psychiatric nurses (CPNs), threatening the overall culture of social work (Peck & Norman 1999). Joint training of nurses and social workers can also indicate that social work culture is being customised to a more uniformed role, where a more paternalistic approach is adopted. Due to this lack of clarity, Peck and Norman (1999) note the possibility of assuming that social workers might be replaced by mental health professionals with a social work qualification. Such issues mean that social workers need to defend their culture by clarifying their roles and areas of expertise.
The role of a psychologist is different; due to these professionals’ relative autonomy and informal position in the organisational structure, their role and contribution to the team can vary depending on the case. Other team members may perceive such undefined contributions with confusion and may point out that the core responsibilities of psychologists remain vague (Peck & Norman 1999). In some cases, other mental health professionals assume that psychologists who work on several teams are not committed to any single community mental health team. The issue that arises in both clinical and community settings is that core responsibilities and qualifications remain unclear to psychologists as well as other members of the team.
As can be seen, the main issue related to interdisciplinary teams is a lack of clarity regarding the roles of all mental health professionals because their responsibilities can overlap, causing confusion and misunderstanding. As stated by Schultz et al. (2014), “The heterogeneous nature of interdisciplinary teams can also be problematic if members are not able to reconcile their differences and work together” (p. 227). For example, social workers in one UK study reported that due to the blurring of their roles in interdisciplinary teams, they not only felt that their professional identity was being eliminated, but they also experienced stress and marginalisation (Schultz et al. 2014). Any mental health professional can face multiple barriers in an interdisciplinary team, including lack of hierarchical support, resistance to change, inability of team members to come to embrace a similar vision and goals, poor communication within the team, an atmosphere of competitiveness among the team members and negative attitudes to clients or treatment outcomes.
Schofield and Amodeo (1999) also point out that researchers are rarely able to define the nature of interdisciplinary teams because the number of professionals on such teams, their specific responsibilities and their position or profession often remain indefinite. Furthermore, not all teams keep track of other factors that affect their performance, such as the leadership style of supervisors, interpersonal processes and organisational support (or lack thereof). It is difficult to assess the actual effectiveness of such teams because they vary in size, composition, the scope of work of included professionals and the type of communication among members and with the client. Although interdisciplinary teams should be supported by the facility’s policies, professionals must understand how their practice can be enhanced by dialogue and discussion.
Reference List
AASW 2015, Scope of social work practice, social work in mental health. Web.
CPA 2017, The role of psychologists in the mental health care of Veterans. Web.
NSW Government 2017, Mental health nursing. Web.
Peck, E & Norman, IJ 1999, ‘Working together in adult community mental health services: exploring inter-professional role relations’, Journal of Mental Health, vol. 8, no. 3, pp. 231-243.
Petrakis, M 2018, Social work practice in health, Allen & Unwin, Sydney.
Schofield, RF & Amodeo, M 1999, ‘Interdisciplinary teams in health care and human services settings: are they effective?’, Health & Social Work, vol. 24, no. 3, pp. 210-219.
Schultz, C, Walker, R, Bessarab, DC, MacLeod, J, Marriott, R, & McMillan, F 2014, ‘Interdisciplinary care to enhance mental health and social and emotional wellbeing’, in N Purdie, P Dudgeon & R Walker (eds), Working together: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander mental health and wellbeing principles and practice, Department of The Prime Minister and Cabinet, Canberra, Australia, pp. 221-242.
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