Assessment of mental health problems is a challenging area of practice that covers a range of symptoms and behaviours - and involves building a trust relationship with service users while also using specialist skills. Using a values-based approach focused on engaging and working in partnership with the service user, this book is designed to take you from the core building blocks of assessment through to practice-based guidance about mental health behaviours, and concludes with case studies 'on the ground'.

The first section of the book explores core aspects of assessment such as communication skills and engaging the service user, and explores how assessment guides the nursing process as a whole. The next section will be ideal for quick reference during practice and looks at 23 different clinical behaviours that nurses will assess, under 4 categories:

• Physical factors in mental health
• Behavioural aspects in mental health
• The role of thoughts in mental health
• Feelings in mental health

The final section gives 4 case studies of different assessment stories which relate to the different types of clinical behaviour you will encounter.

This practical book is essential reading for student nurses and all healthcare staff involved in the assessment of people with mental health problems.

I would highly recommend this book to all mental health nursing students. Whilst the focus is on assessment and care planning; knowledge and skills on a range of essential areas are present in this text. It is an essential handbook for key mental health nursing skills. Case studies are presented with clarity, and Nick Wrycraft is clearly committed to nurses learning from service users, which is essential for values-based practice.
Julia Terry, Senior Lecturer in Mental Health Nursing, Swansea University, UK

This text is a good fit for mental health nursing students new to assessment and care planning, providing a practical rather than academic approach to these important aspects of the role.
Dr Janine Archer Lecturer School of Nursing, Midwifery & Social Work, University of Manchester, UK

Dr. Nick Wrycraft has done tremendously in making available the maiden edition of this book. Assessment and Care Planning in Mental Health Nursing will be a valued reference book for mental health student nurses who are new to the process of assessment and care planning.
The book will therefore go a long way to provide educational and learning support to pre-registration nursing students as well as the newly qualified mental health nurses in practice.
Kike Abioye, Mental Health Student Nurse, Anglia Ruskin University, UK