Tracing, Stabilizing, Storytelling: How Social Workers Assemble Recovery for People Who Have Mental Health Disorders

作者：Apei Song, Kunmei Li, Pengfei Han, Hao Yao · 发表于：Journal of Social Work · 年份：2025 · DOI：10.1177/14680173251400100 · 被引用次数：1 · 研究领域：Mental Health and Patient Involvement、Healthcare innovation and challenges、Social Work Education and Practice

Summary In recent years, the Chinese community-based psychiatric rehabilitation (CBPR) policy has been gradually promoted, with social workers emerging as key frontline players. However, existing research has insufficiently addressed the strategic services and institutional constraints faced by social workers in recovery-oriented practice. This article draws on in-depth interviews with 19 social workers involved in CBPR services in Shanghai to explore how they navigate and assemble recovery practices within a politically dominated institutional structure. Data was analyzed through reflective thematic analysis, according to the “Recovering Assemblages” approach. Findings Our study shows the practical, piecemeal paths of social workers across three dimensions: tracing relationships and needs, stabilizing the body, and storytelling support to rebuild attachment. In addition, we also highlight some structural dilemmas faced by the service: institutional constraints, incompatibility of practitioner and family expectations, and the tension between rehabilitation concepts and institutional goals. The study found that, within a context of limited resources and authority, social workers construct fragmented rehabilitation practices through professional ethics and relational labor. Although the outcomes were fragile, they reflected a localized exploration of the recovery concept. Applications We advocate for a re-examination of China's community-based psychiatric rehabilitation policy ...