John Mental Health post-Holiday (Blog Entry 3:Critical Reflection on Solving HSC Dilemmas)Jose

Blog Entry 3:Critical Reflection on Solving HSC Dilemmas.

Jose Pereira (Group 4)

Title: John Mental Health post-Holiday 

Introduction  

John becomes mentally unhealthy after he comes back home from his vacation. The causes of such post-holiday downturns can include unmet expectations, the inability to maintain regular routines, fear of returning to normal life and environmental/social factors. Health and social care practitioners are in a dilemma on whether to fulfil the needs of John, his autonomy, or the demands of family or services when there are multiple types of support that could be suitable.

Understanding the Dilemma

The following are some of the dilemmas that are usually faced by practitioners: 

To stimulate John to resume daily activities sooner, or give him time to adapt. What to do about John to allow some autonomy, and at the same time some duty of care, should his decisions appear to be impeding the recovery.How to deal with conflicts with colleagues or family members regarding the most appropriate support to give John.

 Critical Reflection offers an organised manner of addressing the ethical, practical, and interpersonal facets of these dilemmas, enhancing the decision-making and care outcomes.  Putting Critical Reflection into Practice. 

 One of the most popular methods of critical Reflection is Gibbs Reflective Cycle, which includes description, feeling, evaluation, analysis, conclusion, and action plan Doe, J. (2025).

This can be applied to the case of John and may go as follows:

• Description:On coming back from holiday, John complains of anxiety and a low mood. Members of the family are in fear that he is backsliding. 
• Feelings: The practitioner is confused - whether to push John to participate or to leave him to his own speed? They will also be under the pressure of the expectations of John's support network. 
• Assessment: Short-term intervention may stabilise John, but failure to deal with underlying causes may lead to recurrent cycles. 
• Analysis: The practitioner considers the effects of that disruption of routine, expectations, potential guilt, and economic strain, as well as John's individual coping strategies. They will take multidisciplinary contributions from a psychologist, a social worker, or an occupational therapist.
• Conclusion: No one can be right or wrong, and as important as risk management is, it is necessary to respect the voice of John and make him a part of the planning.
• Action plan: Practitioner gets to organise a review of John's care plan, discuss with him graded exposure to routines, and make sure that he is included in all consultations and decisions.  

The strategy will avoid snap judgments and concentrate on custom-made solutions to be based on facts and mutual discussion.  

Ethical and Practice issues

Ethical principles, including autonomy, benefits (to be able to act in the best interests of John), and justice (treating him fairly), are emphasised in critical Reflection and can be in conflict with each other when it comes to care planning. As an example, the prioritisation of safety can be contradictory to the wishes and independence of John. The practitioners need to recognise their own biases and be aware of the power dynamics so that the decisions can be clear and justifiable. 

Developing and Enhancing Practice

 Considering practice-based dilemmas assists the practitioners: 

-Learn the influence of their personal values and past experiences on decision-making. 

-Can tell when systems or communication failures are causing poor results, e.g. by not including John in important meetings. Test ideas through supervision and peer support, and use continuous improvement and learning to promote continuous improvement and learning.

 Conclusion 

Dilemmas in mental health practice are unavoidable but can potentially be used as a source of development, enhanced knowledge, and more complex care. Critical Reflection provides the room to see the entire picture, which encompasses the opinion of John, and to incorporate ethics, evidence and compassion in the decision-making process. This self-reflection will not make such a process less challenging, but will enhance the professional support, and the mental health care provided to John after his holiday will be beneficial and person-centred.