Mental health social work can be one of the most rewarding and one of the most frustrating areas of social work practice. Mental health is a key policy arena in which the involvement of service users has been particularly successful, and in which there are many new and controversial initiatives. Social workers must not only have a good knowledge of interventions and their evidence bases, from pharmacology to psychotherapy, but also be able to work sensitively and effectively with both clients and carers in a rapidly changing context. In Mental Health Social Work, Colin Pritchard draws on his many years of experience in research, teaching and practice to explore key issues for social workers who want to work in the mental health field.