`Review from previous edition The authors have produced a clear and readable text which dispenses good practical information . . . This book will be invaluable to practitioners and students alike and should be considered essential reading for anyone working in or alongside assertive outreach services.' British Journal of Occupational Therapy `Burns and Firn's book is a comprehensive guide to assertive outreach practice, and is essential reading for anyone working in this specialism.' Red Journal `Assertive outreach is a central plank of the government's mental health care reforms, yet we still lack any clear definition of its role in relation to other forms of care. Burns and Firn's book is thus very timely.' Mental Health Today `. . . the strength of the book lies in its open and honest discussion of the problems that are faced by mental health professionals working in community settings. The authors set out to reflect issues that concern multidisciplinary teams on a day-to-day basis, and this is exactly what they have succeeded in doing. The book is filled with interesting observations and sound advice.' Psychological Medicine, 33

Tom Burns and Mike Firn are pioneers in this field of research and are active in community outreach as practitioners, researchers, and supervisors A trustworthy companion for all members of assertive outreach teams, offering discussions on key topics that arise within the community mental health care context Reflects policy changes in the UK

Tom Burns is Professor Emeritus of Social Psychiatry at the University of Oxford. Before that he was consultant psychiatrist and professor of Community Psychiatry at St George's in South West London where he and Mike Firn together set up and ran the Wandsworth Assertive Community Treatment Team. He has predominantly researched community mental health services practice, particularly complex interventions. He has published six books with Oxford University Press. Our Necessary Shadow: The Nature and Meaning of Psychiatry, a book on psychiatry for the general reader was published by Penguin in 2014. He was awarded the CBE in 2006 for services to mental health care. Mike Firn has over 30 years' experience in the National Health Service in England as a registered nurse, team leader and operational manager. He has set up, developed and evaluated numerous new community mental health teams across the care pathway from early intervention, assertive outreach and crisis services. He is a current board member of national and European clinical networks in assertive outreach. He also provides much of his time as an external consultant for an independent charity, The Health Foundation, working alongside grant funded health innovation projects.

Tom Burns and Mike Firn are pioneers in this field of research and are active in community outreach as practitioners, researchers, and supervisors A trustworthy companion for all members of assertive outreach teams, offering discussions on key topics that arise within the community mental health care context Reflects policy changes in the UK