Managing Disturbed Behavior by Architectural Changes

Mental and behavioral health environments: critical considerations for facility design

“…Tapak, 2012;Ulrich, et al, 2012;Whitehead, Polsky, Crookshank, & Fik, 1984;Wilson, Soth & Robak, 1992 Orderly & Organized Environment…”

Objective and Subjective Evaluation of a Redesigned Corridor Environment in a Psychiatric Hospital

“…Environment aspects that may be appropriate for elderly patients in a psychiatric ward (Stahler et al, 1984) may be very different from those for adolescents in a psychiatric hospital (Wilson, Soth, & Robak, 1992). One particular condition relevant to psychiatric settings, and which has stimulated a growing body of research from an environmental perspective, is dementia.…”

The Role of the Physical Environment for Children in Residential Care

“…In Wilson, Soth, and Robak's (1992) observational study of how architectural changes positively affected the therapeutic milieu of a child psychiatric ward, they noted that the changes created what Winnicott called a "holding environment" rather than just an environment of containment. The home for the child is a place where the primary developmental needs are met, and for a troubled child in a therapeutic setting, a home-like setting "provides a space for action and interaction in which one can develop, maintain, and change one's identity" (Csikszentmihalyi & Rochberg-Halton, 1981, p. 144).…”

“…Children in residential care are housed in groups of as few as eight in group home settings (Daly & Dowd, 1992), to as many as twenty in emergency shelters (Teare et al, 1995), or up to as many as forty in dormitory settings in psychiatric hospitals (Wilson, Soth, & Robak, 1992). The children must also share the space with their supervising caregivers.…”

“…In such a setting, program design and facility design are inexorably linked. Changes in the architectural design in one residential setting was observed to help promote relationship building between residents and staff and thus reduce instances of negative interactions (Wilson, Soth, & Robak, 1992), while in another setting, it was found that by moving to a program based upon relationship building rather than control, a sense of a warmer and more inviting physical space was created (Moore, Moretti, & Holland, 1998). Some may respond that such relationship-based programs must involve a great deal of staff training and support, and thus can be costly.…”