A study evaluated the effectiveness of educational preparation for mental health nursing in multi-professional, multi-agency team environments in a range of mental health settings in England. The following data collection activities were conducted: an extensive literature review; local focus groups with mental health service users, care providers, nurses and managers, multi-professional team members, tutors, and students; a national survey administered to 800 mental health care service users, providers, and students; case studies of 8 sites across England; and a national survey of 400 individuals to obtain feedback on findings obtained during earlier phases of the study. The following were among the 23 recommendations emerging from the study: (1) because teamwork is more effectively "caught" than "taught," provide students with longer clinical placements earlier in their preregistration programs; (2) place more emphasis on team-building skills; (3) promote more collaborative patterns of teamwork, both in clinical and educational settings; (4) combine teamwork-focused case studies, educational vignettes, and assignments with technical nursing issues and user perspectives; (5) give more consideration to the affective nature of nurses' work, both in terms of stress and in terms of vocational commitment; and (6) give ex-mental health service users greater input in policy, practice, and educational contexts. (Contains 297 references.) (MN)