Transcript orlaBushnell

Support Service for
Families of Mental
Health Clients
North Lee Mental Health Service
Orla Bushnell
A/CNS Family Services NLMHS
Family Therapist in training
Literature Review suggests
that families experience:
 Distress
 Confusion
 Anxiety around coping
 Anger
 Fear of the future/unknown
 Gaps in knowledge/information
Families as an important
source of information
‘If you want to know me
come and live with me’.
Family members can add depth and context to
the presenting problem of a client. Not only by
what they communicate to us as mental health
professionals but by how they communicate it. I
suggest family dynamics can be material in a
clients presentation either acting as a trigger or
as a consequence to expressed behaviours.
National and
International Policy
 Mental Health Commission (2005) states families indicate that
they require support at every stage of an individual’s illness and
through the recovery process.
 ‘Quality Framework: Mental Health Services in Ireland’ (2007)
suggest that families, parents and carers should be empowered
as team members receiving information, advice and support.
 World Health Organisation ‘Promoting Mental Health’ (2005)
states interventions that involve only the service user, such as
training in social skills are unlikely to change long-term
behaviour unless family work is aligned to support a change.
 ‘Vision for Change’ (2006) echoes this sentiment and highlights
the need for a framework of care that meets the needs of
services users and their families.
Family Support Programme Flowchart (Part 1)
Tier One:
Name: Family Orientation Meeting. (FOM)
Target: Adult families of clients admitted to the Unit
Family Discharge Meeting
Focus: A family’s experience of crisis
Target: Family and client.
Status: Active
Focus: support requirements,
concordance & relapse
prevention
Based on Carlow/Kilkenny model.
Phone
contact
Referral option
Tier Two:
Name: Family Support Group
Target: Families referred from FOM or directly
from members of MDT / HBCT / OPD
Status: Active
Focus: Recovery orientated support group –
content is participant driven and guided within
the parameters of support through discussion
and shared experiences.
Status: Pilot
Name: Family Support Meetings
Target: Families who require individual
support due to specific circumstances.
Status: Active
Focus: Supporting families going through
a crisis period due to a members mental
health difficulties.
.
Referred from FOM / MDT / HBCT / OPD
Family Support Programme Flowchart (cont.)
Tier Two:
Name: Family Support Group
Name: Family Support Meetings
Tier Three:
Tier Three:
Name: Family Intervention Meetings
Target: Families in crisis referred from MDT
/ HBCT
Sessions: 5 Family Intervention Meetings
after initial assessment meeting (6 in total)
Focus on: family communication whilst
promoting social functioning, emotional
support, familial education and problem
solving.
Status: Active
Name: Individual Family Therapy Sessions
Target: Families/Couples who require and
are willing to engage in therapy.
Status: Active.
Focus: Systemic Family/Couple Therapy.
Referrals from the MDT.
Facilitated by: Family Therapist in training.
Retrospective supervision applicable.