EMPOWERING FAMILIES TO SUCCEED IN THERAPY

Family involvement in the care of persons with psychiatric illness is important for recovery-oriented comprehensive mental health services; however, family involvement too infrequently occurs at levels that are beneficial to both the client and his/her family. The women of SISTAH CHAT, hosted by Aixa Reina, will be joined by guests Bonnie Goyzeta M.S., Jenny Harper, M.A., Stephanie Jamison M.S.W. to address several dimensions of fostering family involvement in the process of accessing and utilizing meaningful mental-health services. An intervention framework for family involvement enables consumers, family members, providers, and administrators to navigate and cultivate family service choices in a family-friendly agency. Keeping families actively engaged in services can be challenging. Even if families are initially motivated to seek mental health services, a myriad of Xperiences can interfere with the treatment process leading both patient and family to disengage or drop out prematurely. Identifying positive and empowering ways we can help family members impacted by mental health issues is the goal of this dialogue.