North Lee Mental Health Service
Orla Bushnell
A/CNS Family Services NLMHS
Family Therapist in training

 Distress
 Confusion
 Anxiety around coping
 Anger
 Fear of the future/unknown
 Gaps in knowledge/information

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.

 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
Focus: A family’s experience of crisis
Status: Active Based on Carlow/Kilkenny model.
Family Discharge Meeting
Target: Family and client.
Focus: support requirements, concordance & relapse prevention
Status: Pilot
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.
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.)
Name: Family Support Group
Tier Two:
Name: Family Support Meetings
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
Tier Three:
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.