Developing Family-Sensitive Services and Practice

Dr Gráinne Fadden, Shelagh MusgraveTraditional mental health services were established with a focus on the person with the mental health difficulty. Much of the ideology and practices resulting from this viewpoint are evident... [ view full abstract ]

Dr Gráinne Fadden, Shelagh Musgrave

Traditional mental health services were established with a focus on the person with the mental health difficulty. Much of the ideology and practices resulting from this viewpoint are evident in current practice, for example in terms of the treatments and approaches that are offered, polices, guidelines and recording systems. What is interesting is that even when there is an approach with a robust evidence base as is the case with family interventions for those experiencing psychosis and other complex difficulties, the strength of the historical influence outweighs the evidence – evidence is not enough to change systems from current practice which is often influenced by other factors such as attitudes and power positions.

So how do we bring about change in complex systems so that the impact of the change is felt by those using services and their families and friends? Using family interventions for psychosis as an example, this workshop will examine a range of strategies for bringing about change in services so that not only the person with the mental health difficulty, but also those who support them can work towards recovery. These will include strategies in service systems, ways of changing staff attitudes, and how working collaboratively with both service users and those in their social network can bring about real change.