The Family Experience of Mental Illness: Implications for Intervention

This article discusses the family experience of serious mental illness, including subjective and objective burden, potential for family resilience, family roles, and personal and family variables that can mediate the impact of the illness. Following a specification of essential family needs, a number of effective family interventions are presented, including family support and advocacy groups, family consultation, family education, family psychoeducation, and psychotherapy. Finally, the authors examine ways of resolving potential conflicts related to confidentiality and offer suggestions that can enhance the effectiveness of psychologists who work with these families.