New Books for Families Affected by Severe Mental Illness

Our books differ from other resources as we merge research-based facts and skills with reflection questions, activities, and stories from families with lived experience. We draw from cognitive behavioral therapy, acceptance and commitment therapy, and self-compassion principles, and approach the reader with empathy, empowerment, and humility.

The books can be supplements to existing curricula (e.g., National Alliance on Mental Illness-NAMI, First Episode Psychosis programs) and may be useful for the many people who don’t engage in formal programs due to personal preference, geographic distance, scheduling issues, stigma, or their loved one’s ineligibility or lack of interest in participation.

When I first started developing curricula for family members dealing with mental illness in the mid-1990s, there were relatively few relevant resources, programs, funding sources, or legislation/policy efforts. Although the field of “caregiving” has grown considerably in the aging/dementia/physical health arenas, the United States continues to lag considerably in comparison to some other countries (especially the United Kingdom and Canada) with respect to supports for adults who love someone with a mental illness.

Further, the challenges of children of parents living with a mental illness sadly continue to be largely ignored in the USA (with some definite excellent exceptions such as the work of Drs. William Beardslee, Katy Kaplan, Joanne Nicholson, Joanne Riebschleger, Edie Mannion, LMFT, and advocates such as Maggie Jarry, MDiv). The siloed healthcare systems, stigma/discrimination, payment models, coparents’ stress with supporting the ill loved one, fear of action by child protective services, etc…all intermingle to result in these youth being invisible and neglected by professionals all too often.

So, why do I propose that many ABPP specialty boards could collaborate in playing an instrumental role in supporting families managing serious mental illness? The relevance of some boards is obvious, such as a fairly new specialty, Serious Mental Illness Psychology, as well as Couple & Family Psychology, Clinical and Counseling Psychology, and Addiction (given the very high comorbidity between addition and serious mental illness). However, many others also have clear relevance such as:

• Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology and School Psychology: How can we invest in psychoeducation, prevention, and early intervention with at-risk young people such as first-episode psychosis programs? Can we emulate programs such as the Our Time Charity in the United Kingdom that offer school-based educational workshops, Kids Time sessions for children whose parents have a mental illness, and public awareness campaigns? How can we support educators and other school personnel in identifying and helping these children/families, including connecting them with resources?
• Clinical Health Psychology: People managing a serious mental illness die on average 10-20 years earlier than the general population (Walker, McGee & Druss, 2015). Although causes of death vary, many relate to physical disorders such as cardiovascular and respiratory problems, diabetes, and cancer (Luciana, Pompili, Sartorius & Fiorillo, 2022). Health psychology can help patients and their families work together on healthy lifestyle behaviors in ways that acknowledge psychiatric symptoms and leverage the power of relationship and the science of behavior change.
• Police and Public Safety Psychology: How can police and first responders support patients and their family members (including children) during times of mental health crisis? With the legal system providing a lion’s share of psychiatric services in our country, how are families/youth appropriately involved in care?
• Forensic Psychology: How can we help families understand and work with healthcare teams with respect to privacy laws such as HIPAA that were created to protect patients but can be incredibly frustrating and isolating for families?

What if ABPP specialties lead the way in forging connections and collaborations across our groups? I offer us a challenge, and I warmly welcome further conversation with others who share my passion! My contact information is below.