The Psychology Centre

Family Inclusion in Mental Health Services.

John Fitzgerald & Karma Galyer

A thematic literature review commissioned by the Mental Health Commission, New Zealand.

Under the Mental Health Commission Amendment Act 2007, the Mental Health Commission is mandated to advocate for the best interests of people with a mental illness and/or addiction, and their families. Within this context the Mental Health Commission has initiated a project exploring the role of families in mental health services. This project aims to promote the inclusion of families, whânau, and/or support networks in all levels of mental health service, from individual interventions through to the development of the service itself. The current literature review is part of the initial stage of the Mental Health Commission’s family project. The objectives of this review are to consider the concepts of family described in current literature, and to better understand the benefits of family inclusion in mental health and addictions services. Family inclusion, for the purposes of this review, is focused on the processes mental health services undertake with families when providing care. Interventions provided to or for families, (e.g., family-therapy) have not been considered extensively. For the purposes of this review they are considered as examples of mental health care that have the scope to intervene with the family as a whole system.

We completed this contract on time at the end of November 2007. The final report is currently with the Mental Health Commission, who have indicated their intention to make it available as one of their Occasional Papers.

Link: Mental Health Commission