Ep. 2: A Family Recovery Model for Mental Health Services

Tonight we will briefly discuss the recently published anthology Motherhood, Mental Illness and Recovery with one of the book’s contributors, Joanne Nicholson, PhD.  As the author of the book’s first chapter, Dr. Nicholson provides a framework for developing a family recovery model for mental health services.

We will review a number of key concepts and processes in the approach to supporting parents with mental illnesses and their families. These include the concepts of: (a) family-centered, (b) strengths-based, (c) family-driven and self-determined, (d) recovery- and resilience-focused, and (e) trauma-informed. Key processes include: (f) engagement and relationship building, (g) empowerment, (h) availability and accessibility, and (i) advocacy.

Dr. Nicholson is a clinical and research psychologist, and Professor of Psychiatry at the Dartmouth Psychiatric Research Center. She is also Adjunct Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Massachusetts Medical School (UMMS), where she directed the Child and Family Research Core of the UMMS Center for Mental Health Services Research. Dr. Nicholson has established an active program of research on parents with mental illnesses and their families, in partnership with people in recovery. Her team is developing education and skills training materials for parents, integrating the current knowledge on parents with mental illnesses, and evaluating interventions for families, including the pilot Family Options intervention. In 2006, Dr. Nicholson received the Armin Loeb Award from the U.S. Psychiatric Rehabilitation Association for her significant career contribution to research in psychiatric rehabilitation.