IPeople often wonder where they fit in when a family member begins care at a mental health treatment center.
Family involvement during mental health treatment helps your loved one feel more seen and heard. It also helps the family better understand the diagnosis, what to expect, and how they can help.
Family involvement in treatment comes in different forms ranging from education to progress reports or simply reassurance and love.
Many mental health programs offer family therapy, which can be an invaluable tool for opening up communication and understanding with guidance from a licensed therapist.
Let’s take a closer look at how you can help support a loved one in mental health treatment.
Family Education and Understanding Mental Illness
Learning about your loved one’s condition can help you understand changes in their mood, behavior, or daily habits. Without that understanding, you might assume your loved one isn’t trying or is deliberately being difficult. Those assumptions can lead to criticism when they’re already struggling.
Recognizing that symptoms may contribute to a behavior can help you pause and ask what’s going on before reacting. Reading about living with bipolar disorder, for example, shows what daily life with the condition can feel like.
Family psychoeducation, where relatives learn about an illness and build coping and communication skills, is a well-studied part of care for serious mental illness. Ask your loved one’s care team which resources they recommend.
Setting Healthy Boundaries as a Family Member
You can help with appointments or daily tasks while setting limits on what you have the time, money, or energy to do. Offering a ride may help your loved one attend treatment. If they regularly miss sessions, ask what’s making attendance difficult and encourage them to discuss it with their care team.
Respect your loved one’s role in treatment decisions and ask permission before sharing details about their care with others. You can set limits on your own time, money, and energy too. Explain those limits early so your loved one knows what help they can count on and when they may need other support.
How Can Families Help During PHP or IOP?
Practical help looks different at each level of care. Partial Hospitalization Programs (PHP) often run on weekdays during the day. Intensive outpatient programs (IOP) at New Mind run three hours a day, three or five days a week, during the day or in the evening.
Learning how PHP and IOP compare helps you match your support to the schedule.
Here are practical ways to help:
- Arrange rides and routines. For PHP, that may mean a calm morning and a dependable ride. For IOP, it may mean covering dinner or childcare on session days.
- Protect the treatment schedule. Keep errands, visits, and family events away from session times.
- Join family education when invited. If the care team offers family education or therapy sessions, say yes and come ready to listen.
Reducing Shame and Stigma at Home
If your loved one seems upset, try asking how they’re doing without assuming you know why. You might say, ‘That sounds hard. What would help today?’ Comments like ‘Why can’t you just snap out of it?’ can make someone less willing to talk about what they’re experiencing.
Talk about therapy, medication, and appointments the way you’d talk about any other health care. When you talk with your loved one openly, you show that treatment is a normal part of family life. Let them decide who outside the home hears about it.
Building a Crisis Plan with Your Family
A crisis plan helps your family know whom to contact and what to do if your loved one’s symptoms worsen or you become concerned about their safety. Write it together during a calm moment, and ask your loved one to lead. Their care team may already have a plan to share with you. A solid plan includes:
- Warning signs: pulling away from others, big changes in sleep or eating, talk of hopelessness, or talk about suicidal thoughts.
- Who to call: their therapist or psychiatrist, a trusted relative, and a backup person.
- What helps: calming routines, a quiet space, or a person they trust.
If you think your loved one may be in danger, call or text 988 to reach the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at any hour, or call 911 for an emergency.
Take the Next Step
If you’re unsure how to help, ask your loved one’s treatment team about family sessions and resources for relatives. If you’re still looking for the right mental health treatment provider, New Mind Wellness offers PHP, IOP, and outpatient care in King of Prussia, PA, with family therapy at every level.
Contact our team today to open a conversation about mental health treatment for you or a loved one.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can family members attend therapy sessions?
Yes, New Mind Wellness offers family therapy at every level of care, including PHP, IOP, and outpatient. Your loved one’s therapist can explain how family sessions fit into their treatment plan.
What if a family member doesn’t want to be involved?
Family involvement is voluntary, and treatment can move forward without it. Your loved one can lean on friends, a support group, and their care team, and you can keep the invitation open if the person changes their mind. If your loved one prefers not to include family in treatment, respect their privacy and ask what support they would welcome.
How do I support a loved one without overstepping?
Ask what kind of help they want, then follow their lead. Offer specific help like a ride or a meal, and hold off on advice about their treatment unless they ask. Check in on your boundaries together as their needs change.
Sources:
- Family Psychoeducation — PubMed/NLM
- Family Psychoeducation for Serious Mental Illness — PubMed/NLM
- Family Members and Caregivers — NAMI