Family and Systems Support

As part of the service, it is designed to help you, your family and your social supporters. This is particularly when there may be current challenges you may be experiencing, particularly with communication and resolving problems as a group. These difficulties are having an impact on your recovery and wellbeing and may have an adverse effect on others supporting you.

Who is it for?

We welcome as many members of your household or support system as possible attending initially. This is because if something is troubling one member of a group, it has an effect on all the other members of that group, young and old. We find we can be most helpful if we hear everyone's point of view. Initially we may meet with a smaller group of people if larger groups are too daunting.

Which people might benefit?

The service is set up and designed to work with people who are receiving an enhanced level of care and the people around them who are supporting or caring for them. We would like you to have access to care coordinator and be connected to your local CMHT.

What sort of help can the service provide?

• Identify helpful strategies for dealing with specific situations.
• To help the family and system experiencing a person with a significant mental health problem generate a shared story and understanding.
• Reduce levels of stress experienced in caring.
• To identify particular strategies for dealing with the situations that arise.
• To help in maintaining and improving relationships and communication.
• Help people balance the strain of caring with attention to their own needs.
• To support people and to encourage them to maintain hope. 
• Help family’s or groups plan for the future.
• To look a resolving difficulties experienced by the family members or social networks, looking to build on their strengths and resources.

How to refer and what happens next?

Please speak to your care coordinator about making a referral. They will then direct referrals or enquiries to the psychologist attached to your CMHT. This person will then notify this service and the process of starting to review the referral will take place. We will want to ensure that there are no current therapies ongoing and will also make sure that you and the people around you are safe to proceed. If deemed appropriate, then a meeting will be set up initially. This can take many forms and may be using online format like Attend Anywhere, may be a one off joint appointment with the care coordinator or an appointment face to face as a larger group.

If the need is greater, then there will be an option for co-working with a team member. We will try to match what is required you and those around you. Your referral will be conducted in the same time frame as all referrals and once accepted an assessment will take place within 28 days. It may be that after this period you may have to wait for the meetings to start, we will notify you throughout.