Book Review: "Families as Partners in Mental Health Care: a Guidebook for implementing Family Work"

This book provides a simple and clear guide to family work for all those involved in the care of people with a mental illness: psychiatrists, psychologists, mental health nurses, social workers, other mental health professionals, along with policy makers, service managers, families, carers and persons with experience in mental health problems. It highlights the possibility of adaptation and evaluation in a range of mental health settings. The guidebook is written by people with enormous commitment and experience to those who have psychiatric illnesses and their families. It describes how professionals can work with families and the consumer for better relationships and improved rates of recovery. Psychoeducation and family interventions, are not routinely implemented in the mental health field, despite decades of positive research findings. The book aims to inform and motivate more mental health services to adopt and implement family work as part of basic treatment and care. The extensive evidence base for effectiveness of family work is explored in the early chapters. Various models of family education, family psychoeducation and the Optimal Treatment Program (developed by Ian Falloon to whom the book is dedicated) are described. Examples are given of programs around the world including low income countries. Chapters 3 and 4 describe the need for reorientation of services and training and support for clinicians. Later chapters describe how professionals can actively involve carers in different aspects of service development and the roles that family members can adopt at local and national levels, including the role of teacher as ‘expert carer’ and advocate for better service developments. The last chapter explores the need for clinicians, persons with mental health problems and families to resolve problems associated with confidentiality and manage this without creating a barrier to inclusive care. For overseas requests, the book may be purchased for $35.00 (AUD) plus postage, and packaging by emailing careradmin@carersnetwork.org.au or calling +613 8803 5555. Within Australia, the phone contact is (03) 8803 5555.