Definition:
The following has been taken from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMSHA) Family Psychoeducation (FPE) Tool-Kit, which can be found here.
Family Psychoeducation (FPE) involves:
- Forming an alliance
- On-going education about the illness
- Problem-solving
- Creating social supports
- Developing coping skills
As a result of FPE, Consumers and Families learn to problem-solve about:
- Finding and keeping a job
- Taking part in social activities
- Family stress
- Disagreements about medication
- Lack of energy
- Drugs and alcohol
And Families learn about:
- Managing stress
- Navigating the public mental health system
- That other people have similar needs and experiences
- Improved family relationships and general health
- New ways to deal with the common problems caused by mental illness, problems that often create stress, confusion and disagreements, such as:
- Taking medication
- Finding and keeping a job
- Taking part in social activities
And as a result, there is:
- Improvement of clinical outcomes (fewer relapses and fewer symptoms)
- Reduced needs for crisis intervention and hospitalization over time
- Improvement in community functioning, and social activities, less isolation
- Increased satisfaction for consumers and families, a feeling of better control over life
- Less family strain and stress, less depression and anxiety
- Better employment retention
- Improved cost-benefit ratio
- Progress in Recovery