Severe Mental Illness and Family Involvement During Treatment

Abstract

Treating clients with severe mental illness in community mental health settings can be challenging. Often, they lack solid intrapersonal support and have utilized surrounding resources to the best of their ability; yet, they still find themselves caught in the system of repeat treatment with no actual results. We can resolve these issues, which are amendable to family treatment and intervention, per previous research. It is essential for effective community mental health treatment that does not result in clients re-entering treatment on numerous occasions. Doing so could assist progress and advocate for inclusivity and emotional empowerment in identified clients—including their family members in treatment as a collective unit. This article proposes an ecological and systemic approach to mental health treatment for severe mental illnesses and provides treatment implications for clinicians.