What Is Family Education?Family education can be offered to individuals in the family or others in the support network. Family education provides education, support, and coping skills to members of a recipient’s support network with the aim of supporting the individual and family in the recovery process. Specific topics and skills that are offered in family education include:
- What we know about schizophrenia: diagnosis to recovery;
- Evidence based treatments and treatment alternatives for schizophrenia, including self-help;
- Relapse prevention and crisis management activities;
- Understanding and negotiating the mental health system;
- Community resources and supports for recipients and families, including self-help;
- Advocacy skills;
- Communication skills to enhance family relationships;
- Problem-solving skills; and
- Coping skills and strategies.
Why Is Family Education Important?
- Family education improves outcomes. Studies have shown that there are remarkable reductions in rate of relapse and rehospitalizations among recipients whose families receive family education.  Other improved outcomes associated with family education include higher participation in vocational rehabilitation and decreased costs of care. In addition, family education improves outcomes by reducing distress, stigma, and isolation and instilling hope.
Recommendation Concerning Family Education
- All programs serving adults diagnosed with schizophrenia should offer family educational services.
Connecting People to Family Education Services
All families and those in the support network should be offered family educational services at the discretion of the recipient. However, family members can certainly learn about mental illness, coping strategies even if the recipient does not want contact with them. In order to connect people with these services, all new recipients from the point of admission, should be asked about their families and others in their social support network, and the role they would like them to play in supporting their recovery. Initial contact with families and significant others should focus on engaging (joining with) the family and support network. Family education should be offered during evening or weekend hours to ensure accessibility of services to individuals who work.
Family Education Services for Families Include
- Coordinated treatment and rehabilitation services to ensure that everyone is working in partnership with the recipient toward the same goals in collaborative, supportive relationships.
- Attention to both the social and clinical needs of the recipient.
- Active listening to families’ concerns and proactively involving them in treatment planning and service delivery.
- Assessing the strengths and limitations of the family’s ability to support the recipient.
- Family education services to help resolve family conflict by responding sensitively to family distress.
- The provision of tools and skills to identify and address feelings.
- Providing the support network with tools and skills to improve communication.
- Encouragement of family members to expand their social support networks-for example, participate in family support organizations.
