Friends, Family & Carers Forum

[NikNik]

Thanks for the resources @JonCarer

As you said, there's a lot in the MH Acts around involuntary admissions, but what about those who have a loved one who is voluntarily seeking treatment?

@YTT & @KS2809 have both spoke about their adult child's psychologist not involving them as much as their previous treatment team, when their loved one was under 18.

Are there any tips you can share on how they can get more involved in their child's treatment?

[JonCarer]

One great practical tip is to try to come to a common understanding with your young person about any mental health issue they are experiencing and to get them to 'buy in' to recieving support through gentle engagement.

This can be done by discussing the specific problems their mental health might be causing in their lives and helping to plan how to deal with them together.

This can be effective at any age but using sensitive, empowering techniques (like Open Dialogue) that respect autonomy and engage the person in designing their own care  can be very effective in helping the young person and their family and carers feel that they can get better control over their situation

[JonCarer]

Some good tools for this kind of joint planning can be the Wellness Recovery Action Plans, which provide some templates and prompts for these kinds of plans.

[NikNik]

Great point about Open Dialogue. For those who haven't heard of Open Dialogue before, you can read more here

[JonCarer]

I should just clarify one point, under NSW Mental Health Regulations, parents will automatically be 'designated carers, but the Mental Health Review Tribunal must approave all involuntary treatment for a person under 16 if they do not consent to it.

[YTT]

thanks for the info,

My daughter refuses to tell me what happens in her sessions. Actually she now refuses to talk to me in general - "i don't need help, I can do this myself" etc etc

We had a psycologist session today, I have no idea how my daughter is doing. We have a psychiatrist session next week that I'm allowed to attend, I'm going to bring up my worries of lack of input from us.

[NikNik]

Wellness Recovery Action Plan (WRAP) is another good one. I'm only new to this one. Here is more info for those who want to learn more.

Great tips @JonCarer

[JonCarer]

It is very hard, but particularly if people are discussing their confronting thoughts, or beliefs they may suspect aren't true, etc., then what is discussed between the psychologist or other therapists may need to remain just between them, as we don't want any embarrassment to prevent people from being really honest about what is troubling them and getting the best help possible as a result.

This is part of a child's autonomy developing if it is in such a context.

But you should be advised of information that helps you support your loved one and respects your caring role, so risks or situations to avoid, signs of deterioration, who to contact, what part you should play in the recovery or any 'crisis' plan, appointments people need to attend etc.

[NikNik]

Any tips for @YTT, @JonCarer ?

[KS2809]

Thanks for the link. They have some great resources!