Therapeutic Factors in a Group for Parents with Mental Illness

Abstract

Parents with mental illness face many parenting related challenges that are exacerbated by the lack of services focusing on these needs. A study was conducted with 35 persons who participated in a group for parents with mental illness in Israel in order to examine the parenting related concerns the participants might bring up in a group modality, and the therapeutic factors in the group process. The findings illuminate the centrality of the parenting role in the participants lives and the value of the group modality as a tool enabling the participants to reveal their vulnerabilities. The therapeutic factors at work in the group, such as, imparting information, interpersonal learning, socialization techniques helped them deal with the difficulties of fulfilling their parenting roles at the same time they cope with their own mental illness.

Families living with parental mental illness and their experiences of family interventions

“…(), and the children felt that the level of stress in the family was reduced. Being supported through family interventions has earlier been shown to empower parents to take responsibility for their own illness and ensure that their children get adequate support (Van der Ende, Van Busschbach, Nicholson, Korevaar, & van Weeghel, ; Shor, Kalivatz, Amir, Aldor, & Lipot, ), as well as helping them start to communicate about their mental illness with day care and school, which is in accordance with our informants’ experiences.…”

“Being in a group with others who have mental illness makes all the difference”: The views and experiences of parents who attended a mental health parenting program

“…The finding that parents benefit from sharing their experiences with other parents who experience mental illness is consistent with the literature (Isobel et al, 2016;Reupert & Maybery, 2011;Shor et al, 2015). It is increasingly recognised that opportunities for parents to learn from and with other parents is an important aspect of programs for parents with a mental illness (Reupert & Maybery, 2011;Shor et al, 2015). A study by Isobel et al (2016) found that the group format for parents with a mental illness is particularly suitable as it allows for parents who are initially reluctant to actively engage and observe others sharing openly and share when they are ready, as the group progresses.…”

“…Triple P has been successfully adapted to a number of different populations, including for parents of children who are overweight and obese (West, Sanders, Cleghorn, & Davies, 2010), Indigenous families (Turner, Richards, & Sanders, 2007) and working parents (Sanders, Stallman, & McHale, 2011). With a few exceptions (Isobel et al, 2016;Shor, Kalivatz, Amir, Aldor, & Lipot, 2015) there are few evidence based parenting interventions available for parents with mental illness, and MHPPP addresses this gap in service delivery.…”

When mom has depression: Feelings of maternal responsibility, regard, and personal stigma among young adults.

“…Support groups designed to assist parents in discussing their mental illness with their children have received increased attention in the literature in recent years (Shor et al, 2015). The promising results of interventions that facilitate discussion of parental mental illness by including both parents and children in treatment (Pihkala et al, 2012) suggest the need for further research on parental communication as a factor in addressing personal stigma for family members.…”