Table 2 Interview questions analyzed in this article

Desired goals and outcomes

 What did you want to achieve/what were your goals when you went for help for the MSV problem(s)? Probes included: What would be the ideal/best outcome for you? What would be an okay outcome? What would be the worst outcome?

To your knowledge, what did your family member want to achieve/what were their goals when they went for help for their mental health, substance use or violence? Probes included: What would be the ideal/best outcome for your family member from their perspective? What would be an okay outcome for your family member from their perspective? What would be the worst outcome for your family member from their perspective?

What about your goals for your family member? Probes included: What would be the ideal/best outcome for your family member from your perspective? What would be an okay outcome for your family member from your perspective? What would be the worst outcome for your family member from your perspective?

Ways to improve the system based on positive and negative experiences

 Was there anything that you found especially helpful or that made getting help easier or better for you? What made it easier?

Was there anything your family member found especially helpful or that made getting help easier/better for them? What made it easier?

 What were the best experiences you had while you were getting help for MSV problems?

What were the best experiences your family member had while they were getting help for MSV problems?

 Was there ever a time when you didn’t get the help you wanted? What happened?

Was there ever a time when your family member didn’t get the help they wanted? What happened?

 Have there been times you felt that your needs weren’t all met? What needs weren’t met? What might have been done to better meet your needs?

Have there been times when they felt that they did not have all of their needs met? What were these needs? What might have been done to better meet their needs?

Were there times when you felt that they didn’t have all of their needs met? What were these needs? What do you think might have been done to better meet your needs?

 Was there anything that happened while you were getting help that made the problems worse or that made recovery more difficult? What happened?

Was there anything that happened while your family member was getting help that made their problems worse or made their recovery more difficult? What happened?

 What do you think are the main challenges/barriers that you faced trying to get help for the problems?

What do you think are the main barriers/challenges that your family member faced in trying to receive help for their problems?

 Based on your own experiences, what suggestions do you have for ways to improve services or supports for people who have MSV problems?

Based on how things have went for your family member and the impact that their experiences had on you and your family, what suggestions do you have for ways to improve services for people who have mental health, substance use or violence problems?