Table 3 Programs targeted to family of people with mental illness
Program name | Organisation | Type of mental illness | Description | Anti-stigma component | Lived experience involvement | Session length, facilitated by | Where provided | Duration and reach | Funding | Level of evidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Family and friends group | BPD Community | Borderline Personality Disorder | A group for carers to provide support and psychoeducation. Groups aim to share and learn how to support each other; to actively seek education and training to improve our relationships with our loved ones; to help ourselves and others; to create a safe environment; to reduce our sense of isolation; to accept our individual and joint responsibility to this purpose | Contact: Groups are spent sharing stories over the month Education: One hour of the meeting is devoted to learning about relevant topics Protest/advocacy: The group provides the opportunity for individuals to build their own advocacy. It also provides the organisation with the capacity to speak on the behalf of participants | Program is designed and developed by carers with LE | 2.5Â h once a month, facilitated two carers | VIC, metro | Since 2015, 167 | Volunteers | Unclear |
St Vincent’s Mental Health Service | Psychosis | Psychoeducation group program in a public adult mental health service for the families and friends of people experiencing early psychosis | Education: Provide support and information to assist coping and reduce isolation. Topics include What is psychosis, Recovering from psychosis, Medications, Early warning signs (relapse prevention), Community resources | None reported | 5 × 2-h sessions. Inpatient version is a single session. Facilitated by early psychosis senior clinicians | VIC, metro | Since 2009, N/R | State gov | 3 | |
Kookaburra Kids Camps and Activity Days | Australian Kookaburra Kids Foundation | Mental illness (non-specific) | Therapeutic recreation camps and activities for children who are living with a family member affected by mental illness | Education: Psychoeducation and basic coping skill-building is embedded into programs in a supported peer-group format to promote mental health literacy (including addressing misconceptions and myths about mental illness) and appropriate help-seeking | Designed by person with LE, co-design committee initiated in 2019. Delivery includes volunteers with LE | 2 × 1-h groups at camps; 15 min psycho-ed and activity at Activity Day. Facilitated by trained staff | ACT, NSW, NT, QLD, SA, VIC. Metro, regional/rural | More than 10 years, 3,000 +  | Govt, donations and corporate / other sponsorships | Unclear |