for Family Members, Partners and Friends of People with Mental Illness or Mental Health Issues

For more information or to schedule a private consultation by phone or at 1211 Chestnut St.,

contact TEC at 215-751-1800 Ext. 232 or 233 or emannion@mhasp.org

Background

Since 1985, TEC has been offering family consultation, family workshops and a variety of family problem-solving and support groups. National family education programs, such as NAMI’s Family-to-Family Education Course and the Journey of Hope National Family Education Program have both acknowledged TEC in their training manuals. The large controlled study of TEC’s services in the 1990s generated over 10 published articles in major psychiatric journals and several edited book chapters on the issue of supportive family education. Through years of experience with family members, TEC has sought to identify and meet the needs of sub-groups of family members who often “fall between the cracks” of existing family support services, such as spouses/partners of people with mental illness, minor and adult children of people with mental illness, siblings of people with mental illness, and family members of people with borderline personality disorder, and other difficult-to-treat or treatment-resistant groups. Its interactive web site for youth growing up with mental illness in the family (www.mhasp.org/coping) has received acknowledgement in journal articles and links on other web sites. TEC was the 2004 recipient of the Innovations in Creative Programming award from the National Mental Health Association. TEC’s 5 facilitator manuals on family workshops, spouse workshops, children’s workshops, parenting classes and family consultations have sold locally, nationally and internationally. TEC’s family services have been featured twice in WHYY’s Voices in the Family with Dan Gottlieb and several articles of the Philadelphia Inquirer, some of which were re-printed in other cities through the Associated Press.

Family Workshops

TEC family workshops are usually presented by 2 co-facilitators, an experienced behavioral health professional and a family member experienced with the topic of the workshop. These multi-week workshops are very interactive and include focused discussions on topics of concern to each group, educational videos, presentations, handouts and some voluntary homework assignments to improve learning and application of the material.

Join us for a family workshop specific to your concerns in order to:

• Learn ways to handle some of the most common problems related to a particular condition or issue
• Find out how you can help your relative AND preserve your own mental health
• Get information on resources
• Meet people who understand your feelings and concerns

Family workshop topics include:

• Promoting “Recovery” in A Loved One with Mental Illness (6 weeks)
• Self-Care for Surviving Complicated Grief, Trauma & Burn-Out (4 weeks)
• Finding the Right Balance When A Loved One has Borderline Personality Disorder or Mood Swings– Based on Dialectical Behavior Therapy, an evidence-based practice for BPD (8 weeks)
• Managing Your Anger When A Loved One Has A Mental Illness (6 weeks)
• Living with Mental Illness in a Spouse or Partner (6 weeks)
• Coping When A Relative with Mental Illness Refuses Treatment (6 weeks)

There is no fee for any of these services EXCEPT a nominal workshop fee for individuals from families with no members living in Philadelphia. The target audience for these workshops is family members of adults with a mental illness, but we are open to including family members of adolescents as well as professionals who want to better understand the family experience.

Family Consultation

For family members who need more immediate, individualized assistance, TEC offers consultation appointments by phone or in person. Family members have an opportunity to have their questions and concerns addressed by an experienced, caring family member/professional, so that they can get specialized guidance and support.

There is no fee for this service, which is available up to 2 hours per year per person. To make an appointment, call 215-751-1800 Ext. 232 or 233.

Family Presentations & Problem Solving Groups

For family members who find comfort in being with others in similar situations, but find open rap sessions to lack enough structure to be constructive, TEC offers 2-hour monthly groups in the morning and evening. The first hour is a presentation, often by a guest speaker “expert” on the topic, and the second hour offers participants the opportunity to have group problem solving, using a powerful problem solving method known as “POW,” to address their urgent concerns which often involve complicated issues.

Recent Presentations:

• Updates on Medication for Bipolar Disorder by Laszlo Gyulai, MD, Director of the Bipolar Disorders Program at the University of Pennsylvania
• Learning and Continuing Education as a Recovery Tool by David Pinsky, Advocate for people who are gifted or have educational goals
• Understanding and Negotiating “the Mental/Behavioral Health System”
• Using Letters, Cards & E-mails to Communicate Skillfully
• Recognizing & Dealing with Caregiver Burnout
• Distinguishing “Helping” from “Enabling Undesirable Behavior”
• Negotiating about Treatment When A Loved One Doesn't Think They Need It
• Dealing with Difficult Professionals
• Understanding Unacknowledged Grief about a Loved One with Mental Illness
• Responding Effectively to Your Loved One’s Problem Behaviors
• Applying Principles of Mental Health Recovery to Your Loved One and Yourself

Web Site for Youth Growing Up with Mental Illness in the Family at http://www.mhasp.org/coping

Interactive web site by and for youth growing up with mental illness in the family with separate sections for family members, educators and professionals,

Training & Resources for Service Providers & Professionals

Since 1985 TEC staff have sought to identify and fill gaps in training opportunities that will help providers become more family-focused as they work with adults or children, and more able to work effectively with people and their families who have traditionally been failed or rejected by “the system” such as those with borderline personality disorder or those who refuse treatment or medication.

Recent Training Seminars and In-services:

• Enhancing Mental Health Recovery through Supportive Family Education
• Working Collaboratively with Families of People with Mental Illness
• How Case Managers Can Help Behavioral Health Consumers with Parenting and Child Custody Issues:
• Helping Consumers with Borderline Personality Disorder using Concepts from Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)
• Trauma/Complex Trauma and Psycho-Education: The Importance of Knowing for Consumers and Family Members
• Negotiating about Treatment When A Person Lacks Insight into Their Mental Illness
• Mental Illness in Parents: Overcoming the Challenges to Helping Families Cope

Recent Conference Presentations:

• National Mental Health Association Annual Meeting in Washington, DC: Panel presentation: No Magic Necessary: Making Invisible Children and their Parents Visible
• Poster session at the annual research conference of the University of Florida’s Children’s MH Research & Training Center: Preserving Families and Preventing Child Abuse: An RRTC Response to Research
• Workshop at a statewide conference in NJ on critical issues facing parents with mental illness: Helping Service Providers and Parents with Mental Illness to Understand Child Abuse and the Child Protective Service System

Recent Technical Assistance and Consultation:

• Consultation to the UPenn Collaborative on Community Integration for Individuals with Psychiatric Disabilities – training project and web site fact sheet about child welfare and custody issues at http://www.upennrrtc.org
• Collaboration with Project Transition in bringing an intensive 10-day training of providers on dialectical behavior therapy to Philadelphia (Arcadia University, 9/06, 3/07)
• Consultation to Creedmoor Psychiatric Center in Queens Village, NY, about implementing supportive family education in hospitals and the public behavioral health agencies
• Consultation to the Center for Mental Health Policy and Services Research at the University of Pennsylvania of a SAMHSA Community Action Grant to implement family consultation in the public behavioral health system of Berks County, PA

Training Manuals:

• Psychoeducational Workshops for Children, 7-10, coping with Mental Illness in the Family by Edie Mannion and Gina Caruso
• Training Manual for the Implementation of Family Education in the Adult Mental Health System of Berks County, PA by Edie Mannion
• Training Manual for Facilitating Parenting Classes for Parents with Mental Illness by Edie Mannion, Gina Caruso, Cynthia Jones, & Elizabeth Adler- Harrison
• Teaching Manual for Coping Skills Workshops by Marilyn Meisel & Edie Mannion
• Teaching Manual For Spouse Coping Skills Workshops by Edie Mannion & Marilyn Meisel

Guest Speaking

TEC has accepted many invitations to do presentations at affiliates of support and advocacy groups such as the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) and the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance (DBSA).

Presentation Topics:

• Principles of Mental Health Recovery
• Mental Health Recovery using the Wellness Recovery Action Plan (WRAP)
• Problem Solving As a Wellness Tool
• Coping with the Holidays
• Anger Management for Improving Relationships and Health
• Dealing with Difficult Professionals
• Understanding People with Borderline Personality Disorder
• The Power of Validation Skills
• Having Healthy Relationships When You Have A Mood Disorder
• Explaining Mental Illness to Children
• Parenting Challenges and Choices When You Have A Mental Illness
• Discussing Treatment with a Loved One Who Avoids Treatment
• Disenfranchised Grief When A Loved One Has A Mental Illness
• Promoting Recovery in A Loved One with Mental Illness
• Coping with Problem Behaviors in a Loved One with Mental Illness
• Rebuilding Trust Using Validation Skills
• Observing Your Limits as a Supporter of a Person with Mental Illness
• Helping Children Cope When There is Mental Illness in the Family
• Special Issues for Parents of Adults with Mental Illness
• Special Issues for Siblings of People with Mental Illness
• Special Issues for Adult Children of Parents with Mental Illness
• Special Issues for Spouses and Partners of People with Mental Illness
• What Will Happen to My Loved One When I Am No Longer Here?

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