Family psychoeducation for people living with schizophrenia and their families

Abstract

SUMMARYMost people with schizophrenia have frequent contact with their families. Therefore, the family should be involved in their relative's treatment and care wherever possible, so that they can contribute to that person's recovery and the family's own needs for information, support and treatment can be addressed. Family psychoeducation refers to a group of structured psychotherapeutic interventions that involve the person with schizophrenia and their family as partners in care. Trained practitioners adopt a collaborative approach to information sharing and provide training in coping, communication and problem-solving skills. This article describes the common principles and techniques of family psychoeducation (FPE), along with the substantial evidence for its benefits for families, especially reduced relapse rates for the person with schizophrenia. Despite recommendations in clinical practice guidelines, FPE is not widely available throughout the world. The current challenge is to address this through systemic approaches to practice change and tiered approaches to family service delivery.LEARNING OBJECTIVES•Appreciate the needs of families and recognise how these may be addressed by family psychoeducation•Understand the evidence for family psychoeducation•Delineate the key elements of family psychoeducation and consider how it may be applied in practiceDECLARATION OF INTERESTNone.