Title
Impact of a more skillful family environment on consumers: transforming family environments with skills and hope.
Author: Mike Menu Advisor-The Sashbear Foundation
ABSTRACT
Objectives
Highlight and analyze the result of qualitative and data collected from consumers whose family members have learned skills aimed at improving relationship within the family environment.
Method
Analyze data using questionnaires and semi-structured interviews with consumers whose family members/carers have taken evidence-based skills programs.
Results
Findings show consumers benefit directly when their family members(carers) are engaged in learning skills that create a more validating family environment. The impact of a more understanding family environment on consumers helps them not only within their family environment but also outside of that environment.
Conclusions
Family engagement with effective skills does matter to consumers. Further research could explore which specific skills learned by family members have the most positive impact on consumers.
Title
Expressed needs of carers: data from an online education series.
Author: Doreen Hyndman, Program Manager -The Sashbear Foundation
ABSTRACT
Objectives
Discuss the expressed needs of carers of individuals (consumers) with BPD. Provide an overview of the family member journey through their attempts to gain understanding, access services, and improve family relationships.
Method
Examine submitted questions and survey responses from an audience of 2000+ North American carers who attended a series of 25 online lecture presentations on topics related to emotion dysregulation from 2020-2023.
Results
Feedback indicates a high interest among Carers for information about the progression of personality disorders, and ongoing difficulty in accessing evidence-based information about diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis. Carers express a desire to be effectively engaged in supporting their loved ones. Comparisons will be drawn between those who attended a DBT skills group and those who have not.
Conclusions
Feedback from the lecture series indicates Carers still have difficultly accessing accurate information about personality disorders, and a need for services to provide support and skills for them to be effectively engaged. Research is needed to better understand Carers needs at various stages of the journey from early identification through treatment and recovery.
Title
Increasing family member effectiveness through increased engagement: increasing empowerment and mastery through ongoing involvement in helping other families acquire skills and hope.
Author: Lynn Courey Founder- The Sashbear Foundation
ABSTRACT
Objectives
Highlight and analyze the result of qualitative and data collected from family members involved in helping other family members by sharing skills learned and discuss the impacts of engagement for their family and their environment.
Method
Analyze data using questionnaires and semi-structured interviews with trained peer (family members/carers) facilitators delivering skills to other family members with the Family Connections program.
Results
Findings show when family members(carers) are involved and engaged beyond their initial introduction to the skills then they continue regaining balance in their lives and giving back to the community. They also provide a safe environment for other family members to share and learn in the skills program. The impact of their involvement also influences positively their interaction with their loved ones (consumers).
Conclusions
Engaging family members as skills facilitators allow the family member to deepen their knowledge and understanding of the applied DBT skills and. Peer facilitation may serve as guide for other opportunities for peer engagement.
Title
Using key findings to create an optimum framework for Lived Experience Carers and Consumers to have a positive and supportive environment.
Author: Meagan Henderson – CEO, NEABPD Australia
ABSTRACT
Objectives
Demonstrate that by providing Lived Experience Carers and Consumers with a shared set of skills and tools will provide better outcomes for both parties. To validate that these skills and tools are best provided as early as possible into the journey.
Method
Analyze findings from research studies and semi-structured interviews with both lived experience carers and consumers to identify specific activities that can be implemented across both groups to improve the quality of life.
Results
Findings show that when Lived Experience Carers are given the skills and tools, they have increased confidence to positively support their family member. Further, when the Lived Experience Carer has these skills, the Lived Experience Consumer finds it helpful to be surrounded by an environment that is more easily able to support them effectively.
Conclusions
Providing Lived Experience Carers with more skills that give them the knowledge to positively support their family members allows the lived experience consumer to feel more supported in their family environment.
Title
Discussant
Carla Sharp, Ph.D. is John and Rebecca Moores Professor of Clinical Psychology at the University of Houston and Associate Dean for Faculty and Research