National efforts to strengthen mental health should go beyond protecting and promoting the mental well-being of all but also addressing the needs of people with mental health conditions.
Community-based mental fitness care should be provided through a network of interrelated services comprising:
- mental fitness services integrated into general health services, commonly offered in public hospitals and collaboration with non-specialist primary care staff;
- Community mental health services provided at the community level, which may involve community mental health centers and teams, psychosocial rehabilitation, peer support services and assisted living services.
Intervention Services
There is more than one way to conduct an intervention, but having the help of a professional can improve the chances of success. A mental health interventionist is trained in recognizing the signs of mental health disorders and communicating empathetically and understanding with someone with a mental disorder. A professional can also train loved ones to effectively communicate with and support someone with a mental health disorder.
A professional interventionist may use one of the following common strategies when intervening with your loved one:
Johnson Model:
According to the American Psychological Association, the Johnson model involves caregivers confronting the person with their concerns. With this type of intervention, you determine who from your loved one’s social circle will be willing to be part of the intervention. Your group convenes for two planning meetings to develop goals and problem-solving strategies for the intervention and learn how to support the loved one best. With the help of a therapist, your group then carries out the intervention and approaches the person about mental health concerns.
Arise:
The ARISE intervention method is called an “invitational intervention.” Repeated family meetings gradually become more intense to encourage your loved one to get treatment. The person with the mental health condition is invited to meetings from the beginning, so there are no surprises. Rather than a confrontational approach, ARISE utilizes gentle methods to help you approach your loved one with your concerns.
CRAFT (Community Reinforcement And Family Training):
The CRAFT intervention model teaches families how to communicate their concerns effectively. Loved ones also learn to practice self-care and use positive reinforcement to motivate appropriate behaviours from the person with a mental illness. The model can also teach you how to get your loved one to accept help for a mental health disorder.
Family Systemic Model:
The family intervention model accepts that a mental illness affects individuals with addictions and those closest to them. The model leads the entire family to seek counselling and develop healthy communication patterns. The family systemic model does not use any surprise meetings, as the person living with a mental health disorder attends each intervention meeting. The model usually involves more than one meeting. However, the intervention ultimately concludes with everyone in the family accepting treatment to help them cope with the effects of a health disorder.
Motivational Interviewing:
An interventionist may use motivational interviewing to help people overcome their hesitation to seek treatment. This technique acknowledges that it is normal for people to resist making changes. An interventionist using this technique remains empathetic and non-confrontational while seeking opportunities to discuss how your loved one’s mental health disorder may get in the way of life goals.