Family Help Update

Family Help

Investigators
Patrick McGrath, Dalhousie University
Cathy MacLean, Dalhousie University
Gerry Miller, Northern Health Region
Steering Committee
Jean Carriere, Northern Health Region
Mary Clark-Touesnard, Northern Health Region
Valerie Corkum, Northern Health Region
Cornelis de Boer, Northern Health Region
Patricia Gerrior, Northern Health Region
Vivek Kusumakar, Dalhousie University
Pippa Moss, Northern Health Region
Darcy Santor, Dalhousie University
Catherine Thurston, Northern Health Region
Dan Waschbusch, Dalhousie University
John Blake, Dalhousie University
Findlay Muir, Dalhousie University
Consultants
Bo Larrsson, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
Carl von Baeyer, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK
Matt McGrath, McGrath Health International, Ottawa, ON
Chuck Cunningham, Chedoke McMaster Health Centre, Hamilton ON
Paul McDonnell, University of New Brunswick, Fredericton, NB
Gary Hodson, IWK Grace Health Centre
Forrest Scoggin, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL, USA
Pat O’Neill, Acadia University, Wolfville, N.S.
Beth Currie, Oakville, ON
Krista Wilkins, Dalhousie University
Mary Ann Campbell, Dalhousie University
How to reach Family Help
By phone: 902-494-3581
By fax: 902-494-6585
By e-mail: Patrick.McGrath@dal.ca
By mail: c/o Patrick McGrath, Department of Psychology, Dalhousie University, B3H 4J1

What is Family Help?

Family Help is a service being developed to provide up-to-date, primary care, mental health treatment for families with significant problems who are currently not seen in mental health services Family Help will fill the gap between currently available primary care and mental health services. Family Help will treat families referred by family physicians (and perhaps by others) who require help with specific, significant problems. Treatment will be delivered by telephone, written manuals, video-tapes and audio-tapes. Treatment will be delivered according to the best evidence- based protocols by therapists under the direct supervision of mental health professionals. Referring family doctors will receive a Continuing Medical Education (CME) package on the problems of children they refer. Treatment will follow detailed protocols. A major advantage of Family Help is that it will be cost effective both from the point of view of the families (no travelling or taking time off work) and from the point of view of the health care system (1/4 to 1/5 as costly as standard treatment). Research and training of health professionals will be an important part of Family Help.

Who is developing Family Help?

Family Help is being developed by a partnership between the Northern Region Health Board and researchers at Dalhousie University. This group is supported by an international panel of consultants. As can be seen on our masthead, Family Help is an integrated group of researchers, clinicians and administrators. Dr. Valerie Corkum has been seconded half time from the Northern Health Region to Family Help. She is chair of the Disruptive Behavior Disorders module and will be writing the anxiety module and the disruptive behaviour disorders module.

What are the components of Family Help?

Each module of Family Help will contain: a physician’s diagnostic and referral checklist; a Continuing Medical Education package; an assessment protocol; treatment materials for parents/ child (booklets, audio-tapes, videotapes); a treatment manual for therapists; a supervisory protocol; follow up materials including outcome measures and patient and physician satisfaction measures.

How is Family Help funded?

The research and development costs of Family Help have been funded by a small grant from the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, a grant from the Northern Health Region and by a Medical Research Council Distinguished Scientist Award to pay Dr. McGrath’s salary. Grants have been or will shortly be submitted to the Social Science and Humanities Research Council, the Medical Research Council and the Canadian Health Services Research Foundation. Negotiations are ongoing with the provincial government. Future funding will be sought from the Medical Research Council, foundations, and perhaps from private partners. When Family Help is operational, operating costs will be covered by the region where the service is delivered. Income for further development will be generated by licensing Family Help to other regions in Canada and the USA.

What problems will Family Help treat?

Family Help will use specific modules to treat families. Modules are currently being developed on: disruptive behaviour, anxiety problems, depression, bedwetting, pain, and attention deficit disorder. Future modules will cover other family problems. Family Help will be for families with significant problems that are not as serious as those usually seen in the mental health clinics. Family Help will provide primary care for problems where none currently exists.

What is the time line for Family Help?

During 1999, Family Help materials will be developed for at least four modules. Beginning in 2000, pilot testing of Family Help will occur in the Northern Region and two more modules will be developed. By 2001, Family Help should be available throughout the Northern Region as a regular service. At that time, we will license Family Help to other regions in Canada and the USA. At the present time, the bedwetting module and pain modules are completed in draft form. They have been sent out for external review. A urine alarm is being developed for the bedwetting module. Development of this equipment will take several months. The remaining modules have begun and are proceeding well.

If you would like to participate.

You are receiving this newsletter because we think you might be interested in Family Help. You are invited to participate in any aspect of Family Help. Perhaps you would like to review one of the modules or help write part of a manual. Perhaps you could help us in selecting techniques to use or be an actor in one of our videotapes. We welcome your participation. Just give us a call (see our masthead for how to reach us). We also welcome your opinions (both positive and negative) about Family Help.

Future issues of Family Help Update

Family Help Update will be published every 3 months while Family Help is developing to provide information on progress to members of the organisations involved. Future issues will detail progress on specific modules. If you know of anyone who might want to receive a copy of Family Help Update, just let us know. If you wish to be taken off our mailing list, please contact us. Once Family Help is fully operational, this newsletter will provide up-to-date scientific information on child and family mental health issues.