The inclusion of children in family interventions for psychosis

Parents who experience psychosis experience challenges in addition to those associated with being a parent. Their children are at risk for a range of negative outcome. Family interventions for psychosis have been found to be helpful in mitigating some of these outcomes and have a strong evidence base. Systemic literature has provided a raft of techniques to facilitate the inclusion of children in family therapy, though these are largely absent from the literature on family interventions for psychosis.

This study used a three- round Delphi survey to investigate what is considered best practice when deciding whether, and how, to include children in their parents’ family intervention for psychosis amongst a group of experts.

Findings demonstrated support for including children and suggested methods of facilitating their involvement in assessment, areas that should be attended to in sessions, adaptations that should be made, and organisational factors that support their inclusion. Their responses suggested that adult mental health services were well placed to meet some of the needs of these children. Consideration is given to items which did not have consensus and the clinical and research implications are described.