title: Opening caregiver minds: National Alliance for the Mentally Ill's (NAMI) provider education program.
abstract: The belief that poor parenting and dysfunctional families give rise to mental illness has been perpetuated by psychodynamic and family systems theories that lack supporting scientific evidence, and interventions based on these theories have failed to produce clinical improvements. Nevertheless the National Alliance for the Mentally III (NAMI) found that many clinical training programs continue to teach these outdated theories and interventions and that the mental health system is often destructive to family systems. This article describes a new 10-week program that is designed to educate service providers that will include families in the care of their chronically ill loved one. The program is based on a competence and adaptation rather than a pathology foundation and it shifts the discourse from causes to effects of illness.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing, Indiana University School of Nursing, Indianapolis, USA.
authors.forename: W K
authors.initials: WK
authors.lastname: Mohr
authors.forename: J E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Lafuze
authors.forename: B D
authors.initials: BD
authors.lastname: Mohr
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D017028:Caregivers / Q000523:psychology; D017281:Cost of Illness; D003479:Curriculum; D005260:Female; D006266:Health Education / Q000379:methods* / Q000458:organization & administration; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011368:Professional-Family Relations; D012559:Schizophrenia; D012565:Schizophrenic Psychology; D014481:United States; D014837:Voluntary Health Agencies