title: A potential role for family members in mental health care delivery: the family community navigation specialist.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Opening Doors to Recovery (ODR) in southeast Georgia included a family community navigation specialist (F-CNS) in addition to a peer specialist and a mental health professional. This qualitative study assessed the usefulness of the F-CNS role.
  
  
  METHODS
  Semistructured interviews were conducted with 30 respondents (ten ODR participants with serious mental illnesses; ten family members; and ten ODR leaders and team members, including two F-CNSs). Interviews were recorded and transcribed for qualitative analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Many respondents found the F-CNS to be helpful, providing psychosocial support, serving as a communication liaison, and being a team member dedicated to the family. Aspects that might require improvement include insufficient description of the F-CNS role to participants and the limited experience and training of the F-CNSs.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The F-CNS represents an unexplored role for family members of persons with serious mental illnesses that may complement the roles of other service providers and strengthen recovery-oriented teams.
authors.affiliation: Dr. Myers is with the Department of Anthropology, Southern Methodist University, Dallas, Texas (e-mail: namyers@smu.edu). Dr. Alolayan is with the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Washington, D.C. Ms. Smith and Ms. Pope are with Pineland Behavioral Health /Developmental Disabilities, Statesboro, Georgia. Ms. Broussard and Dr. Compton are with the Department of Psychiatry, Lenox Hill Hospital, New York City. Ms. Haynes is with the Georgia Affiliate of the National Alliance on Mental Illness, Savannah.
authors.forename: Neely Anne Laurenzo
authors.initials: NA
authors.lastname: Myers
authors.affiliation: Dr. Myers is with the Department of Anthropology, Southern Methodist University, Dallas, Texas (e-mail: namyers@smu.edu). Dr. Alolayan is with the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Washington, D.C. Ms. Smith and Ms. Pope are with Pineland Behavioral Health /Developmental Disabilities, Statesboro, Georgia. Ms. Broussard and Dr. Compton are with the Department of Psychiatry, Lenox Hill Hospital, New York City. Ms. Haynes is with the Georgia Affiliate of the National Alliance on Mental Illness, Savannah.
authors.forename: Yazeed
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Alolayan
authors.affiliation: Dr. Myers is with the Department of Anthropology, Southern Methodist University, Dallas, Texas (e-mail: namyers@smu.edu). Dr. Alolayan is with the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Washington, D.C. Ms. Smith and Ms. Pope are with Pineland Behavioral Health /Developmental Disabilities, Statesboro, Georgia. Ms. Broussard and Dr. Compton are with the Department of Psychiatry, Lenox Hill Hospital, New York City. Ms. Haynes is with the Georgia Affiliate of the National Alliance on Mental Illness, Savannah.
authors.forename: Kelly
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.affiliation: Dr. Myers is with the Department of Anthropology, Southern Methodist University, Dallas, Texas (e-mail: namyers@smu.edu). Dr. Alolayan is with the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Washington, D.C. Ms. Smith and Ms. Pope are with Pineland Behavioral Health /Developmental Disabilities, Statesboro, Georgia. Ms. Broussard and Dr. Compton are with the Department of Psychiatry, Lenox Hill Hospital, New York City. Ms. Haynes is with the Georgia Affiliate of the National Alliance on Mental Illness, Savannah.
authors.forename: Susan Alicia
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Pope
authors.affiliation: Dr. Myers is with the Department of Anthropology, Southern Methodist University, Dallas, Texas (e-mail: namyers@smu.edu). Dr. Alolayan is with the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Washington, D.C. Ms. Smith and Ms. Pope are with Pineland Behavioral Health /Developmental Disabilities, Statesboro, Georgia. Ms. Broussard and Dr. Compton are with the Department of Psychiatry, Lenox Hill Hospital, New York City. Ms. Haynes is with the Georgia Affiliate of the National Alliance on Mental Illness, Savannah.
authors.forename: Beth
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Broussard
authors.affiliation: Dr. Myers is with the Department of Anthropology, Southern Methodist University, Dallas, Texas (e-mail: namyers@smu.edu). Dr. Alolayan is with the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Washington, D.C. Ms. Smith and Ms. Pope are with Pineland Behavioral Health /Developmental Disabilities, Statesboro, Georgia. Ms. Broussard and Dr. Compton are with the Department of Psychiatry, Lenox Hill Hospital, New York City. Ms. Haynes is with the Georgia Affiliate of the National Alliance on Mental Illness, Savannah.
authors.forename: Nora
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Haynes
authors.affiliation: Dr. Myers is with the Department of Anthropology, Southern Methodist University, Dallas, Texas (e-mail: namyers@smu.edu). Dr. Alolayan is with the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Washington, D.C. Ms. Smith and Ms. Pope are with Pineland Behavioral Health /Developmental Disabilities, Statesboro, Georgia. Ms. Broussard and Dr. Compton are with the Department of Psychiatry, Lenox Hill Hospital, New York City. Ms. Haynes is with the Georgia Affiliate of the National Alliance on Mental Illness, Savannah.
authors.forename: Michael T
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Compton
mesh_terms: D003695:Delivery of Health Care; D005190:Family; D006801:Humans; D001523:Mental Disorders; D008605:Mental Health Services; D010348:Patient Care Team; D062526:Patient Navigation; D010379:Peer Group; D000067250:Psychiatric Rehabilitation; D036301:Qualitative Research; D012380:Role