Free Family Educational Support Group
Groups will be held every Monday evening at 6:00pm at BHC Alhambra Hospital.
Call 1.800.235.5570 for more information and to sign up

At BHC Alhambra we understand it is a frightening and stressful time when a family member is hospitalized for mental health problems. The impact is not just on the individual being treated but also the family who cares for them. We have designed this group to offer you education, as well as support, to help you through this difficult and challenging time. The group will provide you with information on our facility and will help familiarize you with information regarding mental illness and treatment. 

Mental Illness:  Learning that a family member has a mental illness raises a number of questions. This group will educate you on mental illness and what a diagnosis may mean for your loved one. We will examine important treatment aspects of mental illness, including the role of medication, individual therapy, group therapy and long term treatment planning. 

Hospitalization:  Once your family member has been hospitalized it can be very overwhelming and you may have a number of questions regarding hospitalization. This group will work to answer questions surrounding the purpose of hospitalization, admissions and treatment process, hospital contacts for questions and the importance of discharge planning and an aftercare plan. We will also explain common terminology referred to by treatment professionals, such as 5585 or 5150 Involuntary Holds.

Treatment Team:  Each client will have various treatment professionals working with them to help guide them to recovery. It is important to understand the role each of these professionals have in the treatment of the client and to know the value of each role. Treatment professionals who will be integrated into your family members’ care are Psychiatrist, Internist, Psychologist, Case Manager, Family Therapist, Group Therapist, Recreational Therapist, Program Specialist, Registered Nurse, Dietician, Licensed Vocational Nurse and Licensed Psychiatric Technician.           

Support:  An important aspect of this group is it will offer you support and understanding from other families also going through this process. It will be an environment you can discuss your frustrations, fears and confusion. This group will provide you an opportunity to process the events occurring around your family member having a mental illness. We understand having a family member with a psychiatric illness affects everyone involved and want you to have the support and comfort of not having to navigate the process alone.

Accredited by the Joint Commission.  Licensed by the State of California Department of Public Health Services.

Family Educational Support Group
Resources

Parenting Classes:

• Kinship Center
• Center for the Improvement of Child Caring
• The Joy of Parenting
• Center for Nonviolent Education and Parenting

Books:

• Parenting from the Inside Out by D. Siegel & M. Hartzell
  Screamfree Parenting: The Revolutionary Approach to Raising Your Kids by Keeping Your Cool by H.E. Runkel
• Setting Limits with Your Strong-Willed Child : Eliminating Conflict by Establishing Clear, Firm, and Respectful Boundaries by R.J. MacKenzie
• 1-2-3 Magic: Effective Discipline for Children 2-12 by T.W. Phelan
  The Big Book of Parenting Solutions: 101 Answers to Your Everyday Challenges and Wildest Worries  by M.Borba
• Parenting Teens With Love And Logic by F. Cline and J. Fay
  Unconditional Parenting: Moving from Rewards and Punishments to Love and Reason by A. Kohn

Resources for Families

• The Burden of Sympathy: How Families Cope With Mental Illness by David Allen Karp
• The Family Intervention Guide to Mental Illness: Recognizing Symptoms & Getting Treatment by Bodie Morey and Kim T. Mueser
• Hidden Victims Hidden Healers: An Eight-Stage Healing Process For Families And Friends Of The Mentally Ill by Julie Tallard Johnson
• Helping Someone with Mental Illness: A Compassionate Guide for Family, Friends, and Caregivers by Rosalynn Carter and Susan Golant
• The Complete Family Guide to Schizophrenia: Helping Your Loved One Get the Most Out of Life by Kim T. Mueser PhD and Susan Gingerich

Resources for Individuals

• The Quiet Room: A Journey Out of the Torment of Madness by Lori Schiller and Amanda Bennett
• Recovered, Not Cured: A Journey Through Schizophrenia by Richard McLean
• Getting Your Life Back Together When You Have Schizophrenia by Roberta Temes
• Me, Myself, and Them: A Firsthand Account of One Young Person's Experience with Schizophrenia by Kurt Snyder, Raquel Gur, & Linda Wasmer Andrews
• Break the Bipolar Cycle: A Day-by-Day Guide to Living with Bipolar Disorder by Elizabeth Brondolo and Xavier Amador
• Sugar and Salt: My Life with Bipolar Disorder by Jane Thompson
• Madness: A Bipolar Life by Marya Hornbacher
• An Unquiet Mind: A Memoir of Moods and Madness by Kay Redfield Jamison
• The Mindful Way through Depression: Freeing Yourself from Chronic Unhappiness by Mark Williams, John Teasdale, Zindel Segal, and Jon Kabat-Zinn