Families with parental mental illness: Studying a home-based intervention program

This study is the first to systematically examine the implementation of the BROSH program, a therapeutic intervention program developed in Israel for families in which one or both parents suffer from mental illness. The program is multidisciplinary, encompassing the collaboration of four different services. It aims to engage the families into therapy by building a strong working alliance and helping in emotional stress regulation. Further, the program aims to prevent parental hospitalization and children's out-of-home placement. We conducted an in-depth investigation of the functioning of parents and children participating in the program. We analysed protocols that followed 11 families throughout the multidisciplinary professionals' meetings. Our findings indicate that the functioning of parents and children showed positive changes—improved stress regulation by parents and children and more familial engagement in the treatment program. It seems that both parents and children participating in the BROSH program benefitted from it by establishing coping abilities and being able to receive therapeutic help.