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Family Support Groups for Family Members of Mentally Ill Offenders: Therapeutic Factors
Author(s) -
Rowaert Sara,
Vandevelde Stijn,
Audenaert Kurt,
Lemmens Gilbert
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
australian and new zealand journal of family therapy
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.297
H-Index - 19
eISSN - 1467-8438
pISSN - 0814-723X
DOI - 10.1002/anzf.1296
Subject(s) - psychology , feeling , therapeutic relationship , mentally ill , clinical psychology , family therapy , psychotherapist , forgetting , interpersonal communication , mental health , social psychology , mental illness , cognitive psychology
This study investigates therapeutic factors of a Family Support Group ( FSG ) intervention for family members of mentally ill offenders. Seventeen family members completed the ‘Group Therapeutic Factors‐Client Questionnaire’ ( GTF ‐ CQ ‐28) during four sessions of two FSG s. Results indicate that family members experienced the following therapeutic factors over the course of treatment: the relational climate, interactional confirmation, expressing and experiencing mutual positive feelings, forgetting own problems, hope from seeing progress in others, guidance from therapists, and getting interpersonal feedback treatment. The therapeutic factors, including learning by observation, support from the group, and universality of problems, correlated with a decrease in self‐blame, improved emotional well‐being, and experiencing less loss of control over one's life, respectively. Further, family members were satisfied with what the FSG has provided for them personally and for the relation with their relative. Finally, clinical implications of the FSG are discussed. The study sheds light on valuable therapeutic factors within an FSG and the important role of therapists.