Family-focused practice with EASE: A practice framework for strengthening recovery when mental health consumers are parents

Abstract

This paper provides a framework for essential family-focused practices (EASE: Engage, Assess, Support, Educate) for clinicians to support parents with mental illness in the context of their family. The framework is underpinned by relational recovery as the parent/consumer’s recovery is considered within the context of their relationships, including the relationship between clinician and parent/consumer. The central aim is to strengthen nurses’ and other clinicians’ capacity to address key psychosocial needs of parents and to strengthen relational recovery in families where parents have mental illness. The EASE framework is a theory and evidence-informed family practice approach to relational recovery within healthcare provision. The EASE practice components are defined and illustrated with practice exemplars that operationalize the framework within adult service settings. Potential applications and outcomes of using EASE are also described. The framework is intended as a practical guide for working with parents and families in inpatient and community mental health settings, and may also be relevant for clinicians in a range of contexts including child welfare and primary health care.