Do you have a loved one considering mental health treatment at The Retreat by Sheppard Pratt? We know it can be difficult to watch your family member struggle—and that helping them find life-changing care is of the utmost importance. During their stay at The Retreat, our team of caring and compassionate experts will focus on helping them understand and overcome the challenges they’re facing so the whole family can heal and move forward together.
Learn about what you can expect while they are in our care.
Family meeting
Around Day 14 of your family member’s stay at The Retreat, there is often a family meeting with their psychiatrist, social worker, and any other relevant treatment team members. During this meeting, there is an overview of the clinical assessment, recommendations for continuation of care, and an opportunity for family members to ask questions and voice any concerns. After this meeting, you’ll have a better sense of your loved one’s diagnosis and next steps in their treatment journey—meaning you’ll have clear answers and solutions.
Family therapy
At The Retreat, our family therapists can be an integral part of a resident’s treatment team. Family therapy can be for a person and their partner, their parents, their siblings, or anyone else in their family.
For many, family therapy is key to a resident’s recovery, improving relationships, communication, and family dynamics. In family therapy, everyone is heard and everyone has a voice. Our therapists can help families strengthen their connections.
In a family therapy session, you can expect to:
- Receive emotional support
- Learn behavioral strategies
- Build skills for better communication
- Receive psychoeducation, a.k.a. information and education about mental health conditions and treatment
Some common themes we help our residents with include:
- Effectively communicating with family members
- Conflict resolution
- Navigating trauma and loss
- Healing after a crisis (a mental health or substance issue, loss of a relationship such as divorce, etc.)
- Issues surrounding embracing adulthood
- Setting limits and boundaries
Our goal is to help families function better together and to make as much progress as possible during a resident’s stay—so when your loved one is ready to leave The Retreat, you’re all in a better emotional space.
For residents who continue their treatment at Magnolia House or Ruxton House, our family therapists can remain a part of the treatment team and continue working with them and their family.
Other family contact
Depending on the resident’s clinical team, family members may also be contacted by certain specialists to help with the resident’s diagnostic assessment. Our clinical team members also can provide psychoeducation.
Consent to communicate
Under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA), there are safeguards when it comes to someone’s medical history and treatment—meaning we are sometimes limited from sharing information about the care someone is receiving with us.
What does that mean for you as a family member? For us to be able to share information with you, your family member being treated by us must provide consent. If the resident does not provide consent, we cannot share any information with you—it is against the law.
We encourage residents at The Retreat to sign releases of information for those they want involved in their care while in treatment with us. This also allows those individuals to be informed of their plan for after they discharge. We often recommend that releases of information are signed for family members, support persons, and outpatient providers.