Resources

Our mission is to create the conditions under which parents with mental illness can function to their fullest capacity. To that end we'd like to provide the latest research and treatment information on parental mental illness. If you are aware of a resource that may be helpful and is not currently listed on this web site, please contact us with this information.

You'll need Adobe's free Acrobat Reader to view the pdf documents here.

Parenting Options Project

An endeavor to create education and skills training materials for parents with mental illness. POP is a collaboration of the Center for Mental Health Services Research at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, the Massachusetts Department of Mental Health, and Employment Options, Inc., a psychosocial rehabilitation clubhouse for people with psychiatric disabilities.

• Parenting Options Project web site
• Parent Self-Assessment Tool (19KB pdf)

Fact Sheets

Short summaries of particular topics.

• Critical Issues for Parents with Mental Illness and Their Families (55KB pdf)
  
• Resources Regarding Parents with Mental Illness and Their Families (56KB pdf)
• Programs Serving Families when a Parent has a Mental Illness (66KB pdf)
• Research Projects at the UMMS Center for Mental Health Services Research (64KB pdf)

Parent Link Newsletters

• Spring/Summer 2002 (138KB pdf)
• Fall/Winter 2000 (196KB pdf)
• Spring/Summer 2000 (235KB pdf)

Presentations

• Working with Families where a Parent has a Mental Illness: The Critical Need for Family-Centered-Strengths-Based Approaches, Betsy Hinden, Ph.D.
  Invited presentation for professional seminar series offered by the Suffolk County Children's Advocacy Center, March 10th, 2005.
  Working with Families... (pdf) (300KB pdf)
  Working with Families... (PowerPoint) (197KB PowerPoint)
  
• Transforming the Mental Health System and Services to Meet the Needs of Parents and Children, Betsy Hinden, Ph.D., et al.
  Invited Key Note address for a statewide conference on "Recovery and Resilience" in Tampa, Florida, February 25, 2005.
  Transforming... (pdf) (379KB pdf)
  Transforming... (PowerPoint) (246KB PowerPoint)
  
• Separating Fact from Myth: Prevalence of Families Living with Parental Mental Illness, Kathleen Biebel, Ph.D.
  National Alliance for the Mentally Ill 2004 Convention, Washington, D.C., September, 10, 2004
  Separating Fact from Myth (pdf) (70KB pdf)
  Separating Fact from Myth (PowerPoint) (246KB PowerPoint)
• Paying Attention to Parent Mental Illness: Challenges and Opportunities for Systems of Care, Joanne Nicholson, Ph.D., Betsy Hinden, Ph.D., Bernice Fernandes, B.A., Valerie Williams, M.S., & Kate Biebel, Ph.D.
  A Symposium presented at the 17th Annual Research Conference, a System of Care for Children's Mental Health: Expanding the Research Base. Tampa, Florida, March 2, 2004
  Opportunities (pdf) (314KB pdf)
  Opportunities (PowerPoint) (475KB PowerPoint)
• Working with Families Living with Mental Illness: Opportunities for Prevention and Early Intervention, Kate Biebel, Ph.D.
  National Prevention Coalition, Washington, D.C., October 8, 2003
  Opportunities (pdf) (129 pdf)
  Opportunities (PowerPoint) (489KB PowerPoint)
• The Parenting Role of Adults with Mental Illness: Recognizing Parents' Abilities, Joanne Nicholson, Ph.D.
  Presented on September 26, 2003 at the New Hampshire Infant Mental Health Association Annual Conference, North Conway, NH
  The Parenting Role (pdf) (1.4MB pdf)
  The Parenting Role (PowerPoint) (186KB PowerPoint)
• Working with Families Living with Parental Mental Illness, Joanne Nicholson, Ph.D.
  Mental Health Advisory Board, Child Welfare League of America, Washington, D.C., September 12, 2003
  Working with Families (pdf) (1.3MB pdf)
  Working with Families (PowerPoint) (279KB PowerPoint)

Academic Papers

• Critical Issues for Parents with Mental Illness and their Families
  
  Integrates the available knowledge regarding parents with mental illness and their families.
  Critical Issues (402KB pdf)

• Steps Toward Evidence-Based Practices for Parents with Mental Illness and their Families
  
  Identifies and systematically describes existing interventions for parents with mental illness and their families.
  Evidence-Based Practices (436KB pdf)

• The Invisible Children's Project: A Family-Centered Intervention for Parents with Mental Illness
  
  The Invisible Children's Project (ICP) in Orange County, New York, a nationally recognized program for families living with parental mental illness.
  Invisible Children's Project (331KB pdf)

Other Sites

Links to sites we've found useful.

• Center for Mental Health Services Knowledge Exchange Network
  Resources for consumers, policymakers, researchers, and advocates interested in a variety of mental health issues.
• Families for Depression Awareness
  Focus on helping families learn about depression, reduce associated stigma, and prevent suicides.
• Institute for Family-Centered Care
  Addressing the Issue of Parental Mental Illness and its Impact on Children, Youth, and Family: Provides information and resources from across the country on physical and mental illness.
• National Mental Health Association
  Provides brochures, self-help, and advocacy materials and referrals for state-specific resources as well as fact sheets with tips for strengthening families.