ABSTRACT

This chapter looks at the impact of mental health–substance use upon family life and will help the reader consider and reflect upon some of the important roles that a family plays. It discusses particular ways the mental health–substance use professional may engage and work with families living with mental health–substance use problems, including how their relationship with the individual helps with family engagement. The chapter examines how service systems may be used as a tool to cause effective and sustainable change. It aims to help the reader to consider and reflect upon some of the important roles that a family plays, and discussed how mental health–substance use problems can affect family life. The chapter identifies how a professional can help to strengthen family support systems, and enhance the outcomes for the person with a mental health–substance use problem. In Western sociological terms, families are made up of individuals who form themselves into a unique and integrated functional social system.