Effectiveness of the Family Recovery Programme for Serious Mental Illness: An Exploratory Study

Serious mental illness (SMI) significantly impacts both patients and their families, particularly in persistent cases. Family programmes have shown benefits, but adherence is often poor, and even motivated family members may disengage when intervention formats do not adequately fit their needs, circumstances, or expectations. The Family Recovery Programme for Serious Mental Illness (FAM-RESMI), a programme based on systemic and relational theory developed within a Community Rehabilitation Service (CRS), is a brief intervention format that, addressing previously identified needs, is designed to promote recovery and improved quality of life (QoL) for people with SMI and their families. This exploratory single-arm pre-post evaluation describes a sample of service users and family members who participated in a FAM-RESMI intervention. We observed significant pre-post changes in QoL in both groups, as well as increased resilience and reduced caregiver burden in the family members group. Adherence was encouraging, although variable, and satisfaction with the programme was high. Although exploratory, our findings provide preliminary practice-based evidence that the FAM-RESMI, based on a brief, structured format, is feasible in public mental health settings with historically low adherence. Larger samples, comparison groups, and follow-up assessments are warranted to consolidate these results.