1. Australia

VicChamps

Eastern Health, Box Hill, VIC—http://www.easternhealth.org.au/champs

Description: This is a compendium of multiple programs for school age youth. The VicChamps program targets children aged 5–12 years old. They talk about living with a parent with a mental illness. The website has information for children, parents, mental health professionals, teachers, and the general public. The program has peer support groups after school and on holidays

2. Australia

Paying Attention to Self (PATS)

Eastern Health, Box Hill, VIC—http://www.easternhealth.org.au/champs

The program is for children aged 13–18 as well as their families and caregivers. It is an eight-week program with social, recreational, friendship, support, and information. There are support groups that continue. Also funded by the Province of Victoria, Australia

3. Australia

PATS also has a peer leadership component

Eastern Health, Box Hill, VIC—http://www.easternhealth.org.au/champs

Peer leaders speak in public agencies, schools, conferences, and other settings. This is a community education intervention to reduce stigma.

4. Australia

COPMI (Children of Parents with Mental Illness) Services

National Resource Centre, Australian Infant, Child, Adolescent, and Family Mental Health Association

There is an excellent website for Children of Parents with a Mental Illness (http://www.copmi.net.au). It includes separate information for parents, children, mental health professionals, and teachers. It gives numerous links to many programs that can be used for teaching children in schools, helping children in groups, and connecting with individual children

5. Canada

Talking about Mental Illness: A Guide for Developing an Awareness Program for Youth

Canadian Mental Health Association (http://www.camh.net). Toronto, ON

Talking about mental illness is a curriculum guide to help secondary school teachers to prepare lessons for youth to learn about mental illness. The content addresses knowledge, stigma, resources, and supports

6. Canada

Kids in Control program

British Columbia Schizophrenia Society, Vancouver, BC

The program consists of a series of psychoeducation meetings for 7- to 12-year-old children of a parent with a mental illness. There is a full curriculum manual

7. Finland

A national program for families

For further information, contact William Beardlsee at Harvard University

Finland has a national family-centered program to help both parents and children cope with parental mental illness. It is a universal national program. Dr. Beardless served as a consultant to the project

8. Great Britain

YoungMinds

http:/www.youngminds.org.uk/press/03_09_19.php

YoungMinds is a national charity in the UK that works to improve the mental health of children. They have a special downloadable document that gives information and advice for youth with a parent with a mental illness. See www.cyh.com; Health Topics

9. Greece

Daphne Project

European Union, see Bibou-Nakou (2004)

A pilot project of the European Union joins partners from Greece and England to study and prepare a school-based early identification program for children of a parent with mental illness. There is a lack of identification mechanisms and shared understanding

10. New Zealand

Like Minds

Wellington, New Zealand

This government-financed anti-stigma program engages in many activities. One activity is to provide information about mental illness to local school children. They also engage in a media marketing campaign for the general public

11. Sweden

Källan

Swedish Schizophrenia Fellowship, Stockholm, Sweden

This is a group activity for children with a mentally ill parent. It meets 16 times for once a week for 2 h. Next, the children can attend monthly support meetings

12. USA

Family Intervention Project

William Beardslee, Harvard University, Boston, MA

The Family Intervention Project serves families with a parent with depression. The interventions include either a series of groups for parents with a mental illness or family visits and meetings. A primary purpose is to help the family discuss the parent’s psychiatric illness

13. USA

Integrated Services Program

Bay Arenac Behavioral Health, Bay City, MI

Adult consumers specify their interests in specific parenting information. Written resource and pamphlet information is forwarded to assigned adult support workers to give to the consumers. Adult support workers discuss the information and also include support for the consumer parenting role as an option within the consumer-centered planning process. Workers assist consumers to talk to their children about psychiatric illness

14. USA

Invisible Children’s Project

Mental Health Association of New York State, Albany, NY

A similar project is conducted by the Mental Health Association of Texas

The program helps consumer parents continue and build parenting skills. For example, parents are coached about how to talk to their children about mental illness

15. USA

Helping Children Understand Mental Illness

Mental Health Association of Southeastern Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA—kids@mhasp.org

This program consists of on-line content intended help children understand parental mental illness. It includes stories for children. There is additional information for professionals, teachers, parents, and children

16. USA

Breaking the Silence: Teaching the Next Generation About Mental Illness

National Alliance for the Mentally Ill (NAMI), Washington, DC

This is a set of three educational modules for using in school classrooms (upper elementary, middle school, and high school). Each is a teaching module to help children and youth decrease stigma assumptions, recognize the warning signs of mental illness, and learn that psychiatric illnesses are treatable brain disorders

17. USA

The Science of Mental Illness

National Institute of Health. National Institute of Mental Health, Rockville, MD, NIH Curriculum Series

Publisher is BSCS—Center for Curriculum Development, Colorado Springs, CO

This is a curriculum module to teach about brain disorders in a straightforward manner. It also addresses stigma myths. It has a DVD of the curriculum content. The content may fit in a science, psychology, social science, or health class

18. USA

Family Options

Joanne Nicholson, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA

This is a program to help families with a parent with a mental illness. For up to 18 months, a family coach visits the family regularly. They work on many issues from a strength-based perspective. There is a strong emphasis on supporting consumer parenting skills and contexts. Community resources are broad and inclusive

19. USA

Youth Education and Support (YES!)

Joanne Riebschleger, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI

The program is youth multi-family psychoeducation, consisting of six weekly 2-h groups of 10- to 15-year-old youth. The youth learn about mental illness, mental health treatment, and coping. The format is a combination of interactive activities and didactic content. Themes are expressing feelings, mental illness, mental health treatment, stigma, coping, and hope for the future

20. USA

Additional program information available

UPENN Collaborative on Community Integration— www.upennrrtc.org

Parenting with a mental illness: Programs and resources

Information for children of a parent with a psychiatric illness