For families with young adults in mental health treatment, it may feel that family therapy or involvement is less essential—after all, aren’t they adults now? However, the opposite proves to be true. Research demonstrates that family involvement enhances treatment outcomes. At The Dorm, family programming is a cornerstone of our model, contributing to a 138% improvement in clients’ overall well-being.
In this case study, we share one family’s journey and explore how The Dorm’s targeted family therapy and clinical programming contributed to a meaningful and positive treatment outcome.
Background
Lois and Gord’s son, Rhys*, was admitted to The Dorm after being discharged from a major psychiatric hospital, where he had received treatment for major depressive disorder (MDD), substance use disorder (SUD), and suicidal ideation. At intake, it was clear that Rhys required intensive wraparound clinical support, with over 30 hours of care each week which was to encompass a robust array of family programming.
During The Dorm’s family assessment, Lois and Gord’s expressed a growing concern about communication, sharing that they often felt that they were ‘talking to a stranger’ when speaking with Rhys. They also struggled with isolation as parents of a young adult whose path differed from that of his (and their) peers.
“It’s hard not to compare our family to others,’ they shared, “especially when other young adults of Rhys’s age are graduating from college or starting their first jobs.”
*Names changes to protect client and family anonymity.
Family Treatment Goals
- Communicate better as a family, especially about important topics such as the course of therapeutic care and goal-setting for the future
- Gain skills on how to help Rhys while he is navigating treatment
- Feel less alone and more supported as parents to a loved one in need of extra support
The Treatment Plan & Recovery Journey
Weekly Parent Coaching
A unique part of The Dorm programming, every family is assigned a parent coach who bridges communication between the care team and family while equipping parents with actionable young adult parenting skills.
For Lois and Gord, these weekly meetings were an important space for their coach to assess the family system as a whole, including the deteriorating communication issues they had vocalized. The coach was able to help devise better strategies for them to approach “hot topics” with Rhys, helping shine a light on better communications tactics to overcome defensiveness and avoidance.
As Lois expressed: “our coach was a source of unwavering hope, support, humor and friendship. The regular check-ins were opportunities to learn and grow as parents.”
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Lois and Gord also benefited from a wide and robust array of group family programming to complement on-going individual work. This included:
Bi-monthly Parent Collective Psychoeducation Group
The Dorm’s parent collectives combine psychoeducation, processing, and connection with other families, addressing topics specifically tailored to the needs of young adults in treatment.
Lois and Gord immediately felt a sense of kinship with fellow young adult families sharing that it was “reassuring to hear similar stories and struggles” and that they immediately felt “compelled to join in the conversation.”
Whether it was an evening spent discussing boundaries, helping loved ones return to college or diving into ineffective behaviors, every session offered Lois and Gord material to reflect on. “The presentations were always timely and aligned with what our family needed to prepare for”, shared Lois, “especially the ‘Home for the Holidays’ topic, which helped us not only develop a plan for the upcoming season but even feel optimistic about it.”
Weekly Parent DBT Skills Group
To support the core skills Rhys was developing in his DBT Intensive Group, Lois and Gord began attending The Dorm’s weekly DBT Skills Group for Parents and Families. Designed as a space for parents and family members to grow alongside their loved ones, parents delve into learning (and applying) the four core DBT modules: distress tolerance, acceptance, emotion regulation, and interpersonal effectiveness. Lois and Gord described it as “an insightful and challenging experience”, sharing, “we get to actively practice the coping skills my young adult is learning!”
Weekly Parent Process Group
Finally, to help Lois and Gord process the complex emotions surrounding their son’s treatment, communication challenges, and recent hospitalization, their clinical team recommended they join The Dorm’s weekly Parent Process Group. This clinician-led forum holds space for families to support and offer feedback with peers going through similar experiences. ‘These sessions were incredibly valuable to me personally”, emphasized Gord.
“I felt part of a community, not an isolated parent, desperately seeking connection and resources for my child.”
Outcome
When Rhys successfully discharged from The Dorm, he had not only stabilized and begun to thrive outside of care, but had strengthened his family relationship. “Our son actually looked forward to Mondays at the Dorm,” said Gord. “but what sticks with us the most is that our family unit is doing better than it has in years — we attribute so much of this to the work we did together, and individually, as part of the services provided at The Dorm.”
