Dr. Lauzon recently returned from the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) California conference where she presented a full workshop that we developed with a resident colleague entitled "Creating Effective Collaborations between Mental Health Providers, Family Members, & Consumers."
Of course the workshop was a success! The main focus was on specific skills and strategies that family members can employ in order to be more effective advocates for patients with mental illness, and how to communicate more effectively with mental health providers. There were over 50 participants who all contributed to a lively discussion with many questions, as well as sharing challenges and strategies from their own personal experiences as family members, patients, and in a few cases, providers as well.
Wonderful and vital work... Thank you Dr. Lauzon!