Although low-income families have access to many services, there is a noticeable absence of services for families affected by mental illness.
Adults who have a mental illness may be receiving health services, but quite often their children are not. That's why we refer to those children as "invisible" - they are left to cope on their own. Some are too young to understand their parent's illness and too young to care for themselves if the parent has an acute episode.
Older children may know the parent has a mental illness, but the stigma associated with mental disorders may lead them to deny or cover up the family situation.
The parents themselves often lack support as they attempt to meet their children's needs while dealing with a serious mental disorder. Their behavior may be inconsistent, and they often lack the resources for proper medical care.
Mental Health America (formerly Mental Health Association) recognizes that regardless of mental illness, all children deserve a safe and caring home. That's where we can help. The Invisible Children's Program, has been serving families since 2001. It is designed to help families that are struggling with the effects of chronic mental illness. The program is one of the few in the country that specifically targets parents with mental illness.
Invisible Children's Program Success Stories
*A single mother of three who experiences chronic mental health symptoms began our program after her children were placed in the foster care system. The mother suffers with bi-polar disease, chronic depression and anxiety, in addition to several physically debilitating medical problems. Once she began with ICP, her family advocate worked hard to get her connected with a psychiatrist and ongoing therapy for herself and the children. She began her psychotropic medication and regular therapy appointments within the first three months of beginning the ICP program. This regiment, along with involvement in a mental health education class and parenting classes through the ICP program led to reunification with her children within an eight month time frame. The children were returned home to their mother where she and the children are continuing with ongoing individual therapy and family therapy to ensure long-term success for the entire family.
*A single mother of two entered the Invisible Children's Program (ICP) after her children were placed in foster care. The mother suffers from bipolar disorder, PTSD, Personality Disorder NOS, and a Learning Disorder NOS. While a part of ICP, she participated in in-home therapy and established a new psychiatrist within the first 3 months of being in the program. In addition to utilizing these treatment services, she also began consistent psychotropic medication use and weekly visits and communication with her family advocate through ICP. Through her hard work and involvement in ICP services she was reunified with her children and established residence in another state. Moreover, in her new residence, she was able to establish a new therapist, consistent medication use, and reestablish a positive connection with her children. At the end of her experience with ICP, the client relayed to the family advocate that her experience in ICP would be beneficial for others and said she would be recommending ICP to help other families find success.
For those parents who do not meet the requirements of the ICP and are
still interested in taking the psychoeducational courses through Mental Health
America’s
Specialized
Family
Resource
Center,
please download a
Referral Form
For more information, call Kristina Finnel at (414) 276-3122 or email.
[Return to the Invisible Children's Program Page]
