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Community Mental Health Care for Women with Severe Mental Illness Who Are Parents

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Abstract

Women with SMI are involved in childbearing and childrearing, but may have problems with parenting related to symptoms, lack of knowledge and skills, or lack of environmental supports. They may need intensive services to manage their mental illness and to parent to the best of their abilities. Preliminary research suggests that mental health interventions can improve family functioning, but that these services are not widely available in community mental health systems. This paper describes services to help clients who are parents, which includes integration of adult's and children's services, long-term, home-based parent training, and linkage with community supports.

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  1. Department of Psychiatry, Dartmouth Medical School. New Hampshire-Dartmouth Psychiatric Research Center, State Office Park South, 105 Pleasant Street, Concord, NH 03301

    Mary F. Brunette

  2. Department of Psychiatry, Dartmouth Medical School. New Hampshire-Dartmouth Psychiatric Research Center, USA

    Wendy Dean

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Brunette, M.F., Dean, W. Community Mental Health Care for Women with Severe Mental Illness Who Are Parents. Community Ment Health J 38, 153–165 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1014599222218

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