Meeting January 2004
Fraser South EPI (Early Psychosis Intervention) Parents' Meeting, January, 2004
The meeting was facilitated by family members in association with Walter Lidster the EPI group and family counselor.
Mention was made of the web sites www.psychosissucks.ca and www.psychosissupport.com. Psychosissucks provides good source information and links. Psychosissupport offers support for families who have members that suffer from psychosis. This site is fairly new on the Internet and regularly adds new information including these minutes.
Announcements
The 4th Annual Fraser Health Regional EARLY PSYCHOSIS CONFERENCE will be held at the Sheraton Guildford Hotel Conference Facility located at 15269 104th Avenue, Surrey B.C. on February 19, 2004.
1) The conference will be offered as half-day sessions.
2) The core content of the program is the same for both morning and afternoon sessions with different plenary speakers.
3) This conference is designed to accommodate staffing coverage for Adult and Youth Mental Heath Services, Community Agencies, Education programs, and Hospital programs within the Fraser Health Authority.
The morning keynote speaker will be Lili Kopala, M.D., FRCPC, Early Psychosis Program Vancouver Coastal Health Authority. The topic will be Treatment Adherence in Psychosis.
The afternoon keynote speaker will be Jean Addington, Ph.D., Associate Professor Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto. The topic will be Family Intervention in First Episode Psychosis.
Conference program core content:
1) "Genetics and Psychosis" Jehannine Austin M.Sc.Ph.D., Genetic Counselor.
2) "Psychosis Recovery as a Family Experience" Panel of family members.
3) "Fraser South Early Psychosis Intervention (EPI) Program Update" Bill MacEwan, M.D., FRCPC, Clinical Director and Karen Tee, Ph.D., R.Psych., Program Coordinator.
For Registration information contact Linda Wowk at 604-538-4243 or
e-mail linda.wowk@fraserhealth.ca. The dead line is February 16, 2004.
There will be an education night on May 4th more information to follow.
Check in:
There were several new families in attendance at this meeting. This was an opportunity for them
to meet other families and share common problems. It was evident that these people were
traumatized, as they told their devastating stories. Some of these stories touched home as we
recalled our own experiences. We are fortunate to have experienced EPI staff to give immediate
professional guidance to those in need.
It is the goal of family support to have families over come the trauma and to come to terms with
the illness so they will become active partners in the recovery of their family member.
One day these new families will also have a hope story to tell, which will give hope to those
walking through the door for the first time.
It must be remembered everyone's approach to problem solving will differ, as will be the
solutions. There will be times families are pushed to the limits.
With these types of illness our family members do not follow our schedule, but follow their own. We must be patient. What appear to be small steps for a well person is a major accomplishment for some one that is ill. They will recover at their own pace.
"Psychosis is treatable and recovery is expected."
If you have comments you would like to share please email pspops@psychosissupport.com