The purpose of Veteran-Centered Family Consultation is to integrate the Veteran's family and/or chosen supports into the Veteran's recovery process. Veteran-Centered Family Consultation is a brief intervention that usually takes 1 to 3 sessions (but no more than 5 sessions) and can be conducted with or without the Veteran present. Depending on the individual needs of the Veteran and the family, the intervention can provide education about mental illness, support, advocacy, advice, skills training and referral to mental health resources. The DVD presents instructional and educational information about the core skills of Family Consultation. Topics covered include: how to inform and engage a Veteran in Family Consultation, how to inform and engage a family member in Family Consultation, the steps involved in Family Consultation sessions, how to conduct the initial sessions, and how to conduct the follow-up session. An array of clinical vignettes representing a range of issues and problems commonly seen in Family Consultation are also presented. The goal is to provide a sampling of the clinical skills used in Family Consultation and the types of problems that may be addressed in this context.
