Children of Parents with Mental Illness 2

Children of Parents with Mental Illness: Personal and clinical perspectives looks at the insights and experiences of children and adults who have grown up with a parent with mental illness. The personal accounts show the need for professionals to think about all family members in order to meet the needs of the children involved. This highly recommended text is a comprehensive and relevant book for anyone concerned with the mental health and wellbeing of children and families. It is a resource intended for mental health professionals, psychologists and social workers. The personal narratives are complemented by chapters written by clinicians and practitioners. These chapters offer well-researched and current information in the area of the authors expertise. Issues covered include: the genetics of mental illness talking with children to allay anxiety and give age-appropriate information assessment of children in crisis the value of peer support activities the needs of children placed in out-of-home care cultural considerations in understanding mental illness how our mental health care can fail the children of parents with mental illness Some of the contributors have international reputations in their specialist areas, several are participants in the national Children of Parents with Mental Illness (COPMI) Project as members of the reference or consultation groups, and some are adult children of a parent with mental illness. Vicki Cowling, a social worker and psychologist, is the editor of a previous, groundbreaking book in this series, Children of Parents with Mental Illness (ACER Press, 1999).