A collaborative care skills workshop for carers: Can it be delivered in 1 day?

Carers of individuals with eating disorders (EDs) report high levels of burden and distress and describe a number of unmet needs. As a result, a number of interventions have been designed to support carers, including the "Maudsley eating disorder collaborative care skills workshops," which comprise six 2-hr workshops delivered over 3 months for parents and carers of people with EDs. The current study aimed to test a proof-of-concept that this workshop could be effectively delivered in 1 day. An additional aim was to assess whether the workshop had direct effects on carer skills. A nonexperimental repeated measures research design was employed, giving measures before and after a 1-day workshop. Results suggested significant increases in carer self-efficacy and carer skills, with moderate to large effect sizes. Qualitative analyses supported these results whilst also generating ideas to improve the 1-day workshop.

The Somerset team for early psychosis.

AIM: To describe the development of an early intervention (EI) service in Somerset, and evaluate the progress after the first 2 years. METHOD: The Somerset Team for Early Psychosis (STEP) has been developed in stages from 2003 to the present 'hub-and-spoke' model. The framework, which the team operates, is outlined, the assessment and outcome measures are presented, and the interventions, with the emphasis on working with families, are discussed. RESULTS: Two hundred fifty-nine referrals have been received in the first 2 years, with the caseload currently standing at 153. The mean duration of untreated psychosis of STEP clients was just over 9 months; when those who developed psychosis before 2004 (pre-STEP) were removed, this was reduced to 6.4 months. Eighty-four per cent of STEP clients have had their families involved with our service in some way. Relapse rates of clients in the service for over 12 months have been encouragingly low (17%). CONCLUSIONS: We reflect on the challenges faced in relation to the EI service model described in the Department of Health's Policy Implementation Guide and, in particular, on having successfully built on the existing family interventions service.