Parental Depression: Let's Talk

The Clinician-Based Cognitive Psychosocial Intervention for Families, designed by psychiatrist William Beardslee, M.D., is designed to open dialogue in families about the effects of parental depression.

According to the National Registry of Evidence-Based Programs and Practices posted on the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration Web site, the intervention consists of from six to 11 sessions that include separate meetings with parents and children, family meetings, and telephone contacts or refresher meetings at six- to nine-month intervals. Sessions are conducted by trained psychologists, social workers, and nurses. The core elements of the intervention are (1) an assessment of all family members, (2) teaching information about affective disorders and risks and resilience in children, (3) linking information to the family's life experience, (4) decreasing feelings of guilt and blame in children, and (5) helping children develop relationships within and outside the family to facilitate their independent functioning in school and in activities outside the home. In family meetings, parents talk about their own treatment and how they are working to build resilience and protect their children.

A description of the intervention is posted at <www.nrepp.samhsa.gov/programfull-details.asp?PROGRAM_ID=88>.