HealthWest offers a positive treatment program that helps families and persons struggling with bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and schizoaffective disorder. The program is Family PsychoEducation, or FPE. FPE helps you and your family learn how to deal with mental illness and solve problems in day-to-day life. It can help folks with mental illness improve their brain power by learning problem solving. People who regularly attend FPE need less medication, and learn to handle their voices, depression, and anxiety in better ways. People who attend FPE every two weeks are less likely to go to the hospital. FPE helps you get your life back on track after you get out of the hospital. Many FPE members go back to school and go back to work. It helps family members find support. You make new friends and you find out your mental illness is not your fault. You get better. You become more active. You learn to laugh more and find more ways to enjoy life.

The mission of FPE is to help family members and persons with bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder learn more about their illnesses and work together to live better day to day lives. You will get a new understanding of your illness and recovery by attending the FPE Workshop, FPE Joining Sessions, and twice monthly FPE Problem Solving Groups. You and your family will build a better support system and find better tools to cope with difficult times and learn to live a healthier lifestyle.

To qualify for Family PsychoEducation, individuals must satisfy the following:

• be receiving services from HealthWest
• have Medicaid
• have a Supports Coordinator
• have a diagnosis of bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, or schizoaffective disorder

To get further information, email FPE@healthwest.net.

Watch the FPE video here:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=68oBlF_5Aqs