Regular meetings are then held with the family, ranging from weekly to monthly. Support is provided by clinicians and, in most cases, by other families in a group format. The intervention is long-term, usually at least 2 years. Families are assisted in improving their coping methods and their communication with each other. Treatment teams are multi-disciplinary and team members coordinate frequently with each other and outside agencies.
Medication is followed closely, with rigorous attempts made to maximize compliance.
Some elements of family intervention seem less critical at this stage of the research. For example, it appears to be effective to treat families alone or in multiple family groups, at home or at the clinic, and to utilize clinicians from a variety of professional backgrounds. The family clinician invites the patient and as many relevant family members as possible to participate in the family program. Family members include parents, brothers, sisters, spouses, girlfriends or boyfriends, aunts, uncles, etc. An average of 6 families attend.