To identify and describe common sources of dissonance which arise for treating teams in older person’s mental health and the strategies for addressing them.
Methods:
A literature review was conducted with the terms: ‘family conflict and treatment team’, ‘family therapy and old age’ and ‘family caregiver’.
Results:
We discuss the importance of an alliance with families regarding older people’s mental health, and the contribution of engagement, attachment and family dynamics to dissonance. We offer strategies to prevent and address dissonance.
Conclusions:
To prevent and manage dissonance, its causes need to be identified and understood. Routinely ‘thinking family’ first, then ‘knowing’ and ‘hearing’ the family are crucial steps to enhancing communication with families.
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