Here at Flawless, we are all about communications and digital media to change the conversation about brain health and promote educated awareness. This means we are on social media a good portion of our work days. It is rare for a post to stop us in our tracks but this message from John Puls at Full Life Comprehensive Care inspired us so.
Without further ado, we share the powerful and articulate message from Full Life about the crucial role families play both in mental health care for their loved one and especially with discharge planning.
Enjoy Flawless family and let us know in the comments what you think:
If a behavioral health treatment plan doesn’t include family involvement, it isn’t a plan — it’s just a temporary band-aid.
We see it all the time: a program pours resources into the “identified patient,” but hands the family a pamphlet and a polite “Good luck, keep in touch” at discharge.
Here’s the cost of this gap:
• Boundaries crumble within days of discharge.
• Medication routines fall apart.
• Parents absorb the stress alone, then are labeled “codependent.”
• Clients are labeled “not ready” when they don’t succeed.
For individuals with severe mental illness, this is a recipe for re‑admission.
Transportation, scheduling, medication pick‑ups, job interviews, life skills…
𝗡𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗶𝘁 𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗻𝘀 𝗯𝘆 𝗺𝗮𝗴𝗶𝗰.
And family members are left to project‑manage a clinical roadmap they never built.
Co‑write the aftercare plan with the family weeks before discharge.
Assign a family coach (licensed clinician) who remains on call from Day 1.
Help 𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 the aftercare.
Include the family as equal co-participants, not “codependent” sideliners.
Measure progress by life‑skill milestones, not by insurance calendars.
That’s where we see real progress.
But we’d love to hear from clinicians and families: What’s one element of true family‑inclusive care you wish every program offered?
