Mental health articles

Family-Driven and Self-Determined
Mothers set goals for family life and parenting that are family-driven and selfdetermined (i.e., driven by family needs and determined by mothers themselves).
“Somebody who’s. . .saying ‘What are your priorities? What is it you’re trying to do? What is it you want to do that is different?’. . .it’s very helpful.” Change is
driven by what mothers identify as important to themselves and their families. As one mother suggested, “Don’t offer me a 50-min hour of psychotherapy when what I really need is a mattress for my child’s bed.” Mothers often prioritize what they perceive their children to need and may not be able to focus on their own needs and recovery until at least some of their goals for their children are met.
When a mother is psychiatrically hospitalized, either voluntarily or not, she may be unable to attend to her acute treatment needs until she knows her children are
safe without her and well cared for. While one mother’s goal might be to care for her children 24/7, another mother may set routine, positive visits with children as a
goal while they are living with another family member or in foster care. As one mother explained, who was reunited with her children after working towards this goal for a year, “[I’m] falling in love with my kids again, once they were all back here again. And every single skill I have learned from my own life in the last year. . .to be able to have them here again and know they’re safe has been amazing.
To see them progress. . .I’m so thrilled to have them back with me where I can guide them. . .” Understanding what motivates mothers and identifying the goals they
hope to achieve will allow women to take effective steps towards recovery.