Dr. Brendan Doody:

When a young person is admitted into an inpatient unit he or she is moving from their home environment into an inpatient setting. Working with the family is key because the goal after the admission of any young person into an inpatient unit, from the day they arrive, is to plan for their discharge. Part of that involves working with the young person and another part of that involves working with parents. We actively involve families and we work with parents. Through our multidisciplinary team, which includes family therapists, there is a strong focus on families and on working with families. Within the unit there is education as well and there is a school linked to the unit. That is about young people and it prepares them for returning home and going back to what young people do, which is attending school and being at home. Everything is geared towards working with families and working towards discharge. You work with the young person and the family at the same time. The families are part of that process.