Erica Gray, a therapist in the Family Treatment Program (FTP), recently travelled to Winnipeg to present at the second annual CMHA Manitoba and Winnipeg conference. The theme of this year’s conference was bridging mental health and addiction supports. She was part of a panel called “Lessons Learned – Success and Challenges in Family Based Care.”

Erica at the conference

Erica presented on family work, focusing on three components: the need for collaboration of all family members, flexibility in providing services, and engagement for each family member in both the individual treatment plan and the family treatment plan. She also discussed the importance of ensuring that families are engaged in program development, and the desire to have families involved in sharing feedback regarding the treatment facility’s practices and policies.

To drive home her points, she was able to share stories of success and challenges from the families involved in the FTP.

“One of the reasons why doing events like this is important is that it’s a way to collaborate with a national organization – the Canadian Mental Health Association – and bring exposure to the way Ranch Ehrlo does family work at a provincial conference,” Erica said of her reasons for agreeing to present.

“There was also an opportunity for learning about new trends in mental health and addiction, while sharing best practices associated with family work,” she continued. “We were able to gain learning opportunities and connections to other agencies that are working to better support individuals and families in mental health and addictions.”