Strengthening the Family as a Support System in the Recovery of Individuals with Mental Disorders

A Family Counseling Perspective

Abstract

The family serves as the primary social unit and cornerstone support system in the recovery journey of individuals with mental disorders (orang dengan gangguan jiwa / ODGJ). However, families often face significant challenges, including low mental health literacy, pervasive social stigma, and psychological distress, which impede their ability to provide optimal care. This qualitative study aimed to deeply explore the role of the family as a support system for individuals with mental disorders through a family counseling approach within a rehabilitation institution. Data were collected via in-depth interviews with family members and counselors, direct observations of family-patient interactions, and documentary analysis of client progress reports. The findings reveal that prior to counseling, families exhibited adaptive difficulties characterized by rejection, shame, maladaptive communication patterns, and high caregiving stress. Following participation in family counseling, constructive transformations occurred, including heightened mental health literacy, improved communication dynamics, and enhanced conflict and stress management capacities. These improvements directly contributed to patient treatment adherence, behavioral stability, and reduced social withdrawal. This study concludes that family counseling is an effective, systemic intervention that fundamentally strengthens the family's capacity to function as a sustainable support system, facilitating both institutional rehabilitation and subsequent community reintegration.