Irnes Zeljkovic, Clinical Navigator for PEPP at LHSC shows the PEPP meeting space for clients and their families and caregivers.
February 11, 2025
Prevention and Early Intervention Program for Psychoses (PEPP) at London Health Sciences Centre (LHSC) helps stabilize clients experiencing psychosis and helps them re-engage with their lives in the community. There are many misconceptions about psychosis and part of supporting clients through to recovery is supporting their family members or caregivers to better understand symptoms and treatment options.
“We want to strengthen that natural support system for the best possible outcomes for our clients,” says Irnes Zeljkovic, Clinical Navigator, PEPP at LHSC. “For families and caregivers, we provide education about psychosis symptoms, ways to manage their own emotions during this challenging time and how to identify possible red flags in behaviour from their loved one and to inform the doctor if they have serious concerns.”
If someone comes in and does not have support through their family members, they can be connected to community services who can offer support. A client’s CMHA worker or YOU worker can be there to help with housing and employment, and through recreational programming, clients can begin to create their own networks of support.
Supporting the support network
Work with the family or caregivers begins on day one in PEPP at LHSC. When a client comes in for their initial appointment, their family can attend with them. Zeljkovic explains that “Family members, or those close to the client, can provide more insight into the changes seen in the person’s mood and behaviour that has brought them to PEPP. Depending on the severity of their symptoms, the client may not be able to provide insight in the same way.”
The client’s support network can attend appointments to not only receive important education about psychosis, but to ensure everyone is on the same page regarding treatment for their loved one.
“PEPP is here at LHSC to serve clients experiencing psychosis. A part of that support is to bridge them back to the community, which involves the client’s support network understanding of the symptoms and treatment plan,” Zeljkovic says. “We discuss topics such as medication, psychotherapy and recreational therapy so the client’s support network better understands the importance of these tools if they are a part of the treatment plan for the client.”
There are also workshops for families and caregivers offered by PEPP at LHSC to build connections, so families realize they are not alone in their journey.
“We have dinner together and connect about their experiences and hear from guest speakers,” shares Zeljkovic. “The guests are clients with lived experience with psychosis in different stages in their recovery. We also hear from other parents or loved ones who want to share their experience as a caregiver. These experience stories help bring a sense of hope for their loved one’s journey and their own.”
Zeljkovic notes that often the workshops begin with a lot of heavy emotions, but as the session continues, a sense of hope begins to lift everyone’s mood.
“Our PEPP staff and I, we answer questions openly and honestly. Through the question-and-answer period, families learn from one another and build connections. We witness others building a bit of community as they navigate their loved one’s care journey,” Zeljkovic says.
The more education and support families have, the better they can support the client. At the workshops, our staff also share the recreational calendar with the client’s support network to show the activities PEPP offers and that both staff and families encourage clients to attend.
“As soon as clients begin stepping back into their communities, and the more they participate in activities that help them connect with others, we see a reduction in symptoms and symptom severity and better integration into the community,” Zeljkovic explains.
Purpose of family and caregiver support
Being able to involve a client’s support system helps client outcomes and as more people learn about the realities of psychosis, it helps to reduce the stigma for psychosis and mental health in general.
“We do our best to provide support for our clients and their support network, and after working with families for many years, we have a PEPP parent support group that has been active since around 1998. They provide ongoing donations to the program and informal emotional support to family members in the community, and we are incredibly grateful for their support of our clients,” shares Zeljkovic.
“While we provide support for the client’s support network, we do our best to ensure our clients stabilize and are able to re-enter their community and re-engage with their life in a way that’s meaningful for them.”