The Impact of the “Semente” Program on the Family-Focused Practice of Mental Health Professionals in Portugal

Background: Children of parents with mental illness (COPMI) are a high-risk group. There is a strong association between parents’ psychiatric disorders and the incidence of psychopathology in their children. These children need to be identified and supported by mental health workers early, and hence clinical practice in adult mental health services needs to change from a focus on individual patients to systemic family focus. ‘Semente’, a mental...