Intensive Family Support Services (IFSS) is a county-wide support program, administered by the Mental Health Association in Atlantic County for families of relatives with mental illness. Throughout NJ many families take an active role in care for a relative who has mental illness. This can be an especially difficult and challenging task.  IFSS provides tangible coping skills to address these challenges. IFSS is open to all Atlantic County families with a relative with mental illness; the family member does not have to be in treatment for the family to receive services. IFSS was designed with extensive input and assistance from families caring for relatives with a long history of serious mental illness.

When your loved one is diagnosed with a serious mental illness such as schizophrenia, major depression or bi-polar disorder, finding appropriate medical and psychiatric care is your first priority. But once treatment begins, you and your family member soon discover that the illness affects many aspects of life and you need more than medical help.

IFSS is a comprehensive program of supportive services and activities designed to assist families with a mentally ill relative to:

•  more about mental illness and the treatments available

What Services are Available?

Bi-Monthly Support Groups: Members of families coping with mental illness meet together with a mental health professional for mutual support and information exchange.

Individual Family Consultation: Family members meet with a mental health professional to develop strategies for coping more effectively with problems resulting from their relative's illness.

Respite Care: Families are offered opportunities to have a break from the responsibilities of care taking. 

Psycho-Educational Series: Informal programs provide up-to-date information about mental illness and treatment options and also teach skills that enable caregivers to better manage their loved one's illness and improve the functioning of the family.

Advocacy:  Family members learn effective ways to obtain and maximize available resources.

Referral & Linkage: IFSS staff assist families in locating additional relevant programs and services.

Transportation: IFSS staff provide transportation to families to group, to Ancora to visit a loved one, to other provider agencies for family meetings or to public entitlements providers to assist in securing benefits.    

For more information and to begin participation, email Christine Gromadzyn  Cgromadzyn@mhanj.org