The Psychiatric Consultation-Liaison Nurse and Medical Family Therapy

MEDICAL FAMILY THERAPY is an intervention that uses a biopsychosocial approach, supports the therapeutic triangle of patient-family/provider/illness, and emphasizes the interdisciplinary collaboration necessary to create positive outcomes. Exploration of what makes a difference for families helps the psychiatric consultation-liaison nurse (PCLN) in devising interventions that are holistic, family centered, and cost effective. While other disciplines use similar skills, nursing knowledge base makes the PCLN unique. Over an 8-month period, a PCLN in a nonteaching, 250-bed community hospital intervened with 10 families at an estimated cost savings of $65,000. The PCLN as a provider of medical family therapy is identified and discussed in two case examples.