Guest Blogger: NEW BOOK- Recovery from Mental Illness: It’s a Family Thing!

By Michelle D Sherman, PhD LP ABPP and DeAnne Sherman

Individuals managing mental illness are often accompanied on the journey of recovery by loved ones—parents, partners, siblings, friends, and children (of all ages). Sometimes the road is hopeful—perhaps a positive period of stability and growth, a new medication or therapy, or a new job. Other times, the road feels scary, confusing, sad, and overwhelming—perhaps a hospitalization, crisis, or discontinuing treatment services.

Research has documented numerous mental health challenges among these family members, such as increased rates of depression, substance misuse, loneliness, and overall stress. As families often struggle with the challenges of navigating the healthcare system - supporting their loved ones through the ups and downs, encountering stigma and discrimination surrounding mental illness, and managing their own well-being - it’s no wonder that the experience can be difficult and exhausting.

One of the very best things families can do to support their loved one is to take good care of themselves. This can be accessing support programs such as NAMI; seeking professional help like psychotherapy or meeting with clergy; or just taking 5 minutes to stretch, do deep breathing, or play with a pet. 

We are a daughter/mother, psychologist/advocate team who have spent the past 30 years creating resources for these family members. Our mission statement is: 

    Family members of people managing mental health problems and trauma have been invisible and unsupported for far too long. 

    It is time to see, hear, and include them… recognize their sacrifices and contributions… and empower them with research-based information, practical skills, and hope. 

Two of our newest resources include: Loving someone with a Mental Illness or History of Trauma: Skills, Strength, and Hope for Your Journey (Johns Hopkins University Press, 2025), is a highly interactive book, focused on teaching skills, offering stories from people with lived experience, and validating the family member's experience. 

A similar guide for teens is I'm Not Alone: A Teen's Guide to Living with a Parent Who Has a Mental Illness or History of Trauma. This is an interactive book for youth whose parent has a mental illness/trauma/PTSD, and focuses on providing information, offering skills, and building resilience among these young people who so often feel alone in their complex, confusing journeys.

More information about our background and sample pages/endorsements about both books are available on our website here. 

Our books are different from many available resources in that they’re highly interactive, filled with activities, reflection questions, and self-assessments. We intentionally include many stories from

families with lived experience in hopes that our books can provide not only skills and information, but also a sense of a “support group in a book” for the reader. The books can be adjuncts to curricula such

as the First Episode Psychosis programs or NAMI classes, or may be a sole source of support for people who don’t access such formal programs for issues of scheduling, geographic distance, preference, stigma, or availability.

The people experiencing the illness don’t have to walk the journey of recovery alone, and neither do their families and support persons. We truly hope our resources help families feel seen, heard, included, and empowered as they walk the journey of recovery with their loved ones.

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Michelle D. Sherman, PhD LP ABPP, a licensed clinical psychologist, and her mother DeAnne Sherman, a mental health advocate, are co-authors of Loving Someone with a Mental Illness or History of Trauma: Skills, Hope and Strength for Your Journey and I’m Not Alone: A Teen’s Guide to Living With a Parent Who Has Mental Illness or a History of Trauma.

Michelle D. Sherman, PhD LP ABPP (she/her) is a licensed clinical psychologist who has dedicated her career to supporting families dealing with a mental illness or trauma/PTSD. She has worked in diverse settings, including the Veterans Affairs (VA) healthcare system, private practice, and academia as a Professor at the University of Oklahoma and University of Minnesota Medical Schools.

Dr. Sherman is a Fellow of the American Psychological Association (APA), and is Board Certified in Couple and Family Psychology. She is the Editor in Chief of Couple and Family Psychology: Research and Practice, the journal of APA’s Society of Couple and Family Psychology, and was named their Family Psychologist of the Year in 2022. She has published over 75 articles in peer-reviewed journals, and has given several hundred workshops nationally and internationally. She served on the Board of the Oklahoma National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) for 14 years and now enjoys volunteering with the Minnesota NAMI affiliate.

DeAnne M. Sherman (she/her) is a mental health advocate, French teacher, and choreographer. A volunteer with NAMI-Minnesota, she gives workshops with her daughter about mental illness in the family, and mentors people of all ages in the performing arts. DeAnne's mission is to affirm, educate, and empower others; she has strong passions for combating stigma, offering hope to people who are hurting, celebrating diversity, and promoting open discussion about mental health.