SEEK GOD’S INSPIRATION. Seek and follow God’s promptings. Believe in your ability to make a difference.

SUITABLE LOCATION. Interviews should be held in your office, however be flexible enough to meet a person’s need.

ESTABLISH A SPIRITUAL ATMOSPHERE. Develop and maintain a spiritual atmosphere for the visit. Include meditation, prayer, scripture reading, and church involvement as part of an on going plan for support.

ESTABLISH A PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP. Make the effort to help the person feel at ease, and help them realize you are genuinely interested in helping them cope with their mental illness.

ACCEPT YOUR LIMITATIONS. The caregiver is not expected to know everything about mental illness nor function as a mental health professional. Follow the steps in the Guidebook to help the individual work with a mental health professional.

AVOID LABELING. Always refer to the individual by name. Avoid using degrading labels. For example, people with schizophrenia are at times labeled "schizophrenic." The proper way would be "a person with schizophrenia."

EMOTIONAL CONTROL. Remain positive at all times. The information you hear may be disturbing. If the individual becomes upset control your own emotions.

INSTILL HOPE. Be positive and communicate hope throughout the interviewing process. In almost all situations it is possible to improve the ability to manage a mental illness.

BE PATIENT AND PERSISTENT. Patience, encouragement, and persistence are important. Let the individual with mental illness and the family know you are willing to work with them for an extended period of time.

SET GOALS AND FOLLOW-UP VISITS. Involve the individual in identifying and following through with a professional treatment plan. Monitor the involvement with the professional. Set follow-up visits as needed.