Family Support Guidebook
Your how-to guide to set up a virtual family support program, building a marketing place, and using the InterAct Lifeline portal.
Family Support with Virtual Care
Family support plays a pivotal role in an individual's recovery journey providing a foundation of love, understanding, and stability that can significantly enhance the recovery process. Providing virtual options for family provides accessibility and convenience, promotes a sense of community and allows for real-time engagement and meaningful connections. Virtual Care fosters a supportive and collaborative environment conducive to positive growth and healing.
Use this guidebook to structure your program, create a plan to educate and promote it to your families, and understand how the InterAct portal can automate and deliver your virtual care family support program.
Family Support Launchpad
Everything you need to launch a virtual family support program
Program Overview
Virtual family support provides assistance, resources, and guidance to families facing the challenge of supporting their loved ones in recovery and caring for their family members. The program is entirely virtual offering a range of services including content and educational materials, access to support groups, connections to other family members in the program, and optional counseling services. Families receive the help they need on an ongoing basis from the comfort of their homes and on a schedule that works for them.
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Virtual Family Support Benefits
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Extended Support
Families who have loved ones with a substance use disorder can struggle with stress and anxiety. Keep families connected to support longer to help them manage difficult ongoing challenges.
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Accessible & Convenient
Families participate and access resources at their convenience, fitting it into their schedules without the requirement to travel. Virtual care removes barriers to participate for those with transportation or mobility issues.
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Privacy & Anonymity
Individuals that feel discomfort discussing sensitive topics or seeking help in-person find that Virtual Care offers a level of privacy that in-person interactions may not. Participants may find it easier to connect online.
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Range of Resources
Virtual Care offers an expanded array of resources including articles, videos, forums, live chat, support groups, and more. This variety ensures families find the type of support that best suits their needs.
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Cost Effective
Virtual Care is cost effective for programs as well as for family members. Programs do not need a physical location and have minimal staffing requirements. Families don't pay for travel or have to take time off from work.
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Connection to Community
Families struggling to support a loved one and themselves find comfort in connecting to others with similar issues. They can find support in groups, share ideas in forums, and develop important connections.
Marketing the Program
The virtual care portal offers a number of marketing tools that help you promote the Family Support Program. Use email to outreach to a referral audience, invite people to attend a promotional webinar, or send regular updates on activities offered to families.
Use the portal's homepage to offer information about family support and provide them with action items so they can express their interest. Participants in the program will login to engage in activities.
Access the resources below to help you use the technology to automate marketing or provide you with some ideas and tools you can use right away!
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Unlimited Contacts & Emails
Add an unlimited number of contacts to the user database so you can promote the value of your program.
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Custom Emails & Newsletters
Create custom emails or newsletters to engage your audience. Sample emails are already set up for you in the portal.
![](https://redactor-images.s3.amazonaws.com/production/accounts/377/1914638547072670263af2b74f0977ea.png)
Track Email Performance
The email report shows email deliveries, bounced, opens, click throughs and opt outs to help you follow up.
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Social Media
Share any content post on social media and add a Twitter wall to automatically pull in a Twitter feed.
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Modern Website
The LifeLine portal can become a website to promote the Family Support Program from the homepage.
![](https://redactor-images.s3.amazonaws.com/production/accounts/377/2ab103ca65c5402605262cb44b3b70cc.png)
Promotional Webinars
Webinars are a great marketing tool to engage a referral audience and promote the Family Support Program.
Program Structure
As you leverage the virtual care technology, it's essential to have a structured and well-organized program in place. Here are some ideas on the elements to include in the family support program and how to efficiently structure what families have access to on a monthly basis. By following these guidelines, you can optimize their use of the technology, ensuring that families receive the best care and support. This structured approach empowers treatment programs to deliver their services effectively and make the most out of the program.
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Support Groups
Support groups provide a vital space for families to share experiences, gain insights, and find comfort in knowing they are not alone in their journey.
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Discussion Forums
Add a discussion forum to provide a safe space for families to engage in online discussions and receive regular updates on conversations.
![](https://redactor-images.s3.amazonaws.com/production/accounts/377/dd8bc93f3db5e6ef1ac314c8e650b009.png)
Community Features
Add a directory of participants and turn on chat messaging for people to connect with each other.
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Content
Your portal will receive an automated feed of content on family strategies, wellness ideas, and how to support loved ones in recovery.
![](https://redactor-images.s3.amazonaws.com/production/accounts/377/da04fa619230c14a941fb551451d5ea9.png)
Family Therapy
Assign a case manager or family therapist to conduct telehealth sessions that provide individualized help and support.
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Educational Classes
Webinars are a way to offer live and on-demand educational sessions to provide education on important topics.
Administration
The virtual care portal automates the management of participants in the family support program. The member database holds information on your participants, allows you to create a custom experience, and segment outbound email messages. Participants can be added automatically through an application process, individually or uploaded from a file. Assign a case manager to be responsible for program participants so they only manage their member records.
![Touching CRM](https://redactor-images.s3.amazonaws.com/production/accounts/377/4e9dd8dd5b976bdd9e7a3a588dddb72a.jpg)
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Custom Database (CRM)
The member database is pre-set, but you can customize it by adding additional fields or rearranging how fields are displayed.
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Add Program Participants
Add members individually, upload a list or use the built-in application for participants to fill out a form, pay by credit card, and set their password.
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Member Types
Assign participants to "Family Support" as their member type for access to a custom dashboard, content, and sessions specific to the program.
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Member Administrator
Add member administrators and assign participants to them to manage their data, send emails and add events to their member calendar.
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Notes & Files
Add notes and reminders to a member record. Upload files to a record for members to access in their dashboard.
![](https://redactor-images.s3.amazonaws.com/production/accounts/377/be1d5d1e9bf11ac111cc901a022bc655.png)
Reports
Access the member administration or member activity reports and view reports on the site or export into a .csv or Excel file.
Portal Features
The portal has been configured with all the features you need to manage a virtual program for extended care, family support or intensive outpatient programs. The technology is easy to manage and any feature can be changed to meet your individual needs.
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Site Options
Site options help you customize appearance, create directories, add gamification, or add events to member calendars.
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Branding & Customization
Learn how to add custom colors, fonts and buttons. Use the editor to customize pages, dashboards and the home page.
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Administration
The portal automates how you add administrative users and add or manage program participants. Learn more about your administrative options.
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Outreach
The email engine automatically sends site messages, creates custom emails & newsletters and allows you to push out surveys.
![](https://redactor-images.s3.amazonaws.com/production/accounts/377/40bc1934ce60175c004c87f9e79121f0.png)
Content & Sessions
Content is automatically added from a centralized library, but you can add your own as well as add support group or educational sessions.
![](https://redactor-images.s3.amazonaws.com/production/accounts/377/882bfac52420ed87156430922037aaf1.png)
Reports
Access the member administration or member activity reports and view reports on the site or export into a .csv or Excel file.
Additional Resources
Access the content library that gives you additional resources about the value of family support or materials you might use in delivering a family support program.
![](https://redactor-images.s3.amazonaws.com/production/accounts/377/af6cd70186f809370590028dab2df2fa.jpg)