Table 1 Outline of Care4Carers programme

1

Education on harmful substance use and psychoactive substances

To promote a basic understanding of what harmful substance use/substance use disorder and psychoactive substances entail

2

Self-care

To enable carers to assess their own self-care needs and to enhance their abilities to practice self-care strategies

3

Coping strategies/skills

To improve carers’ coping mechanisms and ability to adaptively cope in diverse situations

4

Family life and effective communication

To identify the impact of harmful substance use on family functioning and relationships, and to improve family life and relationships and to acquire/improve effective communication skills

5

Mindfulness

To comprehend what mindfulness implies, to identify the impact of harmful substance use on the carers’ spirituality and to enhance carers’ capability to practice mindfulness

6

Basic financial literacy

To assess the financial impact of harmful substance use on the carer, learn how to manage financial strain and acquire effective financial management skills

7

Life skills (stress management, conflict management, emotional regulation)

To improve carers’ capability to cope with stress, to enhance carers’ conflict management strategies, and to enhance carers’ abilities to better regulate their emotions

8

Establishing social support

To understand social support and the benefits thereof, to determine carers' support needs, empower carers to seek support, and provide information on available support services