An ongoing wellness relationship begins by understanding the family and agreeing the work. The first 90 days give that relationship a practical foundation: a defined mandate, clear roles, current plans and a rhythm for reviewing what matters.
The structure below describes Family Wellness Office's proposed service design. The actual tasks, participants, staffing, availability and review dates are agreed for the family. The purpose of the timeline is to make the process understandable and the work reviewable as the relationship develops.
Days 1–15: understand the family and agree the mandate
Start with the reason the relationship is being considered. Ask what the family wants to accomplish, what the participating individuals want and which responsibilities an advisor is being asked to carry. Identify the person commissioning the engagement and the people whose participation is appropriate and agreed.
Map the existing advisory circle: family office leadership, counsel, fiduciaries, treating professionals and other relevant support. Record each person's actual role and the questions they are responsible for answering. Separate an immediate coordination request from a longer-term priority so both can receive the right attention.
The first work products are an engagement scope, a role map and an initial action register. The register records tasks that people have accepted, with any dates they have agreed. An unanswered question remains a question until responsibility for the next step is established.
Days 16–30: build plans people can use
Develop the family wellness mandate into a concise charter. It should connect shared priorities with the advisor's responsibilities, the people involved, communication arrangements and a review schedule. Where individual implementation support is agreed, create a separate plan around that person's goals and the recommendations of their responsible professionals.
SAMHSA's family navigation guide recognizes that family members can have different roles and experiences. The shared charter and individual plans give those differences a practical place in the engagement.
If the work includes finding a provider, prepare a consistent question record. NIMH recommends asking about experience, approach, duration, insurance and cost. SAMHSA's quality-treatment questions add credentials, family involvement and broader supports. Record answers, their sources and what still needs clarification.
Days 31–60: carry the plan into arrangements
A recommendation becomes usable through a sequence of confirmations. Who is receiving the request? Has the appointment or service scope been confirmed? Which records are actually required? Who owns the next practical task? What question should return to the treating professional or counsel?
Use an original handoff record with these fields:
- Recommendation or agreed task:
- Responsible receiving person or organization:
- Scope, appointment or arrangement confirmed:
- Documents requested and approved channel:
- Practical responsibility accepted:
- Outstanding question and appropriate professional:
- Confirmation received and next review date:
Establish the purpose and recipients of updates before distributing them. An appointment confirmation, an invoice and a clinical record serve different purposes. HHS's information-sharing guidance is a primary reference for the permission questions to resolve with the responsible people and providers.
The operational review asks whether agreed arrangements have happened and what is needed next. Clinical decisions remain with the licensed professionals providing care; legal decisions remain with retained counsel and the relevant decision-makers.
Days 61–90: review the relationship and set the continuing rhythm
Bring the participating people together at the level appropriate to the discussion. A family-office review may address the mandate, coordination work and upcoming decisions. An individual review may address that person's implementation plan with the participants they have agreed. The agendas need not contain the same information.
Review the engagement against its scope. Which responsibilities are active? Which arrangements have been confirmed? What has changed? Does the current coordination intensity fit the work? Update the plan and identify the next review points.
The resulting 90-day record should show the current mandate, accepted responsibilities, confirmed contacts, open questions and the proposed rhythm for the next quarter. It should preserve what was learned without claiming that a completed coordination task establishes a clinical outcome.
An original 90-day review agenda
- Which family priorities remain current?
- What do participating individuals want reviewed?
- Which agreed actions and handoffs are complete?
- What requires a clinician, counsel or fiduciary decision?
- Which communication arrangements need updating?
- What transitions are approaching?
- Which responsibilities should continue or change?
- What dates and participants are agreed for the next reviews?
The relationship continues as life changes
An ongoing mandate holds attention across appointments, education, recovery, changing relationships and generational transitions. Regular reviews keep the plan connected to the family's present circumstances. Quieter periods can be used to prepare, refine responsibilities and make space for the individuals' goals.
Our services describe the work an engagement can carry. For advisors explains how the relationship connects with the trusted professional circle.
Begin a conversation about your family's priorities.