Welcome

Welcome to JaniceMBell.com

WELCOME and THANK YOU for visiting my website. I am Janice M. Bell, RN, PhD, a leading international educator in Family Health and Healing and the co-creator of the Illness Beliefs Model.

My life’s work is focused on increasing the capacity of nurses and other health care professionals to care for families who are experiencing serious illness and distress.

* Please check back frequently as new content will be added once the new site is up and running!

Most Recent Blog

Practice Units: Family Systems Perspective to Guide Practice with families experiencing illness

Practice Units (established for education, research and/or service) where a Family Systems approach is used to guide practice with families experiencing illness:

  • Family Nursing Unit, University of Calgary, Canada (1982–2007)
  • Family Therapy Program, Calgary, Canada (1985–2010)
  • Denise Latourelle Family Nursing Unit, University of Montreal, Canada (1993–present)
  • Institute for the Family, Family Therapy Services, Department of Psychiatry, University of Rochester, USA (1970–present) Website: http://www.urmc.rochester.edu/smd/psych/clin_serv/amb_serv/fam_thrpy_serv.cfm
  • Family Nursing Center, University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, USA (1990–1998)
  • Family Focused Nursing Unit (Omvårdnadsmottagning för familjer) Kalmar University, Sweden (2004–present)
  • Family Stress and Illness Program, Behavioral Health Center, The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (2000–present)

This list is not exhaustive but provides a sampling of practice units that I am aware of throughout North America and Europe.

Janice M. Bell, RN, PhD

Future Workshops

June 2, 2009   -   Wright, L.M., & Bell, J.M.
Illness Beliefs Model for Healing Families: Revised and Refreshed. Concurrent Workshop.
9th International Family Nursing Conference
Reykjavik, Iceland.

June 3, 2009   -   Bell, J.M.
Cutting Edge in Family Nursing Interventions. Invited plenary presentation.
9th International Family Nursing Conference
Reykjavik, Iceland.

June 4, 2009   -   Bell, J.M.
Host of the Family Nursing Awards 2009. Gala Dinner at the Pearl Restaurant.
9th International Family Nursing Conference
Reykjavik, Iceland.

September 21-25, 2009   -   Bell, J.M. & Wright, L.M.
Family Nursing Externship, Level I.
Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada.
Click here to download a PDF Brochure.

May 17-21, 2010   -   Bell, J.M. and Wright, L.M.
Family Nursing Externship, Level II.
(Level I Family Nursing Externship is a pre-requisite)
Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada.
Click here to download a PDF Brochure.

Please check back frequently for updates on future workshops and speaking engagements.

Featured Publications


    Wright, L.M., & Bell, J.M. (2009). Beliefs and Illness: A Model for Healing. Calgary, Alberta, Canada: 4th Floor Press.

    For more information visit the book website at www.illnessbeliefsmodel.com.

    To make arrangements to obtain your copy today simply send me an email at jmbell@ucalgary.ca.






    Journal of Family Nursing

    The Journal of Family Nursing is a forum for lively debate and critical dialogue on the nursing of families in health and illness.

    The Journal of Family Nursing is the first periodical devoted exclusively to family nursing bringing you the best in family nursing scholarship from a variety of perspectives.



10th International Family Nursing Conference Announced:


10th International Family Nursing Conference, June 25-27, 2011, Kyoto International Conference Center, Kyoto, Japan. Chair: Dr. Michiko Moriyama (Hiroshima University).

A conference website is currently in development.



About Dr. Bell


I am a nurse educator and registered psychologist who provides international leadership in the field of Family Health with a particular focus on Family Systems Nursing theory, practice, and research.

I am the founding Editor of the Journal of Family Nursing and served as Director (2002-2007) of the Family Nursing Unit, University of Calgary. One of my most rewarding contributions is the co-development of the Illness Beliefs Model, a clinical intervention for reducing illness suffering in families.

My research and clinical scholarship focuses on increasing health care professionals' confidence and competence in collaborating with families experiencing serious illness. One of my research team's projects, “Understanding the process of therapeutic change in Family Systems Nursing Practice”, resulted in the development of the Illness Beliefs Model to guide practice with families.

My colleagues and I have taught this model to thousands of practicing health care professionals, graduate students, and academics in Canada, United States, Japan, Thailand, Hong Kong, Singapore, Iceland, Finland, Sweden, Switzerland, Brazil, Portugal, and Poland.



The Illness Beliefs Model


The Illness Beliefs Model is currently being examined in several research projects in Canada and around the world. I am excited to announce that a newly revised edition is now available! The REVISED Illness Beliefs Model is described in the following book:

          Wright, L.M., & Bell, J.M. (2009). Beliefs and Illness: A Model for Healing.
          Calgary, Alberta, Canada: 4th Floor Press.


For more information on the book please visit the new book website at www.illnessbeliefsmodel.com.



Consultation With Dr. Bell


Email jmbell@ucalgary.ca to request information about sponsoring a workshop, consultation, or training event with Dr. Bell at your agency or in your country. A "Workshop Sponsor's Packet" that includes information about cost, marketing, scheduling, etc. is available upon request.

I offer consultation to families and health care professionals in the following areas:

  • Clinical practice models for family focused care including:
         (Illness Beliefs Model, Trinity Model, Calgary Family Assessment and Intervention Models)
  • Beliefs and illness
  • Mastering the challenges of illness
  • Repairing family relationships
  • Addressing and diminishing illness suffering
  • Family health research
  • Family intervention research
  • Curriculum innovation and program development for collaborative care and practice with families
  • Manuscript development and publication