NAMI Lansing will sponsor the NAMI Family-to-Family Education Program specifically for families of persons diagnosed with serious mental illness. The 12-week series of classes will start in on May 14, 2009 from 7:00 to 9:30 p.m., at Clinton County Counseling Center, 1000 Sturgis St St. Johns Michigan.
The course will cover information about schizophrenia, the mood disorders (bipolar disorder and major depression), panic disorder and obsessive compulsive disorder; coping skills such as handling crisis and relapse; basic information about medications; listening and communication techniques; problem-solving skills; recovery and rehabilitation; and self-care around worry and stress. The curriculum has been written by an experienced family member mental health professional and the course will be taught by NAMI family member volunteers who have taken intensive training as course instructors.
“This course is a wonderful experience!” says instructor Greta de Wolf, a coleader. “It balances basic psychoeducation and skill-training with emotional support, self-care and empowerment. We hope families with relatives who have a serious mental illness will take advantage of this unique opportunity.”
The course is designed specifically for parents, siblings, spouses, teen-age and adult children and significant others of persons with severe and persistent mental illness. The course is not appropriate for individuals who themselves suffer from one of the major mental illnesses.
The NAMI Family-to-Family Education Course is free. For more information or to register, call 517 484-3404 and leave your name, address, phone number, and request to be registered for Family to Family. NAMI Lansing is a non profit affiliate of the National Alliance on Mental Illness. See www.nami.org for more information.
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