(Submitted by National Alliance of Mental Illness)
NAMI will sponsor the NAMI Family-to-Family Education Program specifically for families of individuals living with a mental illness. The 12 sessions start in Bowling Green on Monday, March 4, from 6 to 8:30 p.m., at the NAMI Wood County Office, 541 W. Wooster St., Bowling Green.
The course will cover information about schizophrenia, the mood disorders (bipolar disorder and major depression), panic disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder, borderline personality disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD); 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 and mental health professional. The course will be taught by NAMI volunteers who have taken intensive training as course instructors.
“This course balances basic education and skill-training with emotional support, coping strategies and empowerment. We hope families with relatives who are living with a mental illness will take advantage of this unique opportunity” says a NAMI Wood County instructor.
The course is designed specifically for parents, siblings, spouses, teen-age and adult sons and daughters, friends, partners, and significant others who are caregivers of persons with severe and persistent mental illness. The course is not appropriate for individuals who themselves live with a mental illness.
The NAMI Family-to-Family Education course is free. For more information or to register, go to www.namiwoodcounty.org or contact the Director of Programs at the NAMI Wood County office at (419)-352-0626.
