NAMI Southern Maryland’s twelve week Family-to-Family course will begin in Lexington Park on
March 22 . Class will meet every Monday from 7 to 9:30 pm at Trinity Lutheran Church located at 46707 Shangri-La Drive. Those that complete the 12-week course will graduate on June 7. The class is free but seating is limited so registration is required. Call Joe at (301) 481-5733 for more information or to register.
Check this video out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bQOBYVp33Iw
The National Alliance on Mental Illness’ Family-to-Family Education Program is a nationally recognized course of instruction delivered by trained and certified teaching teams who share the experience of having a loved one diagnosed with a serious mental illness. NAMI Southern Maryland has conducted eight courses in the region since the Fall of 2006 with 150 graduates to date.
The program offers participants a wealth of information and materials on the range of serious mental illnesses; including bi-polar disorder, schizophrenia, clinical depression, anxiety disorders including Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder, and co-occurring disorders.
Topics addressed in the 12 week course of instruction also include current research, treatment, medications, and side effects; strategies for emotional and practical support; tools for effective advocacy with mental healthcare and recovery support providers; and interactive workshops on problem solving and communications skills.
For families under stress, the Family-to-Family program provides a safe place to ask questions, discuss mutual issues of concern in a confidential and facilitated environment, and meet other families with shared experiences – often for the first time.
“Whenever a person becomes seriously ill, their family members feel the impact too. In the case of a serious mental illness, family members experience severe stress, shock, grief, depression, stigma and a host of other reactions to their loved one’s situation,” says NAMI Southern Maryland board member and family educator Amy Henderson.
She adds that “NAMI’s Family-to-Family course provides information, skills, support, comfort and hope to people who have a loved one with a mental illness diagnosis. As a student in the Family-to-Family course, and later as an instructor, I was given the tools I needed to cope with the stressful situations my family faced while coming to terms with our loved one’s illness. In fact, I believe that NAMI’s Family-to-Family course saves lives and offers a road to recovery for the whole family in a way that can’t be found anywhere else.”
Henderson stressed that because of limited seating, the free course is offered on a first come first serve basis and that registration is required to reserve a spot in the course. Call (301) 481-5733 to reserve a spot today.