Nuts and Bolts: NAMI Family-To-Family
Education Course Description
NAMI Family-To-Family Education Program consists of a series of twelve
classes for the families of persons with serious and persistent brain disorders
(mental illnesses). These classes
represent a new concept and curriculum. In
this model, the course co-teachers are family members themselves, and the course
has been designed and written by an experienced family-member mental health
professional. The course balances
education and skill training with self care, emotional support and empowerment.
Important components of the course are:
1.
Information about Schizophrenia, Major Depression, Bipolar
Illness, Borderline Personality Disorder, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD),
and co-occurring Brain Disorders and Addictive Disorders.
2.
Coping skills; handling crisis and relapse.
3.
Listening and communication techniques.
4.
Problem solving and limit setting; rehabilitation.
5.
Understanding the actual experience of people suffering from
mental illness.
6.
Self-care; learning how to recognize normal emotional reactions
among families to chronic worry and stress.
7.
Basic information about medications and their side effects.
8.
Information about connection with appropriate community services
and community supports.
9.
Advocacy; getting better services, fighting discrimination.
The NAMI Family-To-Family Education Program is designed for the
families of persons who have been diagnosed with serious and persistent mental
illness, as well as those who exhibit behavior that strongly suggests such a
diagnosis. The course is not
appropriate for individuals who are themselves suffering from one of these
mental illnesses.
The NAMI Family-To-Family Education Program is Free.
It is sponsored by NAMI Glendale as a community service for families in
many cities and towns across the state. The
program is funded by a grant from LACDMH.
This information is available in a downloadable PDF Format
click here.
To return to the Family-To-Family information page click
here.
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