Program for Families With Mentally Ill Relatives Begins Sept. 11
By High Point Enterprise, N.C.
Aug. 30–A free 12-week program for relatives of the mentally ill will begin next month.
Family To Family, a series of 12 weekly classes structured to help family members understand and support their ill relative while maintaining their own well-being, begins Sept. 11, from 7 to 9:30 p.m., and will continue on consecutive Tuesdays.
The course, which is sponsored by the Guilford County chapter of the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill (NAMI), is offered for free, but class size is limited and registration is required.
According to NAMI, Family To Family is designed for family members of close relatives with major depression, bipolar disorder (manic depression), schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder, panic disorder, obsessive — compulsive disorder, and borderline personality disorder.
The course is taught by a team of trained volunteer family members who know what it’s like to have a loved one with a serious mental illness in the family.
In addition to addressing the stigma associated with mental illness, the course also covers such topics as symptoms of mental illness, rehabilitation resources, problem-solving and communication skills, and selfcare for caregivers.
More than 100,000 family members in the United States and Canada have completed the course, according to NAMI, and those who have taken the course report that they understand mental illness better, cope better, worry less and feel better able to care for their ill relative.
To register or for more information, call the NAMI Guilford County Help Line at (336) 370-4264.
More information is also available at www.naminc. org.
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Copyright (c) 2007, High Point Enterprise, N.C.
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