The NAMI Family-to-Family Program is a free, 12-week course for adult family members of individuals with severe mental illnesses.
Schizophrenia, Major Despression, Bipolar disorder (manic depression), Panic Disorder, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, Borderline personality disorder and Co-occurring brain disorders and addictive disorders.
Family members of people with serious mental illnesses often experience considerable worry, stress, and the need for information and support as they try to assist their ill relatives and adjust to the changes that serious mental illness brings to the family unit.
12 Topics in 12 Weeks
1. Learning about our feelings, learning about facts.
2. Schizophrenia, major depression and mania: diagnosis and dealing with critical periods.
3. Subtypes of depression and bipolar, panic disorder and OCD; diagnosis and causes; sharing our stories.
4. The biology of the brain and new research.
5. Problem solving workshop.
6. Medication review.
7. Empathy workshop – what it’s like to have a brain disorder.
8. Communication skills workshop.
9. Self-care and relative groups.
10. Rehabilitation services available.
11. Advocacy – fighting stigma.
12. Review and certification ceremony.