Community Corner
DOES SOMEONE YOU KNOW HAVE MENTAL ILLNESS?
NAMI CT will sponsor the NAMI family to family Education program
specifically for families of person diagnosed with serious mental ilness. The 12 week series of classes will start in Newtown on March 3rd from 7-9.30pm, at Newtown Christian Church , 210 Sugar Street , Newtown , CT.
The course will cover information about schizophrenia, the mood disorders (bi polar disoder and major depression),panic disorder and obsessive compulsive disorder; coping skills such as handling crisis and relapse; basic information about medications ; listening and communication tequniques;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 and the course will be taught by NAMI Carole Hart and Sue Paulsen family member volunteers who have taken intensive training as course instructors.
" This cousre is a wonderful experience!"says instructor Sue Paulsen, "it balances basic psychoeducation and skill training with emotional support, self care and empowerment. we hope families with relatives who have a serious mental illness will take advantage of this unique opportunity."
The course is designed specifically for parents , siblings, spouses, teenage and adult sons , daughters,partners and significant others who are caregivers of persons with severe and persistant mental illness.The course is not appropriate for those who themselves have a major mental illness.
The NAMI Family to Family Education course is free. For more informationor to register, call Carole at 203.240.0936 or hartanti@aol.com.
Sue at 203.744.4497 or suepaulsen@gmail.com.