NAMI of Central Virginia will sponsor two Free Family-to-Family Education Programs specifically for families of persons diagnosed with serious mental illness. The 12-week series of Richmond classes take place on Tuesday of each week starting on February 11, 2014 from 6:00 to 8:30 p.m., at St. Mary’s Hospital at 5801 Bremo rd. Richmond, VA. For residents of the Tri-Cities, a class will start in Hopewell on February 18, 2014 from 6:00 to 8:30 p.m., at John Randolph Medical Center (Family Life Center), 411 West Randolph Street, Hopewell, VA 23860.
The course will cover information about schizophrenia, the mood disorders (bipolar disorder and major depression), panic disorder and obsessive compulsive disorder; coping skills such as handling crisis and relapse; basic information about medications; listening and communication techniques; problem-solving skills; recovery and rehabilitation; and self-care around worry and stress. The curriculum has been written by an experienced family member mental health professional and the course will be taught by NAMI family member volunteers who have taken intensive training as course instructors. The co-teachers will be Mike and Pat Francisco.
“This course is a wonderful experience!” says program director Kathy Harkey, “It balances basic psycho-education 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, teen-age and adult children and significant others of persons with severe and persistent mental illness. The course is not appropriate for individuals who themselves suffer from one of the major mental illnesses. NAMI-CVA offers a separate course, Peer-to-Peer education, for individuals who suffer from one of the major mental illnesses.
The NAMI Family-to-Family Education Course is free. For more information or to register, call the NAMI Family-to-Family Education Program Coodinator, Jeff Conley at 804-285-1749 or email jeff.conley@namicentralvirginia.org
