NAMI Family to Family Education Classes Beginning in May

WALTON – NAMI of Delaware and Otsego will be offering the NAMI Family to Family Education Classes beginning this May.

This course is for families and friends of people who have mental health issues. This course will be held in Walton at the New Hope Community Church Wednesday evenings starting at 6:00 pm beginning May 1, 2024, and ending on June 19, 2024.

The NAMI Family-to-Family course is for families, significant others, and friends of people with mental health conditions. This Program is designated as an evidence-based program by SAMHSA, to help people have a better understanding of mental health illness, increase coping skills, and empowers people to become advocates for their family members and friends.

The course has been written by an experienced family member/ mental health professional and the course will be taught by NAMI-Delaware Otsego family members who have taken intensive training as course instructors.

“This course is a wonderful experience” says instructor Shari Stallone. “It balances basic education and skill training with emotional support, self-care and empowerment. We hope families and friends of people who have a mental health condition will take advantage of this great class. This program is an eight-week series with up-to-date information and tools to help families support their loved ones with mental illness.”

The course will cover information on mental health conditions such as schizophrenia, mood disorders (bipolar and major depression), anxiety disorder, panic disorder and obsessive-compulsive disorder. The course will give families and friends basic information about medications, will share coping skills on how to handle a crisis, will explore listening and communication techniques, will discuss problem solving and confidentiality challenges, will discuss recovery and rehabilitation for loved ones and will provide self-care tips for families and friends around worry and stress.

The course is for parents, siblings, spouses, adult sons and daughters, partners, significant others and friends of persons with mental health conditions. This course is not for individuals themselves who have a mental health condition.

The NAMI Family to Family course is free. Participants must pre-register.

For more information or to register, call Shari Stallone at 607 433-1714 ext. 201, or 607 287-6869 or email at namidelawareco@gmail.com or sstallone@rehab.org to register.