|
NAMI Ontario provides free education
and support for families that have members suffering from mental illness such as depression, bipolar disorder and
schizophrenia.
At various times during the year NAMI Ontario runs a 12 week course at a
number of locations in Ontario for persons who have family members
who are suffering from mental illness. The course is provided
at no cost to the participants and is conducted by volunteers
(people who also have family members suffering from mental
illness) who have been trained to present the curriculum.
Please note that NAMI also offers a
Providers Course which is structured to help service providers
understand and obtain a broader knowledge of mental illness. To learn
more about the Providers Course and when and where it is being held
click here.
The NAMI Family-to-Family Education Program
The NAMI Family-to-Family Education course has been designed and
written by an experienced family-member mental health professional.
The course follows a set curriculum which balances education and
skill training with self-care, emotional support and empowerment.
Important components of the course are:
- Our emotional responses to the trauma of mental illness
- Symptoms and diagnosis of common mental illnesses: Schizophrenia,
- Depression, Bipolar Illness (Manic
Depression), Borderline Personality Disorder, Panic Disorder,
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD).
- Getting through Critical Periods of
Crisis
- The biology of the brain, and new research.
- Medications used to treat mental illness, and their side
effects.
- Problem solving and limit setting; rehabilitation.
- Coping skills; handling crisis and relapse.
- Understanding what it's like to have a mental illness.
- Listening and communication techniques.
- Self-care; recognizing the normal emotional reactions to chronic worry and
stress caused by mental illness.
- Connecting with appropriate community services
and community supports.
- Advocacy: Getting better services, fighting discrimination.
The NAMI Family-to-Family Education Program is designed for the
family members of people who have been diagnosed with schizophrenia,
major depression, bipolar illness, (manic depression), panic disorder or
obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), or who exhibit behaviors that
strongly suggest one of these diagnoses. The course is not
appropriate for individuals who are themselves suffering from one of
these mental illnesses.
The course is not designed for families whose relative's primary
diagnosis is that of addiction or substance abuse. It does discuss these
issues in the context of concurrent diagnosis (someone with a mental
illness who also has a substance abuse or an alcohol problem).
|
