June 27, 2006 > Family-to-Family Education Course

by Joe Rose

The Alliance for the Mentally Ill of Alameda County will sponsor the NAMI (National Alliance for the Mentally Ill) Family-to-Family Education Program. The program is specifically designed for families of persons diagnosed with serious mental illness. The 12-week series of classes will start in Fremont on Saturday, July 8, from 9 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., in the fellowship hall of a local church.

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-Alameda County family member volunteers who have taken intensive training as course instructors. Co-teachers for the Fremont area will be Joe Rose and Jean Kovach.

This course is designed specifically for parents, sibling, spouses, teen-age and adult children and significant others of persons with severe and persistent mental illness. It is not appropriate for individuals who themselves suffer from one of the major mental illnesses.

The NAMI Family-to-Family Education Course is free. For more information or to register, call Steve Bischoff, NAMI Alameda County office at (510) 835-5010.
www.nami.org.

Family-to-Family Education Course
Begins Saturday, July 8
9 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.