Discover Your Own Way to Mental Health with Guidance from The National Alliance on Mental Illness
The National Alliance on Mental Illness, or NAMI , is the nation’s largest grassroots mental health organization dedicated to building better lives for the millions of Americans affected by mental illness. Continue reading to gain insight on the organization’s programs and courses.
This spring, NAMI is offering programs to assist families with addressing and understanding their mental health and living their lives to the healthiest. If you have a child with emotional or behavioral difficulties, the NAMI Basics class for parents is available to you as a source of education and support for both you and your child! This free, six week course is offered to parents or family care-givers of school-age children and adolescents who suffer from mental health issues. The curriculum will encompass a wide range of material, including understanding the origin of behavioral difficulties, a biological perspective on mental illness, tools for managing behavioral concerns, and much more. All classes are taught by trained teachers who are also the parents of children with emotional or behavioral difficulties. The course is offered at two locations: Wednesday evenings, 7:00 – 9:30 pm, February 15 – March 22, at New Trier Northfield High School , and Thursday evenings, 7:00 – 9:30 pm, March 2 – April 6, at Lutheran General Hospital, Park Ridge . For more information and to register, call 847-716-2252.
Do you have a loved one living with mental illness? NAMI is also offering a Family-to-Family education program for those who have adult relatives with mental illness. This course will run for 12 weeks and is taught by trained teachers who are also family members of loved ones living with mental illness, and are able to capitalize on both professional and personal experiences. Past attendees have described this one-of-a-kind event as life-changing. The content includes, but is not limited to state-of-the-art information regarding depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety disorders, and schizophrenia. Those in attendance will learn about responses, symptoms, medications and side effects, problem-solving skills, communication techniques, self-care, and availability of local community resources. The program takes place on Wednesday evenings, March 22 – June 7, 7:00 – 9:30 pm at Holy Family of Nazareth Convent, located at 310 N. River Road in Des Plaines. It is free of charge, but registration is required. Please call 847-716-2252.