NAMI series helps families cope with mental illness

NAMI Kane County North will sponsor the NAMI Family-to-Family Education Program specifically for families and friends of persons diagnosed with a serious mental illness.

The 12-week series will be from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Saturdays, Feb. 11 to April 28, at Provena St. Joseph Hospital, 77 N. Airlite St., Elgin.

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 care professional, and the course will be taught by NAMI Kane County North family member volunteers who have taken intensive training as course instructors. The co-teachers for the Elgin area will be Lachell Jeffries-Hanson and Laurie Huske.

This course balances psychoeducation and skill-training with emotional support, self-care and empowerment.

Families with relatives who have a serious mental illness are encouraged to take advantage of this opportunity.

The course is designed specifically for parents, siblings, spouses, teenage and adult sons and daughters, partners and significant others who are caregivers of persons with a severe and persistent mental illness.

The NAMI Family-to-Family Education Course is free, but class size is limited, so registration is required. For more information, or to register, call Laurie Huske at (847) 347-5540, or Lachell Jeffries-Hanson at (224) 325-8838.