NAMI offers free mental health education course

NAMI Family-to-Family is a free, eight-session education program for people who love someone with mental health conditions. It provides information about anxiety, depressive disorders, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and other mental health conditions. Other topics covered are communication, problem solving, treatment, and recovery.

The course is designed to increase understanding and advocacy skills while helping participants maintain their own well-being.

The program is taught by trained family members who have a loved one with a mental health condition.

NAMI Family-to-Family is an evidence-based program. For information on the research base for the program, visit nami.org/research.

The class can be taken by: parents, spouses, adult siblings, adult children, partners, or significant others. It will meet on Saturday mornings for eight weeks, from Feb. 11 through April 1, from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at New Life Community Church, 1580 E. Chicago St. in Elgin.

Registration is required prior to the first class, and seats are limited. For more information or registration, email maralee1972@gmail.com.

NAMI, the National Alliance on Mental Illness, is the nation's largest grass-roots mental health organization dedicated to building better lives for the millions of Americans affected by mental illness. NAMI Kane County North is an affiliate of NAMI Illinois.

NAMI Kane County North and its dedicated volunteer members and leaders work tirelessly to raise awareness and provide essential education, advocacy, and support group programs for people in our community with mental health conditions and their loved ones. Visit namikcn.org or www.facebook.com/namikanecountynorth/.