Are you dealing with a mental health challenge in your family? An extremely valuable and life changing in-person summer course in Ithaca is now open for registration with the Finger Lakes chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness.

NAMI’s eight-session Family-to-Family program will run on Wednesday evenings from 5:30–8:00 p.m. from July 23 through September 10.

Click here to REGISTER for the free course.

The course is for family members, partners or friends with a relative or loved one with a mental health condition, even if the condition is not diagnosed. It is taught by trained family members of people with a mental health condition.

The course offers insights into the impact mental health conditions have on the entire family, combats discrimination, and promotes healing.

It is designed to help family members and friends understand and support their loved one while maintaining their own well-being.

Participants improve their self-care and communication skills, learn problem-solving techniques, and how to better advocate for their family member.

Among the skills participants learn:

• How to solve problems and communicate effectively

• Taking care of yourself and managing your stress

• Supporting your loved one with compassion

• Finding and using local supports and services

• Up-to-date information on mental health conditions and how they affect the brain

• How to handle a crisis

• Current treatments and therapies

• The impact of mental health conditions on the entire family

Multiple research studies have shown that participants in the NAMI Family-to-Family course:

• Demonstrate significantly greater overall empowerment as well as empowerment within their family, the service system and their community

• Possess greater knowledge of mental illness

• Maintain higher rating of coping skills

• Experience lower ratings of anxiety related to being able to control conditions

• Have higher reported levels of problem-solving skills related to family functioning.

For more information, email: support@namifingerlakes.org.

Click here to REGISTER