NAMI Family-To-Family Education Program offered through month of November

Northeast Iowa National Alliance on Mental Illness (NEIA NAMI) Family-to-Family is a free, 12-week course for family members of an older teen or adult living with mental illness. Family-to-Family not only provides critical information and strategies for taking care of a person’s loved one, but attendees will also find out that they are not alone. Recovery is a journey, and there is hope.

The group setting of NAMI Family-to-Family provides mutual support and shared positive impact - one can experience compassion and reinforcement from people who understand mental health situations. Attendees may also help others through sharing their own experience.
In the program, attendees will learn about:

• How to manage crises, solve problems and communicate effectively
• Taking care of oneself and managing stress
• Developing the confidence and stamina to provide support with compassion
• Finding and using local supports and services
• Up-to-date information on mental health conditions and how they affect the brain
• Current treatments, including evidence-based therapies, medications and side effects
• The impact of mental illness on the entire family.

Fall classes are being held Thursday evenings through November 15 from 6-8:30 p.m. at the Northeast Iowa YMCA, located at 313 West Post Street in Postville. The class and materials are provided free of charge, but registration is required. To sign up, contact Susan Friedrich at 563-422-7882 or online at family2familyNEiowa3.eventbrite.com.