Family-to-Family

Family-to-Family Education Program

Do you have a family member who is living with a mental illness? NAMI Santa Cruz County offers a free, 12 week Family to Family class designed to help you understand and support your loved one, while maintaining your well being.

This class is open to family members, friends, and caregivers of an individual living with a mental illness. There is an enrollment limit of 20 due to classroom size.

The NAMI Family-to-Family Education Program is a free 12-week course for family members of individuals with severe mental illnesses that discusses the clinical treatment of these illnesses and teaches the knowledge and skills that family members need to cope more effectively.

The course is taught by trained family members
All instruction and course materials are free to class participants
Over 115,000 family members have graduated from this nationally acclaimed program

What does the course include?

Current information about schizophrenia, major depression, bipolar disorder (manic depression), panic disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, borderline personality disorder, and co-occurring brain disorders and addictive disorders
Up-to-date information about medications, side effects, and strategies for medication adherence
Current research related to the biology of brain disorders and the evidence-based, most effective treatments to promote recovery
Gaining empathy by understanding the subjective, lived experience of a person with mental illness
Learning in special workshops for problem solving, listening, and communication techniques
Acquiring strategies for handling crises and relapse
Focusing on care for the caregiver: coping with worry, stress, and emotional overload
Guidance on locating appropriate supports and services within the community
Information on advocacy initiatives designed to improve and expand services

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Family to Family

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“Family members who take the NAMI Family-to-Family course are better equipped to work with mental health clinicians in a collaborative manner. My bottom-line recommendation? Take this course. It will help you learn to cope successfully with a major challenge in your life, and that, in turn, will help your loved one as he or she works toward recovery.”

-- Peter Weiden, M.D., author of Breakthroughs in Antipsychotic Medications