NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) of Connecticut offers a free series of weekly educational classes to family members, partners, and friends of people with a severe mental illness. Newtown Youth & Family Services at 17 Church Hill Road is hosting the 12-week program, titled “NAMI’s Family-to-Family,” starting Tuesday, September 9, from 7 to 9:30 pm.

Carole Hart of Redding and Sally Lukeris of Sandy Hook are the trained co-teachers facilitating the classes. In addition to extensive training, they have personal experience as the caregiving family member of a loved one with a brain disorder.

This perspective allows for increased understanding and empathy of the challenges faced by those attending the class.

Each weekly class is structured to teach participants skills to support their loved one’s recovery, while maintaining their own well-being. General information is given on major depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, borderline personality disorder, panic disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder and co-occurring brain disorders, and addictive disorders.

Class material also covers subjects such as biology of the brain, symptoms of illness, recovery from illness, coping skills, medication review, crisis planning, and advocacy. Guest speakers, experiential exercises, and a resource table round out the format. Each participant receives a manual of class material and handouts for future reference.

Confidentiality is stressed. Participants often speak of the life-changing experience as not just an education, but as a bonding with others.

NAMI, the nation’s largest grassroots mental health organization, is dedicated to improving the lives of people living with serious mental illness and their families. Founded in 1979 by 200 Wisconsin family members, NAMI has become the nation’s voice on mental illness and has a national office plus an office in every state and affiliates in more than 1,100 local communities across the country.

The Family-to-Family educational program was authored by Joyce Burland, PhD, and has been taught to more than 80,000 people in the United States, Canada, and Mexico.

Dr Burland believes both the person with the mental illness and that person’s family or friends have undegone a trauma to their lives. Recovery is expected and achievable for most people with severe brain disorders. Further information about the national organization can be found at www.nami.org.

Support groups and affiliates are located throughout Connecticut and the listings can be found at www.namict.org. There are local affiliates in Fairfield, Trumbull, and Waterbury, to name a few. Newtown has a support group that meets on the third Monday of the month from 9:30 to 11 am at Newtown Youth & Family Services.

Contact Carole Hart at 938-3539 for more information on the Newtown NAMI Support Group. Those wanting to attend the Newtown Family-to-Family class starting September 9, may contact Ms Hart by phone or e-mail, hartanti@aol.com, or Sally Lukeris at lukeris@aol.com or 426-0482.