The Alliance for the Mentally Ill of St. Lawrence Valley is offering the NAMI Family-to-Family Education Program beginning Sunday, Sept. 11.

The program is a free 12-week course taught by trained NAMI members who have lived with the experience of having a family member become seriously mentally ill.

This course offers education and support for family members and friends of people with mental illness. It is not recommended for the individual with mental illness, unless that person also has a family member who is ill.

This course concentrates on the knowledge and skills that families and friends need to cope more effectively with the illness of their loved ones.

Topics for each week include:

• Introduction & sharing stories.

• Schizophrenia, depression, etc.

• Mood & anxiety disorders, etc.

• Basics about the brain

• Problem-solving skills

• Medications

• Inside mental illness—the subjective experience

• Communications skills

• Taking care of yourself

• The vision & potential of recovery

• Advocacy, Review & Celebration

Each class lasts about two and-a-half hours.

Classes will be held in the Unity Center, formerly Unity Chapel, on the grounds of

the St. Lawrence Psychiatric Center. This is a separate building and does not involve going into the psychiatric center itself.

The time is set for 3 p.m. on Sundays in hopes that people can escape family, church and job responsibilities as the weekend closes.However, the time and place are open to change after group discussion at the first class.

Many participants describe the impact of this program as “life-changing.”

In 2005 and 2006, Alliance for the Mentally Ill of St. Lawrence Valley President Lynn Matott says, she and her daughter three sets of classes and the response was gratifying. "Every participant said they wished they had known this information when their family member first became ill."

You may contact Matott at 287-9180 or Jenny at 244-5933 and leave a message for more info, or email namislv@gmail.com, or call (800) 950-3228.

If you cannot attend this fall or in Ogdensburg, you may call Matott so that she can plan a future class with your location in mind.