“High Praise by Former Participants Shows Importance of National Alliance on Mental Illness Program”
SANTA BARBARA — Family-to-Family course is a free, 8-session education program designed to help family members understand and support their loved one living with a mental health disorder, to understand and access local resources, all while taking care of themselves.
The course will begin on Wednesday, February 2nd and will cover information on illnesses such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, major depression and other mental health conditions. The class is taught by trained teachers who are also family members that know what it is like to have a loved one struggling with a mental health disorder and is offered through the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), the nation’s largest grassroots mental health organization dedicated to building better lives for those affected by mental health disorders.
High praise by former participants shows the importance of the program. Comments from participants include:
“Teachers were well experienced with situations we deal with – were kind, thoughtful, realistic and sympathetic. Supported each other’s program participation.”
“I really appreciated that the teachers shared their own personal experience with their family members with mental illness. I also appreciated that they validated the participants.”
“Excellent job presenting this material via Zoom!! As a newbie to NAMI, I felt welcome and a part of the group. The leaders were all clear and the content was educational and helpful. Open sharing of their personal experience was enlightening as well. The tremendous amount of helpful information included blew me away!”
“I am seeing that I need to take better care of myself as this is a lifelong journey. It is necessary that I pace myself. I am working on talking about my daughter’s mental illness in order to destigmatize mental illness.”
“This course overall was the single most, without a doubt, helpful and informative thing ever offered in all my years searching for answers… It has helped me to understand better and communicate more effectively with my brother.”
Family-to-Family’s North County presentation will be online via ZOOM. South County presentation will be in a classroom setting, following all County Health Department COVID requirements.
This class was included in SAMHSA’s National Registry of Evidence-based Programs and Practices. Both courses will begin on Wednesday, February 2nd. Pre-registration is required. To register, please email the contacts below:
North Santa Barbara County on Zoom:
Maria Perez, Family Support Specialist
Email: mperez@t-mha.org
South Santa Barbara County in person:
Ramona Winner, Family Advocate
Email: rwinner@mentalwellnesscenter.org
Transitions Mental Health Association (TMHA) is NAMI’s partner in mid and North county. TMHA is a non-profit dedicated to eliminating stigma, promoting recovery/wellness for people living with mental illness in SLO County and Northern Santa Barbara County by promoting work, housing, community, and family support services.
Mental Wellness Center (MWC) is NAMI’s partner in South County. MWC is a nonprofit organization that works to raise awareness around mental health by providing supportive programming, education, and housing in Santa Barbara.
About NAMI — NAMI, the National Alliance on Mental Illness, is the nation’s largest grassroots mental health organization dedicated to building better lives for the millions of Americans affected by mental illness.