MORRIS-We Care of Grundy County will be hosting a NAMI (National Alliance on mental illness) Family-to-Family class taking place at 530 Bedford in Morris starting March 29. The class will meet every Tuesday night from 6:30 p.m.-8 p.m. for eight weeks.

NAMI Family-to-Family is a free, 8-session educational program for families, significant others, and friends of people with mental health conditions. It is a designated evidenced-based program. This means that research shows that the program significantly improves the coping and problem-solving abilities of the people closest to a person with a mental health condition.

Family-to-Family is taught by NAMI-trained family members who understand the needs of those taking the class because they too have been caretakers of a loved one with a mental illness. The program includes presentations, discussions, and interactive exercises.

“This is a life changing program for people who are taking care of a loved one with mental illness,” said Eric Fisher, Executive Director of We Care of Grundy County, “we started offering this program in partnership with NAMI in 2019 because there is such a need for these kinds of resources. Learning that you are not alone and learning from people who have been in the same situation as you, is what makes this program so powerful. There really is hope and this program helps people find that hope.”

The group setting of NAMI Family-to-Family provides mutual support and shared positive impact, while participants learn how to solve problems and communicate effectively, take care of themselves and manage stress, support their loved ones with compassion, find and use local supports and services, up-to-date information on mental health conditions and how they affect the brain, how to handle a crisis, current treatments, and therapies and the impact of mental health conditions on the entire family.

Meals, snacks, and childcare are provided. We Care partners with NAMI Will/Grundy andMorris Hospital Foundation to make this program possible.

To register for this NAMI Family-to-Family, please call 815-942-6389 ext 4.