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NAMI invites county residents to Family-to-Family class

Lodi News-Sentinel (CA) - 9/1/2015

Sept. 01--Anyone who lives with a mental illness knows how difficult it can sometimes be. Family members and close friends face challenges too, including struggling with when and how to support the people they care about.

That's why the San Joaquin County chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness is offering a free 12-week Family-to-Family course on coping with mental health challenges.

The goal is to provide families with a support system and let them know that they're not alone.

"You bring people together who have a common experience and then something kind of miraculous takes place," said Ron Shaw, volunteer coordinator for NAMI San Joaquin County.

The evidence-based program guides families through learning about depression, bipolar disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, schizophrenia and other mental illnesses. This helps families get a better idea of what their loved one deals with daily, Shaw said.

The course also teaches self-care and coping tips, helps families find support on local services and learn about medications, and lets participants practice problem solving and listening skills.

During the course, families often bond and form cohorts with their classmates, keeping in touch after the course is over, Shaw said. Others begin attending one of NAMI's family-based support groups.

At the end of the program, NAMI helps families find support and resources -- and not just those offered by NAMI.

The free course will be held from 9:30 a.m. to noon each Saturday, beginning Sept. 12, on the second floor of 530 W. Acacia St., Stockton. For more information or to register, email Elizabeth Hess at emhess@msn.com or call 209-468-3755.

For more information about NAMI San Joaquin County, visit www.namisanjoaquin.org.

Contact reporter Kyla Cathey at kylac@lodinews.com.

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(c)2015 the Lodi News-Sentinel (Lodi, Calif.)

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