The fundamentals of caring for you, your family and your child with mental illness

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• The fundamentals of caring for you, your family
  and your child with mental illness
• NAMI North Carolina
• 2008 Annual Conference

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Goals

• To provide caregivers the information they need
  to be effective
• To help caregivers cope with the traumatic impact
  mental illness has on the child and the family
• To provide tools for help caregivers make the
  best decisions regarding care
• To help caregivers take the best care possible of
  their families and themselves

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How does it look?

• Core Program is 6 classes 2.5 hours each
• Taught in consecutive weekly sessions or two
  classes per week or on Saturdays
• Topic specific, stand alone modules to be added

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Content

• Class 1 Introduction Its not your fault,
  mental illnesses are brain disorders
• Class 2 The biology of mental illness getting
  an accurate diagnosis
• Class 3 The latest research on the medical
  aspects of the illnesses advances in treatment

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Content

• Class 4 The impact of the childs mental
  illness on the rest of the family skills
  training
• Class 5 The systems involved with your child
  and the importance of record keeping
• Class 6 Advocacy, self-care, review, sharing
  and evaluation

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Year 1 NAMI Basics States
Year 2 NAMI Basics States
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National numbers as of Oct 5

• 199 teachers trained in 13 states
• 30 classes completed with 41 more underway
• 253 graduates
• First national Train the Trainer Oct 2008
• 14 states on waiting list

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State numbers as of Oct 11

• 15 teachers trained April 2008
• 2 classes completed Charlotte, Sanford
• 17 graduates
• Upcoming classes?
• Teacher training Feb 27, 2009 Forest City

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Techniques used in NAMI Family Education

• Model and path of transformation attainable
• Blame-buster, you cant know what no one has
  told you!
• Re-framing of illness perspective
• Mental illness symptoms are REAL, not just
  behavioral

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Techniques used in NAMI Family Education

• Shift from intense personal focus to group focus
• Demonstration of family strength/individual
  strength
• Essential experience of NAMI Group support
• Using information overload to break through
  long-held stereotypes A Teach-In
• An invitation to let go of Hoping against Hope

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Techniques used in NAMI Family Education

• Linking brain illness to the body consciousness
  raising
• Insight into what your child really needs
• Empowerment through knowledge of medications
• Moving people toward an understanding of their
  childs lived experience
• Normalizing feelings of entrapment and grief

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Life-changing elements of NAMI Family Education
Programs

• Healing from trauma involves placing a
  catastrophic personal event into a fuller life
  perspective, and using the experience to connect
  in a new and meaningful way with others

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Three life-changing elements of the Family to
Family Program

• 2. Consciousness-raising liberates the mind from
  negative stereotypes and reveals what is
  manifestly unjust in the status quo

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Life-changing elements of the Family to Family
Program

• 3. The empowering call to action provides a
  significant way to express these new-found
  strengths in constructive social and political
  change.

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Suggestions from other states

• Go for it!
• Find partners and allies
• Plan for every detail, well in advance
• Advertise
• Use the media
• Develop waiting list
• Close communication loop immediately following
  class

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Getting NAMI Basics to your area

• Teachers apply and attend training
• Support from local affiliate
• What the state office can do to help
• Filling classes
• Optimum class size?

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Brainstorming practices that work

• Bring community stakeholders onboard
• Contact CFAC and local collaborative
• Offer childcare and activities for youth
• Healthy snacks, especially for children
• Target schools serving children with special
  needs
• Other ideas??

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Sample community calendar posting

• Sandhills Center and Lee Harnett Family Support
  announce a free family education and support
  series beginning Saturday, September 13, at the
  First Baptist Church in Sanford. This 6 part
  series is for parents and primary caregivers of
  children and adolescents with emotional/behavioral
  disorders. Registration is required. Contact
  Linda Swann toll free at 800-776-6702 or by email
  yfsandhills_at_mindspring.com

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NAMI Basics Education Program

• For more information contact
• Jennifer Rothman
• Director, NAMI NC Young Families Program
  800-451-9682
• jrothman_at_naminc.org