The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) will be hosting its first-ever Family-to-Family Education Program in Malibu, starting this month.
Classes are designed to educate and support the family and close friends of those suffering from many types of mental illnesses, teaching them about the biology and research behind mental illness, including medications, as well as problem-solving skills, empathy, communication and how to cope with having a loved one who is struggling with his or her mental health.
Classes, which are free and open to the public, will be offered for 12 consecutive Tuesdays starting June 23, at St. Aidan’s Episcopal Church.
“NAMI is a national grassroots organization,” NAMI Westside-L.A. president Sylvia Thompson told The Malibu Times. “Our mission is to educate, advocate [for] and support individuals with mental illness and their families.
“The ultimate goal is to reduce stigma and help individuals with mental illness and their family members to find resources for better outcomes.”
Thompson, who came to NAMI for provider training in 2009, is one of many people involved in the organization who can personally testify to its effectiveness for those struggling to support a loved one with mental health. Thompson shared that her late mother suffered for decades from mental illness.
“I’d already accepted my mother’s illness, but because of NAMI, I now am grateful I’m my mother’s daughter,” Thompson said, “I’m proud to be her daughter. And that is the gift that NAMI gave me.”
Classes, which run from 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. through Sep. 8, are described as “the most amazing, rewarding, empowering experience family members can go through,” by former NAMI executive director Sharon Dunas.
The Family-to-Family program has also been proven to work.
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration includes the program in its National Registry of Evidence-Based Programs and Practices, which means a scientific study, published in a peer-reviewed journal, has shown that the program produces positive results.
“NAMI is a life-saver … particularly for parents, because when parents have a kid with a mental illness, they tend to blame themselves — ‘how can they get ill on my watch?’ — and they feel very, very guilty,” Dunas described. “Then they could have a deeper feeling than guilt, and feel shame, and that’s really because of stigma, and stigma is so enormous still here in America. There’s just so much stigma if you have a mentally ill relative.”
NAMI Westside L.A. Vice President Rosina Erlich said she is especially glad to see NAMI coming out to Malibu for the first time.
“I’m excited, I’m happy and, most of all, I want to see help for the younger folks,” Erlich said.
Erlich, who became an advocate for the mentally ill after her son became mentally ill and narrowly escaped a jail sentence, said family and community support is the key to mental health.
As a school principal, Erlich said she also recommends Family-to-Family to teachers.
“I’ve been on the other side. I’ve been where if the student isn’t behaving, zero tolerance was my thing,” Erlich remembered. “Oh my God, you cannot have that. You need to be able to work with the kid.
“I tell the teachers, ‘You become the first responders — that’s not your job, but if you see something, a red flag, tell the parent. Make it a priority.’”
Dunas said it’s sometimes the shame and stigma that keep people from even attending NAMI’s free events, which also include support groups, peer-to-peer classes, provider education, and outreach to local high schools and universities, but she said everyone should feel welcome to “drop in and see.”
Thompson agreed.
“The Family-to-Family class is for any family member of someone with a mental illness, or a friend,” Thompson said. “If you are the support for someone with a mental illness, we want you to take the class. We won’t turn anyone away.”
To register, contact Lynn Conrad at lynnlconrad@gmail.com.
