CHICO — The Butte County chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness will sponsor a course for families dealing with loved ones with mental illness.
The free, 12-week course starts today and will continue Wednesdays through Nov. 9 at Enloe Conference Center, 1528 The Esplanade. Classes will go 6:30-9 p.m.
The course, the Family-to-Family Education Program, is provided by the National Alliance on Mental Illness and lead by trained volunteers within the local chapter.
Information will include facts on schizophrenia, mood disorders (bipolar disorder and major depression), panic disorder and obsessive compulsive disorder, coping skills such as handling crisis and relapse; and basic information about medications, listening and communication techniques. It also helps family members with information on problem-solving skills, recovery and rehabilitation and self-care around worry and stress.
The course is designed specifically for parents, siblings, spouses, teenage and adult sons and daughters, partners, and significant others who are caregivers of people with severe and persistent mental illness.
Registration must be done before the class by calling instructors Cathy Gurney 228-7100 or Linda Nelson 343-8012.