National alliance brings mental illness coping class

The National Alliance on Mental Illness will sponsor the NAMI Family-to-Family Education Program specifically for families of people diagnosed with serious mental illness.

The 12 sessions start in Kalispell on Wednesday, Sept. 2, from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Gateway Community Center, in the Activity Center, Room 26, 1203 U.S. 2 W. Kalispell.

The course will cover information about schizophrenia, the mood disorders (bipolar disorder and major depression), panic disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder, borderline personality disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD); coping skills such as handling crisis and relapse; basic information about medications; listening and communication techniques; problem solving skills; recovery and rehabilitation; and self-care around worry and stress.

The curriculum has been written by an experienced family member mental health professional and the course will be taught by NAMI family member volunteers who have taken intensive training as course instructors.

The co-teachers for the Kalispell area will be Julie Doyle, Eileen Lowery and Colleen Konopatzke. “This course balances basic education and skill-training with emotional support, coping strategies and empowerment,” Konopatzke said. “We hope families with relatives who have a serious mental illness will take advantage of this unique opportunity.”

The course is designed specifically for parents, siblings, spouses, teenage and adult sons and daughters, partners and significant others who are caregivers of persons with severe and persistent mental illness. The course is not appropriate for individuals who themselves have a major mental illness.

For more information and to register, contact Doyle at 406-854-2323; Lowery at 406-253-7880; or Konopatzke at 406-250-3795.