DSCC to Sponsor NAMI Family-to-Family Education Course

Dyersburg State Community College (DSCC) will sponsor the NAMI Family-to-Family Education Program for family members and loved ones of persons diagnosed with serious mental illness. The class will start in Dyersburg, Dyer County, beginning February 1, 2024, and will take place over the course of eight weeks.

This free course will cover mental illnesses including mood disorders (Bipolar Disorder and Major Depression), Schizophrenia, Panic Disorder, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, Borderline Personality Disorder, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, and Co-occurring Substance Abuse Disorders. Classes provide coping skills such as handling crisis and relapse, basic medication information, listening and communication techniques, problem-solving skills, self-care strategies, resource development, and hope in recovery and rehabilitation.

The course will be led by volunteers who are care providers and have taken intensive training as course instructors. “This course is a wonderful experience!” says one instructor, “It balances basic education and skill training with emotional support, coping strategies, and empowerment. We hope families with relatives who have a serious mental illness will take advantage of this opportunity.”

The course is designed specifically for parents, siblings, spouses, sons and daughters, partners, and significant others who are caregivers of adults living with severe and persistent mental illness. “It was what I needed exactly when I needed it,” a recent class participant stated.

Pre-registration is required. For more information or to register for the free course, call Sandra Rockett at 731-589-3305.