Family-to-Family is a free, 8 week educational program for family, significant others and friends (17 years of age and older) of individuals recovering from a mental health condition.  It is a designated evidence-based program, and research shows that the program significantly improves the coping skills and problem-solving abilities of the people closest to

an individual recovering from a mental health condition.  It is taught by NAMI-trained family members who also support loved ones in recovery, and includes presentations, discussion and interactive exercises.

2020 course content 

Class 1: Introduction to NAMI Family-to-Family 

• Introduction to NAMI Family-to-Family 

• Participant introductions 

• Discrimination, stigma and bias toward mental health illness 

• Impact of mental health conditions on the family 

• Predictable emotional responses to the mental health conditions 

Class 2: Understanding Mental Health Conditions and Preparing for Crisis 

• Positive and negative symptoms of mental health conditions 

• The brain 

• Genetics and inherited risks 

• Environmental factors 

• Preparing for and responding to crises 

• Self-harm and suicide 

• Crisis File 

Class 3: Getting a Mental Health Diagnosis and Sharing Our Stories 

• Public and private health care services 

• Challenges when seeking a diagnosis 

• Getting a diagnosis 

• Understanding the diagnosis 

• Advocating for care 

• Reevaluating a diagnosis 

• False beliefs about mental health conditions and violence 

• Sharing our stories 

Class 4: Overview of Mental Health Conditions 

• Holistic health care 

• Cultural sensitivity in health care 

• The difference between episodes and disorders 

• Depressive disorder 

• Bipolar disorder 

• Psychotic episodes and first episode psychosis 

• Schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder 

• Post-traumatic stress disorder 

• Anxiety disorders 

• Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) 

• Borderline personality disorder 

• Co-occurring mental health conditions and substance use disorders 

• Anosognosia: lack of insight 

Class 5: Treatment Options 

• Navigating systems 

• Comprehensive approaches 

• Collaborative care 

• HIPAA: Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act 

• Treatment options 

• Treatment settings 

• Psychotherapeutic interventions 

• Treatment providers 

• Medication 

• Hospitalization and Assisted Outpatient Treatment (AOT) 

• Warning signs of relapse 

• Biomedical approaches 

• Complementary health approaches 

Class 6: Communication Skills and Problem Solving 

• Communication skills 

• Communication guidelines 

• I-statements 

• Reflective responses 

• Problem-solving skills 

• Collaborative & Proactive Solutions (CPS) 

Class 7: Empathy and Recovery 

• Psychological impact of mental health conditions 

• Psychological pain associated with any serious illness 

• Protecting self-esteem with defensive coping strategies 

• Guidelines for offering empathy 

• Historical ideas of recovery 

• Defining recovery 

• The role of rehabilitation in mental health recovery 

• Innovative approaches to rehabilitation 

• Supported employment 

• Recovery is different for everyone 

• Guest speaker 

Class 8: Moving Forward 

• Challenges associated with mental health conditions 

• Family roles and perspectives 

• Talking about difficult emotions 

• Ways to take care of ourselves 

• Celebration and graduation