NAMI Family-to-Family Education Program

Once a week for 8 consecutive weeks and for no charge, families of persons diagnosed with a serious mental illness have the opportunity to learn about the major mental illnesses from trained family members.  The course discusses the clinical treatment of these illnesses and teaches the knowledge and skills that family members need to cope more effectively.  The Family-to-Family (F2F) Program is offered in spring and fall.  For more information or to register, please see information about our Family-to-Family programs below the video.

Family-to-Family Education Program (F2F)

Family-to-Family (F2F) is a course structured to help family members understand and support a relative diagnosed with a serious mental illness while maintaining their own well-being.  The course is taught by trained volunteer family members who know what it’s like to have a loved one with a serious mental illness. F2F is offered as a community service without charge. Registration is Required.

2022 Family-to-Family Courses:

  • We do not yet have a start date for our fall course.  For more information about the course and to join our waiting list, please contact Judy Green at F2FMainLine@aol.com.

For information about courses elsewhere in Southeastern Pennsylvania, click here.

Family-to-Family’s (F2F) 8 Education Modules include:

  • Introduction and learning about stigma toward mental health illness and the impact of mental health conditions on the family
  • Understanding of mental health conditions and preparing for crisis
  • Getting a mental health diagnosis and sharing our stories
  • Overview of mental health conditions
  • Treatment options
  • Communication skills and problem solving
  • Empathy and recovery
  • Moving forward

Testimonial from a Family-to-Family Graduate

At a time of life when I and my family were devastated by a loved one’s diagnosis of paranoid schizophrenia and as we struggled to find information and support in our current communities of family, church, work, etc., we learned about NAMI and by extension, the Family-to-Family Education Program. In retrospect, we see this Program as a literal life saver for ourselves and our family.

In this program, we were thoroughly educated about the mental illnesses, their therapies, and strategies for self-care and that of our loved ones. This experience was enhanced by the variety of facilitators and professionals we were allowed to engage with as well as the other families, all caregivers of the mentally ill, who were in this program. This context made for significant emotional & social support and normalization which helped as much, if not more than the educational materials. Years later, we still periodically meet with this cohort of families which has become an ongoing support community for us.

As often as I have the occasion, I recommend this program.

Submitted by Craig DeLarge, Family-to-Family Graduate

NAMI Basics Education Program

The fundamentals of caring for you, your family and your child with mental illness.
NAMI Basics is a NAMI national signature education program for parents and other caregivers of children and adolescents living with mental illness.  This free six-session course is facilitated by trained teachers who are also parents/caregivers of individuals who developed the symptoms of mental illness in childhood.  The course provides the fundamentals a caregiver needs for themselves, their family, and their child who is living with a mental illness and is available both in person and online through NAMI Basics OnDemand.

Click here to watch NAMI National’s Basics outreach video.