F2F Classes

Fall 2011 Family2Family Classes

SPECIAL THANKS TO

Anne Arundel Medical Center

Health Sciences Pavilion, 7th Floor

Annapolis, MD  21403

We learned about the brain…

We learned coping skills and had Guest Speakers.

      

Author Kurt Snyder  captivated the class with his story of recovery.

Vice President Johanna Snyder visited to promote Advocacy Day in January 2012.

Treasurer Mary Ellen McMillin came by with lots of information about

NAMI Support Groups for families in Anne Arundel County.

Kurt Snyder and his dad, Jerry did a dual presentation

about Kurts past struggles with schizophrenia

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And Jim Pavle, Executive Director of the Treatment Advocacy Center came.

He helped the class to understand voluntary and involuntary treatments 

for the mentally ill.  

Jim explained AOT (Assisted Outpatient Treatment) which allows 
the court to order treatment for the mentally ill without a crime 
being committed. The class had already learned that NAMI supports 
ACT (Assertive Community Treatment) which requires a mentally ill 
person to agree to before receiving coordinated care.

Finally… F2F Class members learned first hand how to advocate in various ways for the mentally ill and mental health reform.

The Free 12-week F2F class ended with these kind of comments from the 17 class members:

… I feel better prepared for crisis.

… comprehensive, understandable information, great resources.

… I think it has been very educational and informational, especially, in regards to each of the disorders.  It’s eye opening and enlightening; a great resource.  I’ve told many family members and friends about F2F.

… Has provided useful information.

… Better understanding of son’s illness and of my response to it/him. I am able to deal with it/him.

…Great! Helpful! Caring! Supportive!

… Worth it. Combined info and connection with other families. Motivated to help/support others.

... It helped with awareness. Didn’t expect the reading. Really appreciated guest speakers.  Good to know that other families have similar stories. Glad I took the course.

… Learning others have the same issues makes things tolerable but complicated.

… Thorough presentation; very good experiential components. Connected to other families dealing with similar issues.

… This course was wonderfully helpful.  Thank you.  Thank you.  Thank you.

AND please know that your co-teachers (Gloria & Denise & Ray) thank all of those we taught in 2010 and 2011.  We learned much from you and about ourselves.  Thank You! Thank You!

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Here’s more of what we learned Class by Class.

Fall 2011  Family2Family Classes #1-#11

 September 20-Dec. 6, 2011.

Anne Arundel Medical Center, Health Sciences Pavillion

More than 20 adult relatives with loved ones suffering from mental illness signed up to take the free classes to learn more about what’s going on in the brain.  Five sets of couples had a chance to examine the impact of mental illness on their relationship; others looked at the impact on themselves, their family members, and others.

Classes 1-4 covered the different types of brain disorders  and the latest research on the brain. NAMI Anne Arundel County Board Member Roz Dove officially greeted the class members in session #3 and answered questions about the local affiliate.

F2F Class 5 (10/16/2011) focused on developing Problem Solving Skills.  The co-teachers stressed that the hardest part, often, is defining the problem or stress mental illness is causing.

F2F Class #6 Guest Speaker:  Mary Ellen McMillin visits to talk about the two Support Groups she facilitates in Anne Arundel County.

The subject for Class 8  was Developing COMMUNICATIONS Skills. How do we communicate with people who have broken brains?  What is it called when your loved one doesn’t recognize or admit the presence of a mental illness? How can you communicate with someone diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder, Depression, Schizophrenia, etc.?  Dr. Amador says the first step is to LISTEN.  His L.E.A.P. approach to treating those who deny having a mental illness is widely respected.

Class 9 focuses on the OBJECTIVE & SUBJECTIVE BURDEN of caring for mentally ill relatives.  The truth?  It’s a tiring, scary, unpredictable, and anxiety-ridden experience.  But we also learned that grief and gratitude are also both sides of the same coin.  It’s okay to get angry.  It’s okay to be sick of the whole experience.  It’s all part of the grieving process.

We mourn what we and our loved ones have lost; yet, we are grateful for good moments when they occur and for ultimately the willingness to love what is in our relationships.  That is to say, we are also grateful for the growth we experience and the understanding we acquire about what is going on with our relatives with mental health issues.

THANK YOU… to volunteers who came by and encouraged us with with their stories.

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REVIEW OF

SPRING 2011  F2F CLASSES

Baltimore Washington Medical Center

Glen Burnie, MD

Our Class 9 (spring 2011) guest speakers – Micki and Simon – were awesome!

… They took us on their long journey from strangeness to sanity as they   tried to figure out what was going on in the mind of a young relative.        They described the bizarred behavior, delusions, manic episodes, etc.    As physicians they revealed that they ultimately learned more from  NAMI’s F2F course than they had in medical school about mental  illness.  The pair also shared the affect of mental illness  on each other,    their loved one, and other family members.  We saw hope when they  revealed that medicine and treatment work, that they are now less  involved after four years of coping, and that their loved one is working  full-time and taking medication on a consistent basis.

  Question:  What breakthroughs, if any, did you and others experience in your small groups when you discussed the affect of  having mentally ill relatives on your relationships within and outside of your family?

Listen to Simon:

Navigating the mental health care system is often nerve wracking because the system is not really a system… family members are typically excluded by mental health professionals in the name of privacy.  But when individuals, especially young ones, are experiencing brain disorders, isn’t it cruel punishment to exclude the very people who are mentally charged with taking care of them?

The medical and social models for treating broken brains is not exactly in alignment with reality int he 21st Century.  Our guest speakers and family members are living testaments of the struggles unpaid caregivers of the mentally ill must endure.

Question:  In what ways has the mental health care system worked or not worked for you and your loved ones with mental health challenges?

Spring 2011 CLASS 11:  STIGMA & ADVOCACY

Five Former F2F class members stopped by to talk about their battles with stigma for their loved ones.  They shared what the F2F Education Program did for them and how it encouraged them to take on the role of Advocacy.  And before the break for food brought in by class members Marie and John… 

   

 

the class also  listened to the Executive Director of  Arundel Lodge – Mike Drummond –  explain how the stigma of people   with mental health issues is met head on.  

Drummond says those who use the Lodge on a daily basis, not only challenge stigmas but are actively engaged in learning how to function at a higher level in the community.