Free course for families struggling with mental illness

Are you supporting a family member or friend who is struggling with mental illness?
The challenges families face when a loved one has a mental illness can be overwhelming. Imagine what it is like to have a family member who is actively psychotic, paranoid, or so deeply depressed that they can’t get out of bed. Or to live with a loved one who has uncontrollable manic swings, who is grandiose and full of energy one minute and then, suddenly in a furious rage?
Families who care deeply for a relative or friend affected by mental illness face a number of burdens, discomforts, responsibilities and fears. Their lives can be shattered by unpredictable episodes of bizarre behaviours and disrupted by prolonged periods of separation due to hospitalization or apprehension by police.
Family members may be emotionally at risk because of their ill relative’s negative mood, lack of awareness and possible conflict within the family. Consequences are extensive and can result in confusion, abuse, economic difficulties, poor social interaction and inadequate coping skills.
Family members routinely comment on how learning about mental illness and coping strategies has dispelled their fears. In the words of one family graduate, “The Family to Family course was filled with valuable, trustworthy information that clarified a lot for me. It was laid out in a clear way that helped me better understand my loved one’s experiences, empathy and communication, various healing paths, and navigating the labyrinth of medical terms and
systems.”
Family to Family is a free, eight-session course for families and friends of individuals struggling with mental illness, and is being offered online on Wednesdays from Oct. 7 to Nov. 25 from 6pm to 8:30pm. It provides information, coping skills and support.
To register and learn more, go to www.pathwayssmi.org/education/family-to-family-course/
Pathways is supported on the Sunshine Coast by the BC Schizophrenia Society, Sunshine Coast Branch and the Canadian Mental Health Association in presenting this course. The facilitators are trained family members living on the Sunshine
Coast.
Submitted by Pathways