Educational Programs
NAMI-CT offers different educational programs and services for family members, consumers, professionals, and the community.
Learning about mental illness benefits those that have been diagnosed because demystifying your illness may calm any fears you have about it, as well as giving you the tools to manage it. Those with friends or family that have been diagnosed with mental illnesses benefit because it helps them understand suitable ways of helping them. Improving your understanding of psychiatric disorders also helps in the battle of defeating prejudice and discrimination towards mental illness.
The educational programs listed below are for those who have an adult in their life with a diagnosis of mental illness, parents and caregivers with children or adolescent with any behavioral health disorder, and the general public.
These programs include Family-to-Family, NAMI-Basics, and Community Mental Health Workers or Promotores de Salud Mental (Spanish Program).
Family-to-Family:
It is a nationally recognized FREE twelve-week program that provides education on the neurobiological basis of serious mental illnesses, information, resources and support for family members of individuals with serious mental illness based on the lived experiences of other family members. Program is delivered by trained volunteer family facilitators and is available throughout the state on a regular basis.
F2F Classes Winter-Spring 2012
F2F – DANIELSON
Date: Begins, Wednesday, January 18th 2012
Time: 6:30 PM – 09:00 PM
Location: Quinebaug Valley Community College, 742 Upper Maple Street
Danielson, CT 06239 Room W201.
Contact & Registration: Bill & Terri at 860-928-5947
F2F – STORRS
Date: Begins, Monday, January 23rd 2012
Time: 6:30 PM – 09:00 PM
Location: St. Paul’s Church – 1768 Storrs Rd, Storrs, CT.
Contact & Registration: Karen at 860-429-7014- karen.zimmer127@gmail.com or
Carol at 860-423-7601 – howardcarol@charter.net
F2F – NAUGATUCK
Date: Begins, Thursday, February 02nd 2012
Time: 7:00 PM – 09:30 PM
Location: Naugatuck – CT
Contact & Registration: Terrilynn at (203) 881-2707
F2F – FAIRFIELD
Date: Begins Monday, February 13th 2012
Time: 6:30 – 9:00 PM
Location: First Church Congregational
148 Beach Road,
Eliot Room/Library. Fairfield, CT 06824
Contact & Registration: Barbara at 203-984-8251 or Linda at 203-227-0413
F2F – GREENWICH
Date: Begins Tuesday, February 21st 2012
Time: 6:45 – 9:30 PM
Location: Hyde Room, 3rd floor, Greenwich Hospital,
5 Perryridge Road, Greenwich, CT 06830
Contact & Registration: Claudia at 203-869-1018 or
Peter at 203-322-3383/pcase@optonline.net.
F2F – SEYMOUR
Date: Begins Tuesday, February 21st 2012
Time: 7:00 – 9:30 PM
Location: Shady Knoll Health Center
Seymour, CT 06483
Contact & Registration: Terrilynn at (203)881-2707
F2F – MIDDLETOWN
Date: Begins Wednesday, February 29th 2012
Time: 6:30 – 9:00 PM
Location: Connecticut Valley Hospital
Contact & Registration: Meg at 860.754.8404 or
megscata@yahoo.com
F2F – GUILFORD
Date: Begins Monday, February 27th 2012
Time: 6:30 – 9:00 PM
Location: “Guilford Community Center.”
Contact & Registration: Dan & Jeanne at 203.453.2530 or
d.proctor@sbcglobal.net
F2F – FARMINGTON
Date: Begins Tuesday, March 06th 2012
Time: 7:00 – 9:30 PM
Location: Farmington Community / Senior Center. 321 New Britain Ave.
Contact & Registration: Janet at 860-620-7717 or janetb1954@comcast.net
NAMI-Basics:
It is a FREE six-week program that allows families to connect to another while learning about mental illness, its impact on children and adolescents, strategies to deal with schools and providers and tool to empower parents/caregivers to overcome new challenges. This program is for parents and other caregivers of children and adolescents with a diagnosis of mental illness or in the process to get an evaluation with diverse and complex needs.
Winter-Spring Classes 2012
NAMI-Basics-PLAINFIELD
Date: Begins, Thursday, March 22nd, 2012
Time: 6:30 – 9:00 PM
Location: Plainfield Family Resource Center
651 Norwich Road . Plainfield, CT
Contact & Registration: Anne McAuliffe at 860-232-4282, apmcauliffe@yahoo.com or
Deb at 860-916-6094 or Deb.strong19@gmail.com
NAMI-Basics-WATERBURY
Date: Begins, Tuesday, April 24th, 2012
Time: 7:00 PM – 09:30 PM
Location: The Village at East Farms – Waterbury,CT
Contact & Registration: Kim at 203-578-5447
Community Mental Health Workers (CHMW) or Promotores de Salud Mental:
NAMI-CT’s Community Mental Health Workers (CMHW) Program is a peer-based outreach and education project that offers community – based education and tools to parents and caregivers of children or adolescents with behavioral health disorders regarding mental health, children’s mental illnesses, and mental health services available to the Hispanic / Latino community. CMHW services are delivered, for the most part, through an educational program — “Learning Together: Changing Minds” which is a FREE six-week program for Spanish speaking or bilingual parents and caregivers of children and adolescents who have a mental illness.
Fall Classes 2012
Learning Together:Changing Minds Spanish class – Hartford
Date: Begins Tuesday, April 3rd 2012
Time: 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Location: Latino Community Services
617 Park Street Hartford, CT
Contact & Registration: Milagros: (860)-610-9613
Learning Together:Changing Minds Spanish class – Willimantic
Date: Begins Thursday, April 5th 2012
Time: 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Location: Latino Community Services
888 Main Street, Willimantic, CT
Contact & Registration: Marta: (203)-535-4804
Fall Classes 2011
Learning Together:Changing Minds Spanish class-New Haven
Date: Begins Wednesday, July 20th 2011
Time: 5:30 – 7:30 PM
Location: Clifford Beers Clinic
93 Edwards St. New Haven Ct, 06511
Contact & Registration: Rosita at 203-535-8418
In Our Own Voice:
A FREE consumer-run program offering personal testimonials from individuals living with mental health who are in recovery. They share their lived journey with mental illness and recovery. The program is a prime vehicle for NAMI-CT’s outreach and education to lessen the stigma associated with mental illness. Consumer presenters receive a small stipend for each presentation they deliver. Presentations usually run an hour to an hour and fifteen minutes in length.
Peer-to-Peer:
A nationally recognized FREE ten-week consumer-run program for individuals who use mental health services. The program provides education on the neurobiological basis of serious mental illnesses, information, resources, support and coping strategies for various situations that arise based on the lived experiences of consumers in recovery. A team of three trained consumer facilitators delivers the course for which they are given a payment stipend.
Sharing Hope (in the African American Faith Community)
Across the nation, congregations of all denominations bring African American families together and provide emotional support to their members. Researchers have found evidence that African Americans seek help from the clergy more frequently than from other professionals. Mental health issues are no exception. When dealing with mental illness, African American families might look for guidance, support, and understanding from their faith community.It is for these reasons that NAMI has developed Sharing Hope: Understanding Mental Health. The hallmark of this initiative is an interactive educational presentation that aims to decrease mental health stigma in this community, increase awareness of mental health recovery, and to introduce NAMI education and support programs. Contact our Sharing Hope Coordinator for more information: sharinghope@namict.org
Support Groups:
NAMI-CT offers FREE training and statewide support to a diverse network of self-help groups that provide education and support for:
- Families of adults with mental illness
- Parents and caregivers of children and adolescents (NAMI-CAN)
Please visit our Professional/Community Education and For Consumers/People Living with Mental Illness pages for additional educational programs and services offered by NAMI-CT.
