NAMI DuPage is Happy to Receive the
Naperville Jaycee's Distinguished Service Award!
Read below for one of the many reasons the Jaycee's presented NAMI DuPage with the Distinguished Service Award for excellence in
Non-For Profit Organizations.
After feeling increasingly discouraged at managing our 24 yr old Bipolar son through 6 years and 7 hospitalizations, I finally "asked for help". That's what us PhD know-it-all types eventually, infrequently do. It's a cousin corollary to how long it takes a lost man to ask for directions. SO, my former spouse talks me into it, and lo and behold, at my first session, I am totally blown away by the facilitators, one in real estate and the other in some sales job, I think, who show up as incredibly competent and complementary coaches. Sue's the focused information and clarity wizard, and Aileen knows just how to be so humanly present with her own life as well as those mirrored in the room that nobody has any reason to hide or go away unfed--which also speaks to the breadth, depth, and up-to-dateness of the material itself. It was perfectly geared for an audience hungry to know what's behind it all, and anxious to know what to do once they find out. And, thanks to the facilitators, it was always safe to share or just listen.
This is the best peer-to-peer education/support/networking program I've ever experienced or heard of. Hats off to its creators, as well as those courageous enough to dedicate twelve Thursday evenings in a row, again and again, all because they figured out that the best way to "practice what you preach" is to teach what you practice everyday in your own family. The material and context provided a solid, incremental learning curve. It just wasn't enough...but then it never could be. How do you help so many gifted, wounded, and ever-changing hearts, minds, and dreams (both lived and deferred) to be reborn in the face of so many recurrent challenges? How do you guide families to ultimately, and courageously, find their way, and each other, while caring for a brain-injured loved one? You tell them about NAMI, and Family-to-Family. That's how.
It made me cry, then go home and love my son in more effective ways. Thank you, thank you, thank you!
What is Family-to-Family?
Family-to-Family is a free 12-week educational course designed specifically for parents, siblings, spouses, teen-age and adult children and significant others of persons dealing with mental illnesses . . . taught by trained family members with the lived experience. Over 115,000 family members have graduated from this national program.
The 2-1/2 hour class meets for 12 consecutive weeks, and each week's topic builds on the previous topics covered. Therefore, it is important that participants try to attend each class.
(If family members are in crisis and feel the need for support, we would encourage them to attend one of our Family Support Groups before taking the Family-to-Family educational course.)
Home