The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) will sponsor a free educational course for families of people diagnosed with a serious mental illness. It begins Tuesday, Jan. 6, at 6:30 p.m. Twelve weekly classes will cover information about schizophrenia, the affective disorders (bipolar disease and major depression), obsessive-compulsive disorder and anxiety disorders. Coping skills, basic information about medications, listening and communication techniques, problem solving, recovery and rehabilitation, and self-care around worry and stress are also covered.

The course is open to and designed specifically for parents, siblings, spouses, teenaged and adult children, and significant others of persons with severe and persistent psychiatric disabilities. Class size is limited to 25 people with advance registration required. The course is not appropriate for individuals who themselves suffer from any of the major mental illnesses, unless they are stabilized with treatment and are the parent or caregiver of a mentally ill family member.

For more information or to register, call Daryl at 508-627-5249, or Lori at 508-423-2619 or email namimvy@yahoo.com.