Free NAMI Basics classes to be offered for parents
By Beth Ranagan
NAMI Piscataquis
County President
Caring for a child with a diagnosed or emerging emotional or behavioral disorder can be challenging at best, especially without a strong support system, knowledge about available treatments, and self-care techniques. As a speech-pathologist working with families and children, I witnessed the significant difficulties that parents, foster parents, and grandparents encounter raising children with mental health disorders. As a support group leader for NAMI Piscataquis County, I observe regularly the need, not only for support, but for education and advocacy training for caregivers experiencing their own personal pain and anguish as they try to help their children.
Realizing that knowledge is power, the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) developed NAMI Basics, a course for parents and primary caregivers of children up to 18 with mental health challenges. These free classes begin on Sept. 8 and run for six consecutive Thursdays, 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the Guilford Memorial Library.
Some of the brain disorders addressed in NAMI Basics are attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder, oppositional defiant disorder, depressive disorders, bipolar disorder, disruptive mood dysregulation disorder, anxiety disorders, schizophrenia, obsessive compulsive disorder, substance abuse disorders and anxiety associated with autism spectrum disorder. Other mental health disorders that children and adolescents may experience are post-traumatic stress disorder, separation anxiety, borderline personality disorder, anorexia, bulimia, reactive attachment disorder and Tourette’s syndrome.
Parents and other primary caregivers of children with mental health disorders face their own overwhelming difficulties of social stigma, challenging family dynamics, navigating the mental health and educational systems, and crises inherent in the disorders. Classes are designed to help parents with their own well being through understanding and support.
Classes cover the biology of mental health disorders, getting an accurate diagnosis, treatment options, communication skills, tips for handling difficult behavior, crisis preparation and response, the mental health system services, the juvenile justice system, the school system services and advocacy. Class activities will include role play, lecture, storytelling and support within the class community. This course is packed with in-depth information to help parents understand and cope with frustrations and trauma when there are mental health challenges in the family.
I am delighted to announce that Roy Ulrickson, III, LMSW of Dexter will be teaching NAMI Basics with me. Ulrickson is particularly well-suited to teach NAMI Basics because his older son has a mental health diagnosis. It has been his personal and professional mission to educate and advocate for families with special needs children and has educated and supported children in preschool and public school settings for the last decade. Ulrickson, coordinator of Project Aware at NAMI Maine, promotes, coordinates, and conducts Youth Mental Health First Aid trainings in Piscataquis County and other areas of the state.
NAMI Basics is one of NAMI’s signature education programs that is peer-directed and based on the trauma model of education, which fosters healing, consciousness-raising, and empowerment. Class instructors are trained at NAMI Maine in Augusta.
NAMI Piscataquis County, an affiliate of the National Alliance on Mental Illness and NAMI Maine, has served individuals from Piscataquis, western Penobscot, and portions of Somerset counties. through its support group and periodic educational classes, which are usually held evenings at Mayo Regional Hospital. The affiliate is thankful for the daytime space offered to it by Heidi Dow, librarian, at the Guilford Memorial Library so that this course can be brought to the tri-county area.
If you would like to register for this course or get more information, please call 924-7903.