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 NAMI Basics Education Program: The fundamentals of caring for you, your family and your child with mental illness.

 NAMI Wisconsin is pleased to announce the addition of a new signature education program for parents and other caregivers of children and adolescents living with mental illnesses. The first training for NAMI Basics teachers will be held in Madison September 26, 27, 28, 2008.

The program was developed around elements that have been extensively tested and found to be highly effective in the field, including:

• Recognition of mental illness as a continuing traumatic event for the child and the family
• Sensitivity to the subjective emotional issues faced by family caregivers and well children in the family
• Recognition of the need to help ameliorate the day-to-day objective burdens of care and management
• Gaining confidence and stamina for what can be a lifelong role of family understanding and support
• Empowerment of family caregivers as effective advocates for their children.

The NAMI Basics course is taught by trained teachers who are the parents or other caregivers of individuals who developed symptoms of mental illness prior to the age of 13 years.

NAMI National lists the goals of the NAMI Basics Program as:

1. To give the parent/caregiver the fundamental information necessary to be an effective caregiver.
2. To help the parent/caregiver cope with the traumatic impact that mental illness has on the child living with the illness and the entire family.
3. To provide tools for the parent/caregiver to use after completing the program that will assist in making the best decisions possible for the care of the child.
4. To help the parent/caregiver take the best care possible of the entire family -- especially themselves.

Registration information for the NAMI Basics Teacher Training will be on our website Calendar as it becomes available.

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