NAMI week 1
We had our first Family to Family class tonight, or a we call it NAMI Class (NAMI stands for National Association for the Mentally Ill which is the organization that puts it on.) As the name implies it is a class/support group for people who have family members who are mentally ill. The companion model, as we call it, tries to find a balance between clinical care of doctors and nurses and family life. We are not doctor's or nurses, or social workers or anything of the sort, and yet we are not their family either, it is a delicate balance. It should be said, that the this program (the house that is, not the family to family class) is unique in the entire country. We are creating an entirely new mold, which is one of the reasons I feel so privileged to be a part of this.
But the reason I started typing this, isn't to talk about the house, it's to talk about the class. It felt very strange for me. I don't have a family member suffering with a mental illness, I am the family member struggling with a mental illness (I can admit it). The most awkward part was listening as people shared who their loved one was. There were multiple adults with young adult children suffering from major depressive disorder... I felt like i was listening in on my own parents.
It also felt weird because being companions makes us quasi celebrities in situations like this. Everyone wants to ask questions and stuff. I've spent my entire life avoiding attention! I think I handled it well though, and i didn't come off like a stuttering idiot! Infect i think i came off as rather confident and competent! And the funny part was it wasn't scary! It was just weird.
We went over a list of skills that people loose when they are struggling with a mental illness, and i started giggling because of the number of things on the list that i had never had before that i have now!This was very reassuring, especially after the panicky "What if things aren't going as well as I think they were" moment i had this morning.
But the reason I started typing this, isn't to talk about the house, it's to talk about the class. It felt very strange for me. I don't have a family member suffering with a mental illness, I am the family member struggling with a mental illness (I can admit it). The most awkward part was listening as people shared who their loved one was. There were multiple adults with young adult children suffering from major depressive disorder... I felt like i was listening in on my own parents.
It also felt weird because being companions makes us quasi celebrities in situations like this. Everyone wants to ask questions and stuff. I've spent my entire life avoiding attention! I think I handled it well though, and i didn't come off like a stuttering idiot! Infect i think i came off as rather confident and competent! And the funny part was it wasn't scary! It was just weird.
We went over a list of skills that people loose when they are struggling with a mental illness, and i started giggling because of the number of things on the list that i had never had before that i have now!This was very reassuring, especially after the panicky "What if things aren't going as well as I think they were" moment i had this morning.