Families with a loved one who has been diagnosed with mental illness can receive education and support from a new Family-to-Family program series beginning in Hays in January.

The 12-week educational program was developed by the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) and is hosted by the NAMI chapter in Hays.  Weekly sessions are taught by a team of trained volunteer family members who know what it is like to have a loved one with a serious mental illness.  The classes are structured to help family members understand and support their ill relative while maintaining their own well-being.

Sessions begin on Thursday, January 8 from 6:30 to 9:00 p.m. and continue on Thursday nights through March 26 at the First United Methodist Church, 305 W. 7th Street in Hays.  The series is free, but pre-registration is required to ensure adequate materials.  Class size is limited to 25 people.

The program will offer help to family members of individuals with bipolar disorder, depression, schizophrenia, borderline personality disorder, panic disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder and addictive disorders.  During the past 16 years, over 100,000 family members in the U.S., Canada and Mexico have completed this course.

For more information, or to register, call NAMI HAYS, 785-625-2847, at the Center for Life Experiences located at the First Presbyterian Church.  More information and a video are available online at www.nami.org/F2F.