Parish partners with NAMI to hold monthly family support group

SS. Isidore and Maria Parish Mental Health Ministry is partnering with the Connecticut Chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) to offer a free, confidential, peer-led family support group for any adult with a loved one who has experienced symptoms of a mental health condition.

This family support group meets in-person on the second Wednesday of each month from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. in the main classroom of the educational wing of St. Paul Church, 2577 Main Street, Glastonbury, CT. Parishioners and NAMI-certified group facilitators Thomas Burr and Sheila Hummel co-lead this group, which is open to the general public.

NAMI support groups are unique because they follow a structured model, ensuring everyone has an opportunity to be heard and to get what they need. They are:

  • Free of cost to participants
  • Designed for adult loved ones of people with mental health conditions
  • Led by family members of people with mental health conditions
  • No specific theological or medical therapy or treatment is endorsed
  • Confidential

This family support group will help participants:

  • Aim for better coping skills
  • Find strength in sharing experiences
  • Not judge anyone’s pain
  • Forgive ourselves and reject guilt
  • Embrace humor as healthy

For more information, contact Thomas Burr by phone at 860-202-4487, or email tburr@namict.org, or Carol Vassar at carol@isidoreandmaria.org.