NAMI DuPage Family Services & Support Groups

NAMI DuPage offers a wide variety of support services for people who have family members or loved ones living with a mental health condition. Our goal with these services is to provide an open space for these families to speak candidly about their challenges, help each other through their learned wisdom, and to learn more about how to care for their loved ones.

For more information, please contact Suzanne Gowdy, Director of Family Support Services,
at [email protected], or by phone at (630) 752-0066.

SUPPORT GROUPS

Parent Support Services

educational courses for families

When a friend or family member develops a mental health condition, it’s important to remember you’re not alone. Family members and caregivers play a crucial role in supporting the millions of people in the U.S. who experience mental health challenges each year, often sharing similar concerns and questions. You may be trying to help someone who lacks access to care or refuses help, or you may want to learn how to support someone recovering from a mental health crisis, such as after hospitalization. The impact of mental illness extends beyond the individual to friends, teachers, neighbors, coworkers, and others in the community.

Click the button below for more information on how to support your loved one, taking care of yourself, crisis prevention, plus more!

Support Groups

Family Support Group

NAMI DuPage’s Family Support Group welcomes people who have family members or loved ones living with a mental health condition. Led by trained NAMI facilitators who are going through similar experiences, we hope you will feel encouraged by talking openly about your challenges, and by learning from shared experiences from other participants. A faith-based version of this support group is available, as well as a virtual version in Spanish hosted by NAMI Illinois. We hope to see you there!

Wheaton

Meeting Address:
NAMI DuPage
Linda A Kurzawa
Community Center
115 N County Farm Road
Wheaton, IL 60187

Day: Wednesday
Time: 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm

Important notice on the limitations of NAMI Support Groups

Naperville

Meeting Address:
Calvary Church – Naperville
9S200 Illinois Rte 59
Naperville, IL 60564

 NEW DAYS! EFFECTIVE NOVEMBER 2024.

*Room numbers are 224. Enter through door 1 or 24, use lobby stairs to go to 2nd floor. Elevator accessible. 

Day: 1st and 3rd Tuesdays of the month
Time: 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm

Important notice on the limitations of NAMI Support Groups

OAK BROOK - (FAITH-BASED)

Meeting Address:
Christ Church of Oak Brook
501 Oak Brook Road – Room 264
Oak Brook, IL 60523

Day: 1st and 3rd Mondays of the month
Time: 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm

Important notice on the limitations of NAMI Support Groups

NAMI Grupo de Apoyo Familiares

NAMI Grupo de Apoyo para Familiares es un grupo de apoyo para personas que tienen familiares o seres queridos con una enfermedad de salud mental, donde los miembros de la familia pueden hablar francamente sobre sus desafíos y ayudarse mutuamente a través de su sabiduría aprendida.  Estas reuniones son conducidas por miembros capacitados de NAMI que atraviesan experiencias similares.

NAMI Grupo de Apoyo para Familiares (En colaboración con NAMI KDK y NAMI Lake County)
Este grupo se reúne: 

  • El segundo sábado del mes, de 10am a 11:30am (Es necesario registrarse antes de las 8:30 am la mañana del día de la sesión)
  • El cuarto jueves del mes, de las 7pm a las 8:30pm (Es necesario registrarse antes de las 4:30pm la tarde de la sesión)
REGISTERSE

Hope After Overdose: A Grief Support Group

A warm, supportive group for those grieving a loved one lost to overdose, offering hope and a sense of community.

WHEN: 1st & 3rd Tuesdays of each month

WHERE: NAMI DuPage, Room 120

TIME: 6 PM – 7 PM

 

Suicide Loss Connections Group

The Suicide Loss Connections group offers support to individuals who have lost a loved one to suicide. It provides a safe and compassionate space for those grieving the loss of a friend, family member, or loved one to openly share their feelings and experiences, fostering an environment of hope, understanding, and mutual respect.

Meeting Address:
NAMI DuPage
Linda A Kurzawa Community Center
115 N County Farm Road
Wheaton, IL 60187

Day: 2nd and 4th Tuesdays of the month
Time: 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm

Important notice on the limitations of NAMI Support Groups

Parent Support Services

**ALL NEW**
Parent Roundtable

Join our supportive Parent Roundtable, designed for parents and caregivers who want to support their youth’s emotional and social well-being. Each month, a parent-youth team will lead engaging discussions on a fresh topic. No need to pre-register—just drop in and be part of the conversation!

Sample topics include: 

  • Making & keeping friends
  • IEP & 504 plans
  • School refusal

Due to the holidays, Parent Roundtable will be meeting in person on the 3rd Thursday of the month in November and December. November 21st & December 19th. The regular schedule will resume in January 2025.

Day: 4th Thursdays of the month
Where: 115 N County Farm Rd., Wheaton
Time:
 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm
Pre-registration not required.

 

Important notice on the limitations of NAMI Support Groups

Family Peer Support

Interested in having a 1:1 session for further support? Family Partnership Professionals are peer support workers who use their experience in supporting a loved one living with a mental health condition to provide hope, resources and support. Through shared understanding, respect, and mutual empowerment, these NAMI DuPage peer support workers help families enter and stay engaged in their loved ones recovery process. For more information about setting up an appointment, visit our Peer Support page by clicking the button below!

Educational Courses For Families

Family-to-Family Educational Course

Family-to-Family is a free 8-week educational course designed specifically for adult family members (18+) and others who have adult loved ones living with a mental illness. The course is taught by other family members who have received intensive training for these presentations. The 2.5 hour class meets for 8 consecutive weeks, and each session builds upon the previous topics covered.

This evidence-based education course improves the coping and problem-solving skills and includes presentations, discussions, and interactive exercises. Over 300,000 family members have graduated from this evidence based national program.

Click the button below for more information on upcoming classes and how to register!

NAMI Family-to-Family not only provides information and strategies for taking care of the person you love, but you’ll also find out that you’re not alone. Recovery is a journey, and there is hope.

The group setting of NAMI Family-to-Family provides mutual support and shared positive impact—experience compassion and reinforcement from people who understand your situation. Sharing your own experience may help others in your class. In the program, you’ll learn about:

  • How to solve problems and communicate effectively
  • Taking care of yourself and managing your stress
  • Supporting your loved one with compassion
  • Finding and using local supports and services
  • Up-to-date information on mental health conditions and how they affect the brain
  • How to handle a crisis
  • Current treatments and therapies
  • The impact of mental health conditions on the entire family

 

NAMI Ending the Silence – Families

Our Ending the Silence education programs were created here at the DuPage County, Illinois affiliate to provide mental health educational presentations to students, parents and school staff. Since its inception in 2007, it has since been recognized and adopted by NAMI National, and is now presented by NAMI affiliates across the country. Our family version of this program includes a 1-hour presentation for adults with middle or high school aged youth that includes warning signs, facts and statistics, how to talk with your child, and how to work with school staff.

For more information about our Ending the Silence programs, or to schedule a presentation, visit our Youth Services page.

NAMI Family & Friends Seminar

NAMI Family & Friends is a FREE seminar that informs people who have loved ones living with a mental health condition on how to best support them. Whether you choose the 90 minute, 2 hour or 4 hour version, you will benefit from the opportunity to meet other people in similar situations and gain community support.

The seminar is led by those with lived experience of supporting a family member living with a mental health condition, and will guide you through the following topics:

For questions about this seminar, please contact Lizz Duarte at [email protected] or by phone at 630-752-0066.

1. Understanding diagnoses, treatment and recovery

2. Effective communication strategies

3. The importance of self-care

4. Crisis preparation strategies

5. NAMI and community resources

NAMI Provider

More than one in five U.S. adults live with a mental illness and for many, healthcare interactions can be negative or even traumatic. NAMI Provider is our evidence-based, dedicated program to help change that.

This staff development program is for healthcare providers, administrative staff, operational staff and students working directly with people affected by mental illness. It’s an experience that equips participants with a deeper understanding of mental illness and the confidence to serve individuals and families in a collaborative manner.

For more information or to schedule a presentation, please contact Lizz Duarte, Director of Community Education, at 630-752-0066 or [email protected].

 

How It’s Structured
Each of the NAMI Provider program’s three instructors live locally and have direct experience with mental illness. It’s led by an individual living well in recovery, a family member and a mental health professional with lived experience.

NAMI Provider is offered as a 15-hour program spread over five sessions or in a four-hour seminar. The time commitment is intentionally robust to cover a lot of meaningful material.

 

What You’ll Gain

Past participants have reported improved attitudes, beliefs and behavior in partnering with individuals and families experiencing mental illness, among other benefits:

  • An understanding of lived experience paired with an evidence-based curriculum
  • A deeper knowledge of the recovery and medical models for empathetic, compassionate care for people affected by mental illness
  • Deeper insights into individual and family perspectives

Recovery is a journey and there is hope for all people affected by mental health conditions. This program provides the opportunity for mutual support and shared positive impact. You will experience compassion and reinforcement from people who relate to your experiences. Through your participation, you have the chance to help others grow.

NAMI Homefront teaches you:

  • Strategies to care for yourself, including managing your stress
  • How to support your family member with compassion
  • Ways to identify and access federal, state and local services
  • Where to find information about the latest research and information on mental health, including posttraumatic stress disorder, traumatic brain injury, anxiety, depression and substance use
  • Current treatments and evidence-based therapies
  • Tactics to navigate the challenges and impact of mental health conditions on the entire family
  • Crisis management, problem solving and effective communication

NAMI Homefront Educational Program

NAMI and the Department of Veterans Affairs have joined together to offer NAMI Homefront Classes virtually.

The program is designed to help family members understand and support their Service Member or Veteran while maintaining their own well-being. NAMI Homefront leaders have personal experience with mental health conditions impacting their Service Member or Veteran.

Registration is required. For more information and to register, please click here.

Veterans and their loved ones have unique lives full of experiences that may be difficult to navigate. NAMI has created a free online suite of mental health resources for caregivers, family members, military service members and veterans. These resources are meant to educate and empower the military community in their journey towards mental health recovery and overall well-being. Click the link below to sign up for free access to resources.

NAMI Basics OnDemand

NAMI Basics OnDemand is a free, six-session online education program for parents, caregivers and other family who provide care for youth (aged 22 and under) who are living with mental health symptoms. Diagnoses discussed in the class include: childhood onset of bipolar disorder, childhood onset of schizophrenia, depression, ADD, ADHD, anxiety disorders, OCD and eating disorders. Trained family members, who have firsthand experience with the rewards and challenges of raising children with mental illnesses, volunteer to teach Basics.

NOTE: If you are registering more than one person, please include all participant names.

By participating in NAMI Basics, you’ll realize that you are not alone. You’ll find support and shared understanding—compassion, reinforcement and empathy from people who truly get your situation. And don’t forget: Your experiences may also help others in the course. Together, you will all learn that recovery is a journey, and there is hope.

  • The impact mental health conditions can have on your entire family
  • Different types of mental health care professionals, available treatment options and therapies
  • An overview of the public mental health care, school and juvenile justice systems and resources to help you navigate these systems
  • How to advocate for your child’s rights at school and in health care settings
  • How to prepare for and respond to crisis situations (self-harm, suicide attempts, etc.)
  • The importance of taking care of yourself
  • Much, much more