Support for the caregiver

NAMI will offer the NAMI Family to Family Education Program free of charge to participant each Spring. Our next class will start on April 27, 2025. For more information on how to register, please contact NAMI Blue Ridge Charlottesville at (434) 260-8127 or namiblueridge@gmail.com .

This 8 lesson course is designed to increase understanding and advocacy skills while helping participants maintain their own well-being. The program is taught by trained family members who have a loved one with a mental health condition. NAMI Family-to-Family is an evidence-based program (EB). For information on the research base for the program, visit nami.org/research.

Participant Perspectives:

• “This course overall was without a doubt, the single mosthelpful and informative thing ever offered in all my years searching for answers…it has helped me to understand better and communicate more effectively with my brother.”
• “The course has helped me to realize that my son is still inside the body that is often times hidden by the mental illness and that I am not alone in this.” 
• Family-to-Family is scheduled for each spring. Contact us for the specific dates and to reserve your spot.

Download the Family-to-Family flyer here.

Family Support Group: 

NAMI Family Support Group is a peer-led support group for any adult with a loved one who has experienced symptoms of a mental health condition. Gain insight from the challenges and successes of others facing similar experiences.

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

• 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
• 60-90 minutes long and meets weekly
• No specific medical therapy or treatment is endorsed
• Confidential

We meet in person each Thursday of the month from 6-7:30pm at The Center at Belvedere. (540 Belvedere Blvd, Charlottesville, VA 22901).  The Center, is a beautiful facility, with ample parking, and is handicap accessible. 

On the second Thursday of every month, we meet via Zoom with a speaker meeting from 6-7:30pm, for those speakers who prefer a Zoom format. Contact namiblueridge@gmail.com  for the Zoom meeting login details.

• First Thursday: Family Support Group at The Center
• Second Thursday: Zoom speaker meeting (for speakers who prefer Zoom)
• Second Thursday: Family Support Group or speaker at The Center
• Third Thursday: Family Support Group at The Center
• Fourth Thursday: Zoom Discussion Group lead by Suzanna
• Fifth Thursday: (which happens about every three months): fun event