The Peer-to-Peer Course is a free 8-week course meeting once a week for 2 hours each week. For more information, please call  (530) 894-8551 or email: allison.namibutte@gmail.com.

• The course was written by Kathryn Cohan McNulty, a person with a psychiatric disability who is also a former provider and manager in the mental health field and a longtime mutual support group member and facilitator.
• An advisory board comprised of NAMI consumer members, in consultation with Joyce Burland, Ph.D., author of the successful NAMI Family-to-Family Education program, helped guide the curriculum’s development.
• The two course “Mentors” are trained in an intensive three day training session and are supplied with teaching manuals.
• Each class contains a combination of lecture and interactive exercise material and closes with Mindfulness Practice (techniques offered to develop and expand awareness).
• Each class builds on the one before: attendance each week is strongly recommended.
• Participants come away from the course with a binder of hand-out materials, as well as many other tangible resources: an advance directive; a “relapse prevention plan” to help identify tell-tale feelings, thoughts, behavior, or events that may warn of impending relapse and to organize for intervention; mindfulness exercises to help focus and calm thinking; and survival skills for working with providers and the general public.

Weekly Topics

Each class contains a combination of lecture and interactive exercise material and closes with Mindfulness Practice (techniques offered to develop and expand awareness). Each class builds on the one before: attendance each week, therefore, is required.

Each NAMI Peer-to-Peer class teaches skills that contribute to mental health and
wellness.
Class 1: Getting Started: Mental Health and Recovery
Presents a variety of viewpoints on mental health and recovery. Participants
create a personal vision statement and practice diaphragmatic breathing.
Class 2: The Brain and the Body
Explores how the environment and the brain impact mental health. Participants
learn about and create SMART goals.
Class 3: Telling My Story
Participants share personal stories, explore the benefits and limitations of mental
health diagnoses and practice a progressive relaxation technique.
Class 4: Strengthening Relationships:
Focuses on relationships and effective communication. Participants practice
using “I” statements.
Class 5: Growing Support Networks
Explores how to maintain a vibrant social support network. Participants
experience a guided visualization activity.
Class 6: Tools for Enhancing Recovery
Covers stress management, different types of therapies and medications.
Class 7: My Story, My Strengths
Participants reframe personal stories and prepare for conversations with mental
health providers. Participants learn and practice a new breathing technique.
Class 8: Moving Forward
Participants revisit their personal vision and goals, learn a new problem-solving
technique and plan for next steps.