YOU ARE NOT ALONE

REACH is a mutual support group sponsored by the Mental Health Association of Erie County, Inc. for families and friends of individuals with mental illnesses and/or neurological disabilities.

At REACH meetings, people share similar concerns and therefore help each other learn to cope more effectively.

REACH offers participants the opportunity to gain perspective on the relationship they have with their mentally disabled loved one.

Members talk confidentially about how their own lives are being affected, not just about the illness of their friend or relative.

Having benefited individually from REACH, it is our hope members will continue to support others through regular participation in meetings.

SHARED CONCERNS

ACCEPTANCE:
I must accept the fact that my loved one has a mental illness.

BLAME:
I must learn to reject guilt or blame.

CONTROL: I realize that I do not have the ability to completely control the behavior of the person who has a mental illness.

IMPACT: As I allow myself to be released from another's problem that is beyond my control, I realize the serious impact of mental illness upon my own life.

RESTORATION: I must now work on restoring my own emotional balance.

DISTANCING: I must maintain my own mental and physical health by reasonably distancing myself from another's problem.

Click here for a complete listing of dates and locations for REACH support groups.