A new course offered by Friends for Mental Health, a non-profit organization in Beaconsfield, will provide support and guidance to family members and caregivers of people with mental health disorders.

The five-week course will take place from Feb. 19 to March 19 and will be held on Tuesdays from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.

A different topic will be covered each week, including how different family members and age groups react to mental health disorders, caregiver burnout, what to do in a crisis, spotting direct and indirect suicidal messages, how the law handles mental disorders and the recovery and relapse processes.

Victoria Kuczynski, a counselor at Friends for Mental Health, will lead each class with a PowerPoint presentation and then open the floor for attendees to ask questions and share their stories support-group style.

Membership to Friends for Mental Health is required to take the course. It costs $30 per person for the year and $40 for families. The membership fee includes individual sessions with counselors and the $20 course registration fee.

The organization offers year-round counselling for kids, teens and adults with mental health disorders and their families. In the summer, they host Anna Camp, a free four-day camp for 7- to 12-year-olds where they can learn about self-help tools, coping strategies and more.

For more information about the course, visit asmfmh.org.