Home Trainings

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The following lists the trainings that we have available. For dates and times, please visit our calendar. You will see the green calendar button at the top of this page.

 FAMILY TO FAMILY   

The NAMI Family-to-Family Education Program is a free 12-week course for family caregivers of individuals with severe brain disorders (mental illnesses). The course is taught by trained family members.

All instruction and course materials are free for class participants.

The Family-to-Family curriculum focuses on schizophrenia, bipolar disorder (manic depression), clinical depression, panic disorder and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). The course discusses the clinical treatment of these illnesses and teaches the knowledge and skills that family members need to cope more effectively.

Of individuals with:

• Major Depression
• Bipolar Disorder (Manic Depression)
• Schizophrenia and Schizoaffective Disorder
• Borderline Personality Disorder 
• Panic Disorder and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder 
• Co-occurring Brain Disorders and Addictive Disorders

Upcoming Family to Family Courses in Maine

When we have a Family to Family course starting up, we will post it here!

For More information on attending any leadership training, please contact Christine Canty Brooks by emailing her at ccantybrooks@namimaine.org or by calling our office at 622-5767.

Peer-to-Peer: NAMI's Recovery Curriculum

What is NAMI’s Peer-to-Peer Program?

What does the course include?

• Peer-to-Peer consists of nine two-hour units and is taught by a team of three trained “Mentors” who are personally experienced at living well with mental illness.
  
• Mentors are trained in weekend-long training sessions, supplied with teaching manuals, and are paid a stipend for each course they teach.
  
• 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.

NAMI National P2P Contacts:

For general inquiries, please contact the program coordinator:  Kerry McCullough at kerryo@nami.org
For other inquiries, please contact the program director:  Sarah O'Brien at saraho@nami.org

NAMI Office: 800-950-6264 or 703-524-7600

GROUP LEADERSHIP

This weekend long course is designed for peer support group leaders to learn how to lead a structured group.  During the long weekend members learn the NAMI group format, how to use the guidelines, and what techniques to use to make sure everyone in the group gets a chance to talk, that members are respectful to one another, and that no one person monopolizes the group, week after week, that the group is welcoming, and that people in the group feel safe.  

This course is offered once a year at no cost.

For More information on attending any leadership training, please contact Christine Canty Brooks by emailing her at ccantybrooks@namimaine.org or by calling our office at 622-5767.

OUT OF THE SHADOWS

Out of the Shadows:  Out of the Shadows is a 10 session course for parents of children with mental health conditions or emotional disorders.  It provides an overview of the diagnoses and what they mean, information about your rights in the educational and mental health system, and tactics for negotiating the system to get the help your child needs. 

 For more information about this course or to become a teacher, please contact Carrie Horne by emailing her at chorne@namimaine.org or by calling our office at 622-5767.

ADVOCACY

NAMI Maine advocates for improved programs and services, good public policy, access to care, and reduced stigma. 

Advocacy takes a number of forms. 

Individually, we may help people to know how to advocate for themselves.   This may mean that we help them understand their rights, link them with others who have faced similar problems, or direct them toward people or organizations who can help them.  In addition, we advocate with policy makers and on policy making committees and boards. 

Often, we need individuals from across Maine to help us let policy makers know the needs of families and people with mental health needs.  When legislation is proposed that is important or rules are being written or re-written – we need to speak out.  On those occasions, NAMI Maine contacts members, board members, support group leaders and others for help. 

Past advocacy efforts have created insurance parity laws in Maine, improved treatment conditions for people in jail or prison, preserved protections in Maine’s insurance laws, or reduced proposed reductions in mental health spending. 

If you would like to be one of our local advocates, on-call to help as needed, and to receive regular updates from NAMI, please email us to be added to our listserve info@namimaine.org.

National Advocacy

NAMI is making it easier for you to be an advocate

Do you want to be sure your elected representative hears your voice on important  issues affecting people with mental illness?

We do, too.  That’s why NAMI is enhancing its online advocacy system to allow you to communicate more easily and effectively with your legislatures.

The new and improved online system will make it easier than ever to:

Learn more about the people who represent you – who they are and where they stand

Compose your own messages or use NAMI’s sample letters

Send your message to multiple elected officials at once, from the President on down, with a single click of your mouse

Report back to NAMI on the responses you receive to your letters

Visit NAMI’s Web site to experience the new and improved NAMI Legislature Action Center! www.nami.org/advocacy

For more information on upcoming C.I.T. trainings, please contact Bob Tiner at 622-5767 or email him at rtiner@namimaine.org. 

Continuing Education Units

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