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WELCOME TO THE NAMI INDIANAPOLIS HOME PAGE.

We are dedicated to improving the lives of persons and families
affected by mental illnesses through education, support and advocacy.

Information about NAMI Indianapolis and its programs is available through the links on the left-hand side of this home page. 

Greetings from the Executive Director

Dear Friends of NAMI Indianapolis:

Thank you for visiting our website.  Take a moment to browse the site, and we think you will be impressed with the wealth of information that is literally at your finger tips.  We welcome your questions, so please feel free to contact us at info@nami.org or give us a call at 317-257-7517.

During recent months, NAMI Indianapolis and NAMI organizations around the county have been working closely with local Veterans Administration Medical Centers to adapt and provide the Family to Family education course, among other services, to our returning combat veterans, their families, as well as other veterans.  Locally, NAMI Indianapolis has created a great relationship with the Richard Roudebush Veterans Medical Center to do just this.  As a result of this collaboration, NAMI Indianapolis has been introduced to Shawn Appleget.  Over the next several months I hope that you too will have an opportunity to learn more about Shawn and his work in a Combat Stress Control (CSC) unit in Iraq.  Shawn is an Indianapolis-based social worker who was in the process of completing his MSW degree when called into service.  Shawn has become a good friend to NAMI Indianapolis, and he was more than willing to send a few words to us describing what a CSC does, and some of the day-to-day activities he and his fellow soldiers encounter.  Shawn gave us permission to edit his story.  Because of the length, we will have installments now and again in the fall.  Click here to read the current installment.

Future installments of Shawn's story will appear on our website and in the NAMI Indianapolis print newsletter, The Compass.  If you would like to correspond with Shawn, please send your e-mail (with “E-Mail for Shawn” in the subject line) to info@nami.indy.org. We will gladly see that they get to him.

Ed Alexander, Executive Director
NAMI Indianapolis

The 2009 NAMI Indianapolis Annual Fall Music for the Mind
Benefit Dinner and Concert

will take place on October 6, 2009 starting at 6:00 P.M. in the Cosmopolitan
Ballroom at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in downtown Indianapolis.  Click here for
more details on the evening's program and for information
on how to make your reservation. 

We would like to call special attention to the following
mental health education opportunities for family members and caregivers:

Family-to-Family - Do you have a loved one over 18 who battles depression, bi-polar disorder or some other serious emotional or mental disorder?   The 12-week NAMI Indianapolis Family-to-Family Education Course can help you learn more about your role as caregiver, the illness, treatment options, medications, and how to better understand and advocate for your loved one.  The following two Family-to-Family courses that will start this fall are now open for registration, including one that will be taught in Spanish:

Course Option 1 (This course will be taught in Spanish)
Location:  Covenant Community Church, 5640 North Cooper Road, Indianapolis
Time and Dates:  6:30 - 9:00 P.M. on Tuesdays beginning September 22
Teachers:  Sondra and Charles Hartman


Course Option 2
Location:  Traders Point Christian Church, 6590 South Indianapolis Road, Whitestown
Time and Dates:  6:30 - 9:00 P.M. on Tuesdays beginning September 29
Teachers:  Anne and Dennis Oberg

The Family-to-Family course is offered at no charge but requires registration.  Because course size is limited, early registration is recommended. 

To register for the Spanish course, call (317) 663-4034 or send an email to info@namiindy.org. 

To register for the other course, call (317) 767-7653 and leave a voice mail message with your name and telephone number, or send an email to info@namiindy.org. 

NAMI Basics - If you are the caregiver of a child under 18 who struggles with a serious emotional or mental disorder, the NAMI Indianapolis Basics Course is designed for you.  Learn from trained parents who have “been there” regarding illness symptoms, treatment options, and how to advocate for medical and educational services for your child.  This course is offered without charge, but is limited in size and requires pre-registration.

The next course will meet on three Saturdays (October 10, 24 and 31, 2009) from 9:30 A.M. to 3:30 P.M., with a 1-hour lunch break, at the Plainfield Friends Meeting Church, 105 S. East Street, Plainfield, Indiana (Highway U.S. 40 and East Street in downtown Plainfield).  The course will be taught by Bill and Kathy Clendineng.  To register, call (317) 937-5658 or send an email to billclen@yahoo.com.

Campanionship Training for Working with Homeless Persons - This training for clergy, congregational leaders and others who work with the mentally ill homeless will explain how to build a relationship that will encourage homeless persons towards a safer, healthier and more stable life-style.  The training will be led by Chaplain Rennebohm who is a pioneer in the field of mental health ministry.  Founder and chaplain of the Mental Health Chaplaincy in Seattle for over twenty years, Chaplain Rennebohm has developed a unique ministry focusing primarily on homeless people who suffer from serious depression, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, addictions and other mental illnesses.

The one-day training session will take place on Saturday, October 31, 2009, from 9:00 A.M. - 3:00 P.M., at North United Methodist Church, 3808 North Meridian Street, Indianapolis.  A continental breakfast, lunch and training materials will be provided at no charge to attendees, but pre-registration is required.  To register, contact Corey Behmer by phone at (317) 630-0853 or by email at cbehmer@chipindy.org.  You can review and print the training session outline by clicking on the link at the bottom of this page.

This training opportunity is being presented by the NAMI Indianapolis Faith Community Education Program and is made possible by the generous sponsorship of the Coalition for Homeless Intervention and Prevention (CHIP).

NAMI'S RECENT REPORT CARD ON
THE NATION'S MENTAL HEALTH CARE SYSTEM

The National Alliance on Mental Illness recently released a new report, Grading the States, assessing the nation's public mental health care system for adults.  The national average grade is a D, with 14 states improving and 12 falling backwards since the previous report.  The prospects for improvement in areas of deficiency are threatened by the budget crises facing many states.  A summary of the report is available at Grading the States 2009, and the full report, including the section on Indiana, can be accessed at www.nami.org/grades09.

Nami Indianapolis--Your Community's Voice on Mental Illness

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