As mental health counselors, we often strive to help clients build insight into their thoughts, feelings and behaviors. Identifying patterns and increasing understanding can equip clients with the tools they need to develop actionable solutions and make informed decisions...
Download slides and resources from presentations at the 2016 NAMI National Convention.
I’d never thought of myself as a particularly fearful person. When I was 11, I fought three bullies off my stepbrother with my undersized fists. Later that year, I found the courage to run away from an abusive home, and by thirteen, I never went home again. For much of my li...
I remember the first time I asked a client if they were having thoughts of suicide. I was scared. It felt intrusive. And somewhere in the back of my mind, I didn’t really want to know. I wasn’t sure if I could respond well if the answer was “yes,” and I was worried that I...
At the beginning of every NAMI support group, the facilitators ask attendees to agree on guidelines for how those in the group will treat each other, using the 12 Principles of Support as guidance. After nearly a decade as a facilitator of NAMI Connection, the group for t...
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NAMI talks to Dr. Xavier Amador about his upcoming NAMI National Convention Special Presentation and his world-renowned LEAP Institute.
Disability and mental health issues are closely tied together, and for individuals who experience both, issues of discrimination can be compounded.
Body Focused Repetitive Behaviors (BFRB) is a blanket term that covers a range of skin-picking and hair-pulling disorders that affect as much as one in every 50 people . Unfortunately, many people who live with these conditions go years—sometimes decades—thinking they are a...
The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee held a hearing on Jan. 20 on Improving the Federal Response to Challenges in Mental Health Care in America . NAMI IOOV presenter Hakeem Rahim testified to the importance of passing mental health reform in th...
I often refer to myself as a “wallflower child” — someone who was desensitized by childhood trauma and exposure to adult behavior. Most parents try to prevent this kind of upbringing; it’s why they tell their children not to “grow up too fast.” My experience was differen...
A lot of well-intentioned people said to me “Rebecca, this too shall pass.” I can believe it now. But Week One of Depression? I was not hearing it.
I was told recently that I have the power to save lives. I felt both humbled and excited by these words. As the NAMI San Diego Peer Recovery Programs Coordinator, I meet, individuals, who, like me, live with mental health challenges. Having a robust and positive mental hea...
A plea for help “I don’t know where to turn. My son, James, is 35 and has been diagnosed with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. He is using drugs—I know he is from the dazed look that he gets in his eyes. He is drinking too. The last time he was hospitalized on a psy...
Note: This blog is presented as a cross-collaboration between NAMI and the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention , whose mission is to save lives and bring hope to those affected by suicide. It originally appeared on the AFSP Lifesavers Blog . - When ...
1 in 5 adults have a mental illness and nearly 1 in 25 adults have a serious mental illness. When an illness impacts the individual’s ability to work or manage their finances, a plan is necessary to ensure careful management of funds. There are multiple options for futur...