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Introduction |
“…With Sighs too Deep
For Words” National Alliance on Mental Illnesses (NAMI) is a nonprofit, grassroots, self-help, support and advocacy organization composed of clients, families, and friends of people with severe mental illnesses. NAMI is dedicated to the eradication of mental illnesses and to the improvement of the quality of life of all whose lives are affected by these diseases. NAMI was founded in 1979. The organization works to achieve equitable services and treatment for more than fifteen million Americans living with severe mental illnesses and their families. Persistence on the part of NAMI volunteers has resulted in more awareness about mental illness in the government. As a result, evidence based methods for effectively interacting with the mentally ill, like Assertive Community Treatment and Crisis Intervention Teams, are becoming the norm not the exception throughout the country. NAMI functions at the national, state and local levels through the extraordinary work of volunteers. Currently, there are more than one thousand local affiliates and state organizations combating the stigma attached to mental illness. NAMI Florida began in 1984 and has thirty-eight affiliates with over three-thousand members. The chapter for the Gainesville area is called NAMI North Central Florida (NAMI-NCF). Bruce and Joan Stevens are the current NAMI-NCF Co-presidents. The organization recognizes that the needs of caregivers are often overlooked. To address this issue, NAMI created the Family-to-Family program, a free 12-week course designed for family members and close friends of individuals with a mental illness (see pg.61-62). The instructors, also NAMI family members, provide information about illnesses of the brain and treatment, coping skills, and the power of advocacy. The idea for this education course began in Vermont in 1990 and has since spread throughout the country. The North Central Florida affiliate began offering classes two years ago. Classes are offered twice a year with twenty to thirty people per class. Many family members describe the impact of taking the course as life changing. Equally important are the monthly support groups and educational meetings that occur at each local affiliate. The North Central Florida meetings occur on the second Monday of every month at Shands at Vista (7:15pm) and they alternate between support groups and educational sessions. The support meetings are called PROP meetings (People Reaching Out to People) and educational meetings vary in topics ranging from Baker Act revisions to Assertive Community Treatment. Unlike the Family- to-Family program, these meetings are open to the community, not just family members. For more information about NAMI visit: www.nami.org For more
information about NAMI North Central Florida, PROP meetings or
Family-to Family: visit http://www.naminorthcentralflorida.org/ or
contact Bruce and Joan Stevens (Co-presidents) (352)-339-8640. |
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