On February 6, NAMI Washtenaw County collaborated with the Michigan Medicine Department of Psychiatry to host a screening of Parents to Parents: After Your Child’s Suicide Attempt followed by a panel discussion with:
- Nasuh Malas, M.D., MPH, Division Director and Service Chief, Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry
- Kathleen Kruse, M.D., Medical Director of the Nyman Family Unit for Child and Adolescent Mental Health and Wellness
- Alejandra Arango, Ph.D., Clinical Assistant Professor
- Judy Gardner, Executive Director, NAMI Washtenaw County
- Alison Paine, NAMI Washtenaw County ‘Parents Together’ Support Group Leader
- Syma Khan, MSW, MPH, Clinical Social Worker
Parents to Parents: After Your Child’s Suicide Attempt is a documentary that features interviews with parents and experts that provide information and insights on how parents can support their child and family (and take care of themselves) after a child’s suicide-related crisis.
During the panel discussion, Judy and Alison highlighted some resources available through NAMI, such as NAMI Basics (a free online education series about supporting a loved one with mental health conditions), the Parents Together support group, and the Family-to-Family class.
Parents Together is a support group specifically for parents of children with suicidal ideation, regardless of whether they’ve attempted.
Family-to-Family is an educational program that covers information about mental health conditions, resources, essential skills, and coping techniques for use in relating to a loved one with a mental health condition as well as maintaining a sense of well-being yourself.
Alison and Judy emphasized that taking Family-to-Family or joining a support group allows parents to connect with people dealing with the same things and learn from them. Parents can also better advocate for their loved ones by learning more about mental health. “If you had a child with diabetes, you would do all the research,” Alison said, explaining that learning about mental health conditions is equally important. To her, NAMI classes are “a great place to start” as they’re “very thorough.”
Judy never imagined becoming the Executive Director of NAMI Washtenaw County. Still, years ago, when she opened up to someone she trusted about what she was dealing with, they recommended NAMI. She said her life changed completely when she took NAMI’s Family-to-Family class, and “here I am now, leading the way for others affected by a loved one with a mental health diagnosis.”
A recording of the event is now available for those who could not attend or would like to revisit the material. You can also find a list of resources mentioned during the event here.