NOVEMBER 2019 BY SUSAN TODOROFF My dear friend Sue had a wonderful life by almost anyone’s standards. She was married to her mutually proclaimed soul mate, lived in a beautiful natural setting in a truly lovely house, and she and her husband had both recently retired with plans of traveling the U.S. with their littleContinue reading Searching for Answers to Suicide
From the Board
July 2019 Editor’s Note: This column, a Q & A, is taken from an interview I conducted with Pat Root, now president of NAMI Washtenaw County. LM: Tell me about how and when you first came to NAMI Washtenaw County. PR: I came to NAMI six or seven years ago. I was a client atContinue reading From the Board
Gala Attracts Show of Support
July 2019 By Lois Maharg The Empowerment Gala lived up to its name. NAMI Washtenaw’s second annual gala, held May 18 at the Portage Yacht Club, netted almost $20,000, nearly twice the amount raised by the gala last year. “I think there was more participation from the board this year and a little more leadContinue reading Gala Attracts Show of Support
Equestrians Raise Funds for Mental Health
July 2019 By Michelle Frias About 30 horse riders gathered at the Pinckney equine trails on June 1, 2019, to help raise funds for NAMI Washtenaw County. NAMI volunteer Alison Paine hosted this Ride for Mental Health with her horse club, the Pinckney Trail Riders Association (PTRA). Many participants were young community members who wereContinue reading Equestrians Raise Funds for Mental Health
What Does “Alliance” Mean? Thoughts on the 2019 NAMI National Convention
July 2019 By Thomas J. (Tom) Powell If someone had asked me before the convention what I thought “alliance” meant in National Alliance on Mental Illness, I would have said it had to do with our shared lived experience. The convention got me to think of alliance in another way. NAMI is an alliance ofContinue reading What Does “Alliance” Mean? Thoughts on the 2019 NAMI National Convention
Save the Date: NAMI Walk, September 28!
July 2019 By Susan Todoroff Bring the whole family, including the dog, to this year’s NAMIWalks event, and be a part of nearly a hundred communities walking to support mental health initiatives. This year marks 17 years of people joining together in the country’s largest mental health fundraising event. This 5K walk takes place onContinue reading Save the Date: NAMI Walk, September 28!
Upcoming Events & Research Studies Enrolling Participants
July 2019 Parents Together Monday, Aug. 5, 2019, 7 to 8:30 p.m. Washtenaw Intermediate School District, 1819 S. Wagner Rd., Ann Arbor, MI 48103 Ongoing support group for parents or guardians of children who are currently exhibiting, or who have exhibited in the recent past, suicidal thoughts or behaviors. This free support group is ledContinue reading Upcoming Events & Research Studies Enrolling Participants
Diagnosis and Therapy Bring Relief and Hope
July 2019 By Bekah Cone When I was a child, my anxiety and depression was labeled as shyness. When I was a teenager, it was labeled as hormonal changes and when I left for college, it was the “normal” reaction to such a big life transition. Suddenly, I ran out of explanations for the symptomsContinue reading Diagnosis and Therapy Bring Relief and Hope
Therapeutic Writing: Using the Power of Storytelling to Practice Mindfulness, Heal, and Recover Our Dreams
July 2019 By Madeline Strong Diehl Editor’s note: Madeline Strong Diehl is an award-winning poet and playwright who lives in Ann Arbor with her husband. Her therapeutic writing programs are designed as peer-to-peer workshops, integrating her knowledge and skills from more than three decades as an essayist and professional magazine writer and editor, along withContinue reading Therapeutic Writing: Using the Power of Storytelling to Practice Mindfulness, Heal, and Recover Our Dreams
A Mother’s Story of Schizophrenia
July 2019 By Cheryl Wiker Editor’s note: This story is an excerpt from the author’s book, “Uncommon Courage.” The day my daughter, Kim, began hearing voices, started out as normal as any other day. As a single parent, I was managing fairly well, fortified by my faith and generally optimistic view of life. We wereContinue reading A Mother’s Story of Schizophrenia