APRIL 2019 BY LOIS MAHARG “I am not sick, I don’t need help.” Many of us have heard that line before. Here’s the likely context: We’re convinced that medication and/or psychotherapy will help a loved one’s mental health condition, but they want nothing to do with it. In fact, they seem to be in denialContinue reading A Leap Toward Better Communication
Executive Director Is Awarded Fellowship
APRIL 2019 BY LOIS MAHARG Volunteer recruitment and retention is a challenge for all nonprofit organizations, and NAMI Washtenaw County is no exception. So Judy Gardner, NAMI WC’s executive director, decided to apply for a Community Engagement Fellowship, hoping to learn more about recruiting and supporting volunteers. “I applied for the grant and I gotContinue reading Executive Director Is Awarded Fellowship
Meet Our New Board Member
APRIL 2019 NAMI Washtenaw County has invited Judy Krieg to serve on the Board of Directors. Krieg works in the pharmaceutical industry selling psychiatric medications to hospitals, VA’s, Community Mental Health Centers and physicians in private practice. The part of her job she likes the most is advocating for people with mental health conditions. ToContinue reading Meet Our New Board Member
From the Board
FEBRUARY 2019 BY TYRONE KELSEY NAMI Washtenaw County will be celebrating its 35th anniversary this year! Wow. When you consider how far we’ve come over those years, you see the power of grassroots efforts. NAMI, the National Alliance on Mental Illness, emerged through the passionate and highly motivating experiences of men and women impacted byContinue reading From the Board
Mental Health Challenges: What Should Christians Do?
FEBRUARY 2019 BY LOIS MAHARG NAMI Washtenaw has made presentations at faith-based venues before. But 2019 began with something new: NAMI Washtenaw conducted a series of four interactive workshops called “A Christian’s Response to Mental Health Challenges” at the First United Methodist Church of Saline, where Darlene Wetzel is a member of the congregation. “DarleneContinue reading Mental Health Challenges: What Should Christians Do?
Course Is Interactive & Improved, Says Peer-to-Peer Facilitator
FEBRUARY 2019 BY GIZEM YAGCI Hello Readers! My name is Gizem Yagci and I am a Peer-to-Peer (P2P) facilitator at NAMI Washtenaw! Since I was trained in the summer of 2017, I have facilitated five P2P classes, and I am super excited to announce that we have a new curriculum for our outstanding program! IContinue reading Course Is Interactive & Improved, Says Peer-to-Peer Facilitator
NAMI Washtenaw Goes to Middle School for Mental Health Event
FEBRUARY 2019 NAMI Washtenaw County took part in a daylong Mental Health Matters event on Feb. 7 at Mill Creek Middle School in Dexter. Volunteer Bob Nassauer described the day as “well organized and powerful.” The Corner Health Center kicked off the event to the whole school. The presentation included a TED Talk by comedianContinue reading NAMI Washtenaw Goes to Middle School for Mental Health Event
From the Board
DECEMBER 2018 BY TYRONE KELSEY Hello, NAMI Washtenaw County! First of all, I’d just like to let you all know that the enormity of being elected president of this organization has brought mixed emotions. On the one hand I’m sobered by the scale and interdependencies of all the connected pieces and parts of what weContinue reading From the Board
Volunteer Presentation Goes to Church
DECEMBER 2018 BY LOIS MAHARG About 1 in 5 teens and young adults has a mental health condition. To address the issue, NAMI has developed a teen-focused mental health awareness program, one version for adults and another, for teens. It’s called Ending the Silence, or ETS. “We call it that because we want people toContinue reading Volunteer Presentation Goes to Church
65 People Trained in Story Writing for Advocacy
DECEMBER 2018 BY MARK CREEKMORE NAMI is the voice of mental illness, and the heart of our advocacy strategy is our stories of hope and recovery. We have trained hundreds of people to write their stories using NAMI Smarts, the process for writing advocacy stories. In November we conducted 2-hour trainings in four NAMI classes,Continue reading 65 People Trained in Story Writing for Advocacy