Support Groups: Strengthened to Grow

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1 Contents PROGRAM EXPANSION 1 STEP FORWARD FOR MENTAL HEALTH 2 SOCIAL CLUB 2 PEER BASED FUNDRAISING 3 KNOW YOUR MENTAL HEALTH PROFESSIONAL 4 ADVOCACY UPDATE 5 NAMI SIGNATURE PROGRAMS & SUPPORT GROUPS 6 UPCOMING EVENTS 8 NAMI Louisville, Inc. est To strengthen families and individuals affected by mental illness through education, support and advocacy. NAMI Louisville 708 W. Magazine Street Suite 144 Louisville, Kentucky NAMI Louisville s Quarterly Newsletter Volume 2 Issue 4 NAMI Louisville, Inc TH PRINCIPLE OF SUPPORT We accept we cannot solve all problems. Quarterly Newsletter The Derby City s Voice on Mental Health Volume 2: Issue 4 Summer 2015 Support Groups: Strengthened to Grow Early in 2014, NAMI Louisville began promising our members, our generous sponsors and donors and the rest of the community that we will grow to meet the needs of the families and individuals affected by mental illness in the Louisville area. In 2015 and beyond, we are delivering on that promise with more education programs, support groups and advocacy. The fall 2014 newsletter described the work of three ad hoc committees formed to investigate the need for NAMI services in our community and make recommendations for future growth based on that need. In December 2014 and January 2015, the NAMI Louisville board of directors officially adopted the recommendations of all three committees as our strategic direction for the next five years. We want our members, friends and supporters to know the path we have taken to reach as many people as possible in and around the city who need our help. The next two newsletters will continue to summarize the work and recommendations of the committees. SUPPORT Under the leadership of Donna Scott, the support group ad hoc committee met several times during 2014 and took a very deliberate approach to ascertain the ways that NAMI signature programs (i.e. NAMI Connection group for people in recovery and Family Support Group) impact people affected by mental illness. After several sessions that included support group leaders and participants, the committee made the following five-year recommendations to the board of directors: Increase visibility of NAMI Louisville support groups in our community Form a connection between NAMI Louisville and our group facilitators, members and community Support and recruit facilitators for NAMI Louisville support groups Create support groups in areas and at times that best serve our whole community The board approved these recommendations and also appointed Mrs. Scott as NAMI Louisville s support group coordinator for a two year period. She will work with our administrative staff to achieve all of those objectives. Earlier this year, Ms. Scott and her team began two new support groups. Dante Murry spearheads a new group in the Shawnee Neighborhood and Gioia Gibbons started a group in St. Matthews. We are pleased to now offer four Family Support Groups and three NAMI Connection groups each month. For a complete schedule, please see page 6.

2 2 Step Forward for Mental Health Walk SocialClub The NAMI Louisville Social Club coordinates monthly events for persons with mental illness and their families. We want to build an atmosphere where family members and consumers can network and feel accepted, helpful, safe and social with Fun, Food and Friends. To RSVP for Social Club events, call the NAMI Louisville office at or The Social Club currently meets at Bridgehaven, 950 S. 1st Street, Louisville, KY from 2-4 p.m. The remaining dates for 2015: September 20 October 18 November 15 December 6

3 Peer Fundraising 3

4 4 Know Your Mental Health Professional In the pursuit to access the best possible treatment, mental health consumers and their families encounter many different types of trained professionals who provide numerous services. Some mental health professionals are similar, but the consumer and his or her advocates should understand the strengths of the people providing treatment. Possessing that knowledge will make working with all of these providers easier and will help you better understand the treatment plan. Recovery is a team effort and these professionals are an integral part of your team. NAMI Louisville will explain the role of a different member of your team in each newsletter. Psychologist A psychologist can be any one of a broad group of trained professionals who are experts in the field of psychology. These individuals include, but are not limited to clinical psychologists who work with patients in various settings, industrial or community psychologists, who apply psychological research to issues in the field, and experts teaching and/or conducting research in academia. Psychologists are an important part of the treatment team for anyone suffering from a mental illness because of their expertise in the overarching field that studies human behavior and mental processes. Form more information on Psychologists: American Psychological Association Kentucky Psychological Association Clinical Social Worker Psychiatrist Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner Social Worker Licensed Professional Counselor Nurse Psychotherapist Marital and Family Therapist Peer Specialist Certified Drug and Alcohol Counselor Do you know what all of these professionals do? What about the ways their training and experience can help you along the road to recovery? Find out more: nami.org mentalhealthamerica.net/types-mentalhealth-professionals NAMI Louisville is hosting a Family-to-Family and NAMI basics preview event for anyone who would like to learn more about our upcoming classes. We will have course instructors and recent Family-to-Family alumni on hand to answer any questions and provide information about this educational program. We know that the classes are a significant time commitment but we want everyone who has a loved one suffering from mental illness to know the value of these courses. All NAMI education programs are a free service provided by NAMI Louisville. The preview event will be August 6, 2015 at 6:00pm. At the Sullivan College of Technology and Design, 3901 Atkinson Square Dr., Louisville, KY Please RSVP to namilou@namilouisville.org or call

5 Advocacy Update 5 Advocacy is a vital part of NAMI Louisville s mission in the community. Beginning in 2015, the quarterly newsletter will provide an update on our efforts and involvement at the local, state and national level. For more information, please namilou@namilouisville.org. U.S. Representative Tim Murphy of Pennsylvania has once again introduced a bill in Congress, the Helping Families in Mental Health Crisis Act of 2015 (H.R. 2646), aiming to restructure the mental health care system in the United States. This is a controversial piece of legislation that has both supporters and detractors within the mental health community. A few of the key features of the bill include: Same day billing: authorizing healthcare providers to bill Medicaid & Medicare on the same day for mental and physical health services Eliminate Medicare s 190 day lifetime limit on impatient psychiatric care Restructuring of the federal administration that oversees mental health funding and regulations Allow limited disclosure of protected health information to caregivers Provide incentives for states to establish and maintain assisted outpatient treatment Prevent state Protection & Advocacy agencies from lobbying (the 2014 version of Rep. Murphy s bill greatly defunded P&A agencies and prevented them from taking part in class action lawsuits but HR 2646 does neither). The Helping Families in Mental Health Crisis Act has many more provisions, and you can see the entire bill at NAMI Kentucky Annual Conference/Annual Membership Meeting Please join NAMI Louisville and the twenty-two local affiliates from around the Commonwealth for NAMI Kentucky s Annual Conference. The keynote speaker is Carol Kivler, author of The ABCs of Recovery, Will I Ever be the Same Again? Transforming the Face of ECT, and other works. NAMI Kentucky s annual membership meeting will take place at noon following the conference. Date: September 26, 2015 Registration: 8:00 a.m. Location: Christ Lutheran Church 9212 Taylorsville Rd. Louisville, KY For more information, go to or call NAMI Kentucky at NAMI Louisville does not have an official position on this legislation. Last year, NAMI Kentucky and the national NAMI organization supported the 2014 version of this bill.

6 6 Family-to-Family Fall 2015 Saturdays August 22 - November 7 10 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. Location: Christ Lutheran Church 9212 Taylorsville Rd, Thursdays August 27 - November 12 6:00 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. Location: TBD 1139 Commerce Pkwy LaGrange, KY Tuesdays September 1 - November 17 6:00 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. Location: Beechland Baptist Church 4613 Greenwood Road; NAMI Louisville Signature Programs Upcoming schedule of educational courses: Support Group Calendar / July September 2015 Group July Aug. Sept. Time Location For Families 1st Saturday Family Will not meet :00 a.m. 2nd Saturday Family :00 a.m. 3rd Thursday Family :00 p.m. 4th Sunday Family :30 p.m. For People in Recovery from Mental Illness Tuesday Winter 2016 Saturdays January 9 - March a.m. - 12:30 p.m. Location: TBD Thursdays January 14 - March 31 6:00 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. Location: TBD Tuesdays January 19 - April 5 6:00 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. Location: TBD Every Tuesday NAMI Basics 3:00 p.m. 3rd Saturday :00 a.m. 4th Sunday :30 p.m. Fall 2015 Saturdays September 19 - October a.m. 12:30 p.m. Location: Our Lady of Peace Winter 2016 Saturdays February 13 - March 19 Location: Our Lady of Peace Please visit or call to sign up for courses. NAMI Family Support Group at Milestone Fitness, 750 Cypress Station Drive (Sitters available $7.00). NAMI Family Support Group at 1st Lutheran Church, 417 E. Broadway, Louisville, KY NAMI Family Support Group at Christ Lutheran Church, 9212 Taylorsville Rd, Louisville, KY NAMI Family Support Group at Christ Lutheran Church, 9212 Taylorsville Rd, Louisville, KY NAMI Connection recovery support group at Center One, 4710 Champions Trace, Louisville, KY NAMI Connection recovery support group at Shawnee Arts & Cultural Center, 607 S. 37th St., Louisville, KY NAMI Connection recovery support group at Christ Lutheran Church, 9214 Taylorsville Rd, Louisville, KY 40299

7 NAMI Louisville Quarterly Newsletter 7 NAMI Louisville Leadership Board of Directors: Clarence Rode, President Jean Henry, LCSW, 1st Vice President Terry Lee, 2nd Vice President Richard Pickren, Treasurer Donna Scott, Secretary Jim Burch Liz Curtis Kathy Dobbins, LCSW Zach Graham George Hersch, President Emeritus Dante Murry Debra Walton-Wells Executive Director: Michael Gray, JD, MUP Want to advertise in NAMI Louisville s quarterly newsletter? Help us continue to make this great communications tool possible. Call NAMI Louisville at Quarterly Newsletter The Derby City s Voice on Mental Health Volume 2: Issue 4 Summer 2015

8 708 W. Magazine Street Suite 144 Louisville, Kentucky Upcoming Events August 15 August 22 August 27 September 1 September 19 September 26 October 5-10 Step Forward for Mental Health Walk Family-to-Family Saturday Class Begins Register at namilouisville.org or call Family-to-Family Thursday Class Begins Register at namilouisville.org or call Family-to-Family Tuesday Class Begins Register at namilouisville.org or call NAMI Basics Class Begins Register at namilouisville.org or call NAMI Kentucky Annual Conference Mental Illness Awareness Week