Category: NAMI

  • NAMI Week Ten

    This was the last week of NAMI Peer-to-Peer Recovery Education Program ©. Last class agenda: Revisit BRIDGES Consumer Stages of Recovery. BRIDGES, Building Recovery of Individual Dreams and Goals through Education and Support, is a NAMI Tennessee copyrighted program that provides education and support to persons diagnosed with a mental illness. Here are the BRIDGES Consumer Stages of Recovery…

  • NAMI Week Nine

    Wednesday afternoon I attended the ninth week of NAMI Peer-to-Peer Recovery Education Program ©. The class covered the following topics: Guest Speaker – Family Member – Steve Pitman Four Good Things about Hospitalization: To avoid the upheaval of a hospital stay, with the help of your support system,youcanrecreatethefour good things about hospitalization at home when you need it.…

  • NAMI Family Member Guest Speaker

    Yesterday afternoon at NAMI Peer-to-Peer Recovery Education Program, we had the pleasure of listening to Steve Pitman, Board of Directors President of NAMI Orange County, who shared his experience as a family member of those living with mental illness. Here is a video of Steve Pitman giving a similar speech at The Gathering on Mental Health and the Church at…

  • NAMI Week Eight

    Wednesday I attended class eight of the NAMI Peer-to-Peer Recovery Education Program 2014 ©. The topics we covered are: What to do when you, or someone you know,may be contemplating suicide WARNING SIGNS FOR SUICIDE Threatening to hurt or kill oneself or talking about wanting to hurt or kill oneself Looking for ways to kill…

  • NAMI Target Exercise

      Target Exercise: Relapse Prevention Planning © NAMI Peer-to-Peer Recovery Education Course Week Seven Class Handouts (Rev. 2006) included the Target Exercise shown above, the text of which I’ve summarized below. In the bull’s-eye, we put what we MUST do, or MUST not do, to live well with mental illness. I MUST take my medicine, sleep, and not…

  • NAMI Week Seven

    This afternoon I attended week seven of NAMI Peer-to-Peer psychoeducational classes. In class seven we covered: Understanding Emotions Complete Relapse Prevention Grid Focusing on Experiences of Joy Spirituality Physical Health and Mental Health Mindfulness The class was helpful and supportive, as always. Our material that covered understanding emotions was based on the work of Marsha…

  • Thank You NAMI Walks Donors

    Thank you to my wonderful generous NAMI Walks donors, all of whom I know and love: my friend Jonathan, my friend Kathleen, my sister Tracey and her husband Joseph, my parents, my Uncle Larry, and Dyane Harwood. There is still time to donate to NAMI. As you may recall from my previous post, I am participating…

  • NAMI Week Six ~ Dual Diagnosis

    Twice today peers, both recovering addicts, have suggested that although I do not drink much, I may be an alcoholic because of my relationship with alcohol (and marijuana, for that matter). The statements ring true. Within me lives an alcoholic over whom I must exert tremendous control. I sense a strong genetic and biological predisposition to alcoholism…

  • NAMI Week Five

    At the end of week five of NAMI’s Peer-to-Peer training, we learned the concept behind Dialectical Behavior Therapy or DBT. To begin seeing the world in less black and white terms and to learn to hold and accept uncomfortable and opposing feelings, we made dialectical statements describing two roses in opposing terms. My two roses here are both…

  • NAMI Walks 2014

    Sponsor Me for 2014 NAMI Walks Those of you who have been following my blog know that I’ve been participating in the National Alliance on Mental Illness or NAMI Peer-to-Peer psychoeducational classes. NAMI offers these classes free. NAMI conducts free educational programs, meetings and support groups for those of us who live with mental health diagnoses and their families.…