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On this page: Support
Group | Program Meetings | FEST
| Family
Day | Crisis Relief Training | Our
Office ] [ www.preventmentalillness.org]
Support
Groups
NAMI offers a support
group for relatives (both family and friends) of persons with
mental illness. Community members who attend will find a safe,
confidential environment where they can voice their concerns
and learn from others. The sessions are facilitated by knowledgeable
NAMI members who bring a great deal of experience with mental
illness to the group. Our support group is free!
When does it meet?
Where?
Family/Friends:
4th Wed of the month except Nov & Dec (3rd Wed of month).
Want
more info? Call Chuck Hughes at (734) 426-5336
When
and where?
7:30pm
St. Clare’s Episcopal Church/ Temple Beth Emeth
2309 Packard Rd., Ann Arbor, MI 48104
__________________________________________________
Individuals with mental illness: 4th Wed of month except
Nov & Dec (3rd Wed of month).
When
and where?
Same
time and place as general support group above
Want
more info? Call Karen Holman at (734) 485-3040
____________________________________________________
If
you have a child/adolescent with a mental illness, this group
is for you!
THIS
GROUP IS NO LONGER MEETING. IF YOU WANT TO HELP ORGANIZE
IT AGAIN, PLEASE CALL THE OFFICE.
NEW
Center, 1100 N. Main St., Ann Arbor
Call 994-6611
Click
here for more local resources.
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Program
Meetings
One of the mainstays
of our affiliate is its monthly (free!) public education meeting.
We select a speaker or a panel to address an issue that is
pertinent to the community (with a focus on mental illness,
of course).
What have we done
in the past? Speakers talked about…
- CAM -Complementary and Alternative Medicine for Mental
Health
- Special Needs Planning for SSI, SSDI, Medicare and Medicaid
- Problem-Solving using the McFarlane Method
- PCP: The promise of Person Centered Planning
- Family and Consumer Education in Ann Arbor and Europe
- Schizophrenia: Choices in Recovery
- Dual diagnosis (mental illness plus co-occurring substance
abuse)
- Update on new psychiatric medications
- Helping families communicate with patients and professionals
- Navigating the mental health system
- Advocating for insurance parity
- Personal stories (including presentations by consumers
with first-hand knowledge of the devastating effects of
mental illness and the road to recovery)
And many others…

|
Our past Public Education Committee chair, Bill Lane,
smiles for the camera with NAMI member and former office
manager, Karen Myers. |
.When
do we meet?
Second Monday
of every month, 7:30pm
(NOTE: no
public education meetings June, July, August or December)
St. Clare’s Episcopal Church/ Temple Beth Emeth
2309 Packard Rd., Ann Arbor, MI 48104
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FEST
(Family Education, Support and Training)
In a unique collaboration,
our NAMI affiliate partners with the University of Michigan
and Community Support and Treatment Services (CSTS), the local
Community Mental Health agency, to offer a family education
course. FEST is an 11-week program that helps family members
with an ill loved-one by offering:
- Information about brain disorders
- A supportive environment to learn and grow
- Tools for family members to deal effectively with mental
illness
- Some call this class : Mental Health 101
Please
call early to reserve your spot for the Fall, 2008 FEST Program.
To learn more, go to our FEST page.
Past participants
have found that this course teaches them the basics about
mental illness and treatments, connects them to community
resources, and teaches them important skills and coping techniques
for their often difficult journey. FEST is available in the
fall and winter of each year.
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Family
Day 2008!!
This year's Family
Day will be held on Saturday, November 1,
from 9:00am - 3:00pm at Bethlehem United Church of Christ,
423 S. Fourth Ave., Ann Arbor.
Once a year our
affiliate puts together a complete day of speakers, workshops,
and information designed to educate and empower the community.
Attendance is not restricted to family members but welcomes
all interested persons affected by mental illness. And it’s
free!
Last
Year's Keynote Speakers were: Project Outreach:
Off the Beaten Path (Innovative
Homeless
Outreach) presented by Dr. Tim Florence, Flo Hepola, John
Loring, Alan Picket, and Deb Pippins. The Project Outreach
Team (PORT) was initiated in January 2000 with a collaboration
of community stakeholders to address the needs of individuals
who are homeless and have a mental illness in Washtenaw County.
The team discussed the following issues during their presentation:
What is engagement/outreach and how is it relevant? Housing
is treatment-so where is it? Team Building: Bridging the Homeless
Project Outreach Team with the Justice Project Outreach Team.
What does Soccer have to do with it?
2007 Workshop
Topics included: The Prison System and the
Mentally Ill; The Many Forms of Psychosis and How Best
to Treat Them; M3P Program (Early Intervention and Detection
Program); Principles of Recovery; Crisis Intervention
Team (CIT); Recognizing and Treating Adult ADHD.
In the past some
of our keynote speakers have included:
- Lynn Rivers (former congresswoman)
- Dr. Fred Frese (professional and consumer)
- State Senator, Liz Brater (former Ann Arbor mayor)
- Kurt and Reimar Scholler (local NAMI members)
- Dr Amador Xavier, author of "I
am not Sick, I don't need Help!"
- Bill Feiser and Jill Crabtree on
depression
- Eric Hipple, former Detroit Lions
quarterback...
- Marilyn Wedenoja (professor of social
work and director of grad. soc. work EMU
- Kenneth Silk, MD, Professor in
UM Medical School in the Department of Psychiatry
In addition, to
many excellent workshops, Family Day offers a complimentary
continental breakfast and free hot lunch with food donated
by many local businesses.
Look for
news about this year's keynote address and workshops soon.

|
Ann Carrellas, from the Washtenaw Association for
Community Advocacy, speaks at a Family Day Workshop. |
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Crisis
Relief Training (CRT)
Some of our organization’s
members helped bring a special project to life here (first
started in Memphis, Tennessee): a training of the Ann Arbor
Police Department (AAPD) which helps officers recognize possible
mental illness and deal compassionately with this vulnerable
segment of the community, getting them to the appropriate
treatment. Through grassroots efforts this program has become
an effective part of Washtenaw County’s (specifically,
Ann Arbor’s) services.
Help
the Crisis Relief Task Force!!
Get
in touch with Carolyn Moehrle to find out about volunteer
possibilities in this effort. Please call her at (734)
663-9498 for more information.

|
Ann Arbor Police Officer, Lt. Khurum Sheikh, receiving
an award for his involvement in the Crisis Relief Training. |
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Our
Office
Where can you go
to learn more about mental illness? Our office is a good place
to start. We carry:
- Brochures and pamphlets (about schizophrenia, bipolar
disorder, major depression, and many other mental disorders)
- Books (for ex., E. Fuller Torrey’s "Surviving
Schizophrenia")
- Videos
- Current and past copies of our newsletter
If you call us,
our office manager can help answer some of your questions,
or direct you to people and agencies that can.
Office: |
1100 North Main St., Suite 114
Ann Arbor, Mi. 48104 |
Hours: |
Mondays: 9:30 am -
2:30 pm
Tuesdays: 11am - 4:00 pm
Wednesdays:
9:30 am - 1:30 pm
Thursdays:
9:30 am - 2:30 pm |
Phone: |
(734) 994-6611 |
Office Manager: |
Barbara Higman |
| Resource Coordinator: |
Pam Minick |
Michigan
Prevents Prodromal Progression (M3P)- www.preventmentalillness.org:
The Portland Identification
and Early Referral Program (PIER) provides confidential assessment
and early assistance for young people between the ages of
12 and 35 who are at risk for mental illnesses. Please click
on the link at the top of the page for more information.
We welcome visitors,
either in person or by phone. Come by and see what we’re
all about!
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