NAMI Missoula Education & Advocacy

NAMI Missoula Education Programs

NAMI Missoula Family to Family

NAMI Missoula’s Spring 2024 “Family-to-Family” course begins Wednesday, March 6 and concludes Wednesday, April 24. Class space is limited; advance registration is required. For details and a registration form, please contact us: namimissoula@gmail.com or 406-880-1013.

Are you concerned about a friend or a family member with a mental illness? NAMI’s eight-session “Family-to-Family” course helps participants better understand their loved one’s mental illness and cope with its symptoms; it also offers strategies for dealing with crises, helping to facilitate recovery, and self-care. “Family-to-Family” is free, confidential, and peer-led; you do not need to be a NAMI member to attend.

NAMI Family-to-Family | NAMI: National Alliance on Mental Illness

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The next NAMI Montana “Family & Friends” online seminar is scheduled for Tuesday, April 16 (6:30 to 8:30 PM). Details and registration at: Nami Montana Events (namimt.org)

NAMI Family & Friends is a 2-hour seminar that informs and supports people who have loved ones with a mental health condition. Participants learn about diagnoses, treatment, recovery, communication strategies, crisis preparation and NAMI resources. Seminar leaders have personal experience with mental health conditions in their families.

In Montana, NAMI Family & Friends is presented online through the NAMI Montana state office. If you have questions, call the NAMI Montana office at 1-406-443-7871. Use this link to register:  https://nami.org/Support-Education/NAMI-Programs/NAMI-Family-Friends/Sign-up-for-a-NAMI-Family-Friends-Seminar

NAMI has made available an online “Participant’s Manual” for Family & Friends. You can access it at: F-F-Participant-Manual-English.pdf (nami.org)

[The manual is intended to supplement but not to replace the Family & Friends seminar.]

NAMI Peer-to-Peer is a free, eight-session educational program for adults with mental illness who are looking to better understand their illness and to maintain their recovery. Taught by trained leaders with lived experience, this program includes activities, discussions, and informative videos.

Our most recent Peer-to-Peer class concluded on February 27. We will offer another class beginning late summer or early fall. Please contact us if you would like to be on our waiting list for that class, or check back here for updates.

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NAMI “In Our Own Voice” presentations change attitudes, assumptions, and ideas about people with mental illnesses. These free, 40-, 60-, or 90-minute presentations provide a personal perspective on mental illnesses, as leaders with lived experience talk openly about what it’s like to have such an illness.

Contact us at namimissoula@gmail.com or at 1-406-880-1013 to arrange an “In Our Own Voice” presentation for your group, class, or organization.

NAMI “Ending the Silence” is a free, evidence-based presentation designed for middle-school and high-school students. “Ending the Silence” helps young people understand the basics of mental health, the warning signs of mental illness, and how to address concerns they may have for themselves or for friends or family members. The presentation is done by two NAMI leaders who share their personal experiences with mental illness and with recovery. Students’ questions and comments are always welcomed and taken seriously. If you would like to bring “Ending the Silence” to your school, or to your child’s school, please contact us at 406-880-1013 or at namimissoula@gmail.com.

Here’s a preview: Ending The Silence: A Mental Health Program For Teens (youtube.com)

ONLINE PROGRAMS

NAMI Basics OnDemand is a free, 6-session online education program for parents, caregivers, and anyone who provides care for young people (ages 22 and younger) experiencing mental health symptoms. This program is designed by parents and family members with lived experience. The course is self-paced and available 24/7, offering the flexibility of participating in the course on your schedule.

NAMI Basics OnDemand covers:

  • The impact mental illness can have on your family
  • Different types of mental health care professionals, available treatment options and therapies
  • An overview of the public mental health care, school, and juvenile justice systems
  • Resources to help you navigate those systems
  • How to advocate for your child’s rights at school and in health care settings
  • Preparing for and responding to crisis situations
  • The importance of self-care

Register here for the online NAMI Basics OnDemand course.

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FOR VETERANS, MILITARY SERVICE MEMBERS, AND THEIR FAMILIES: NAMI is excited to announce the launch of our free online suite of resources for caregivers, family members, and military service members and veterans designed to increase understanding, communication, wellness and advocacy skills. Accessible through computers or mobile devices, NAMI Homefront Resources is available 24/7 and includes information about:

  • Mental health conditions
  • Treatment options
  • Approaches to increase overall wellness
  • Tips for self-care and managing stress
  • Communication strategies
  • Transitioning from military to civilian life
  • Links to helpful organizations and crisis services
  • And more!

Access “NAMI Homefront” Resources at this link:

NAMI Homefront | NAMI: National Alliance on Mental Illness

ADVOCACY

Let’s Talk About Advocacy (youtube.com)

NAMI is a nonpartisan advocacy organization, working to improve the lives of people affected by mental health conditions. From the U.S. Capitol to state legislatures to local city councils, NAMI uses the power of lived experience to influence how our country allocates resources to help people with mental illness.

Matt Kuntz, Executive Director of NAMI Montana, has provided a summary of the 2023 Montana legislature’s actions and accomplishment on mental health issues: Montana Legislature Adjourns: Update on Two Years Worth of Work For Mental Health in Montana – NAMI Montana (namimt.org)

For names and contact information for Missoula County state representatives: Legislative contacts

Advocacy comes in many forms. As NAMI members, we can advocate (for ourselves or for our loved ones) in person, by phone, by petition, by voting, by letter, by e-mail, or via social media. We can advocate with mental health providers, educators, employers, faith groups, media, and government at all levels (local, state, and national). 

NAMI helps shape national public policy for people with mental illness and their families, and it provides its volunteer leaders with the tools, resources, and skills necessary to save and strengthen mental health services in all states.

For a general introduction to NAMI advocacy and for information about NAMI policy on current issues, follow these links:

http://www.nami.org/Get-Involved/Take-Action-on-Advocacy-Issues

http://www.nami.org/LearnMore/Public-Policy

If you want to be an advocate, or if you are need of advocacy, please call us at 406-880-1013 or email us at namimissoula@gmail.com 

 

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