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 For
more information on groups, locations, times, and other events go
to the Calendar
& Support Groups
pages
Family
and Public Education Program
- NAMI of Greater Kansas
City's priority is to educate families and the public regarding
issues of importance to those with mental illness and their families.
Our educational and training efforts are to: 1)
improve the quality and dissemination of educational information
regarding mental illness including local and statewide educational
meetings and conferences, newsletters, and our highly praised Family
to Family education program; 2) to also enlighten the public
regarding the latest in research findings on the causes and effects
of mental illness; 3) to increase access to and development of services
for those with mental illness; 4) reduce stigma and discrimination
Families
Helping Families
- Families and individuals
who participate in our self-help meetings learn that they do not
have to struggle alone. They find emotional support to make it through
times of crisis, share their experiences with others, and gain understanding
of mental illness and available services. Mental illness is no one's
fault!
Young
Families Program / Visions for Tomorrow
- "Young" families
are defined as families who have a young child or adolescent that
suffers from a mental illness. Often
young families are in need of a greater array of assistance than
those already experienced in obtaining services for their family
member with a brain disorder. At least one-half of families admit
that their child or sibling was under eighteen when they began to
show signs of mental illness.
- Suprisingly,
of an estimated 5 percent of adolescents between the ages of 14-18
that suffer from active disorders such as depression and bipolar
disorder, only one-fifth of them are diagnosed or given treatment.
Schizophrenia develops primarily between the ages of 16-25 which
means many adolescents may be showing early symptoms of this illness
while in high school but do no receive a diagnosis or treatment
for an average of one year.
- Visions for Tomorrow
is an education program that consists of a series of workshops
for teachers, counselors, and caregivers of children with mental
illness(defined as parents, extended family, or foster parents).
The program will consist of the following components :
- Introduction/Brain
Biology
- ADD/ADHD,PDD/Autism,
Tourette's Disorder, Conduct Disorder
- Bipolar Disorder,
Depressive Disorder, Eating Disorder
- Anxiety Disorders:
Obsessive-Compulsive, Post-Traumatic Stress, Separation Anxiety,
Panic, Phobia, Generalized Anxiety
- Childhood Schizophrenia/Psychosis
- Empathy & Sharing,
Communication Skills, Copying and Self-Care
- Problem Management,
Advocacy, Judicial & Stigma
- Rehabilitation,
Recovery & Transition
For
information on classes offered - Click Here
Family
to Family (Formerly Journey of Hope)
- The Family
to Family Education Program
has become a familiar phrase as more caregivers are demanding to
benefit from this 12-week course that covers all aspects of mental
illness.
- Workshops include: Specific
Illness; Medications; Emotions; Caring for the Person with Mental
Illness; and Caring for Yourself and Other Family Members.
- NAMI of Greater Kansas
City currently has numerous trained teachers.
Breaking
the Silence
- Breaking the Silence
is an education program that consists of an anti-stigma curriculum
aimed to teach students in grades 4 through 12 about mental illness.
The information focuses on knowledge, attitudes, and dispelling
the myths that surround mental illness. It is targeted to health,
psychology, counseling sessions, science or family living classes
and is designed to teach early warning signs of mental illness.
It provides vital information reinforcing treatment programs that
work for schizophrenia, bi-polar disorder, major depression and
other major mental illnesses.
- The program consists
of lesson and activity plans, posters and games for teaching students
in grades 4-6, 7-8 and 9-12. The kits contain reproducible activities
and plans that can be used for one-day lessons or expanded to several
days. NAMI-KC would be available to provide facilitators and the
curriculum at no cost to the school.
Self-Help
Support Group
- Hundreds of family members
and caregivers are strengthened each year through the understanding
and support provided by their peers at the monthly support group
meetings held throughout metropolitan Kansas City. Some of those
groups serve broad audiences that include parents, spouses, children,
siblings and other caregivers. Others focus on the unique issues
arising from different types of family relationships or mental illnesses.
Education
Seminars
- Education seminars are
held monthly for a wide variety of audiences on a multitude of topics.
They include such topics as medication overview, alternative treatment
options, managed care, children's services, advocacy training, insurance
parity and other legislative issues.
Mental
Health Professional Training Program
- The Mental Health
Professional Training Program (based on the Family to Family
curriculum) provides education to mental health professionals regarding
appropriate and sensitive techniques necessary to defuse situations
with persons with mental illness, the biological cause of mental
illness, brain research and much more that is not always a part
of formal education.
- Workshops Include:
- Class 1: Orientation
- Class 2: Clinical
Bases
- Class 3: The 3 Major
Mental Illnesses
- Class 4: Types and
Subtypes of Mood Disorders/Diagnosis of Panic Disorder and Obsessive
Compulsive Disorder
- Class 5: Research
into the Biological Bases of Mental Illness
- Class 6: Medication
Review
- Class 7: Inside
Mental Illness
- Class 8: Responding
Effectively to Families in Stage 2
- Class 9: Meeting
the Whole Family/Problem Solving
- Class 10: Why Advocacy?
Helping Families in Stage 3/Certification
Education
to the Public through Speaker's Bureau
- The public, who knows
little about the nature of mental illness and often contributes
to the stigma that complicates effective treatment, must be educated
regarding mental illness. We utilize a Speaker's Bureau that speaks
to large and diverse audiences, including college students, faith
communities, mental health professionals and many other groups throughout
the area to strengthen public education in Kansas City.
Resource
Guide
- We have a "Resource
Guide" which is used for referrals to professionals, families,
consumers and the public. We offer it free of charge to callers,
visitors, and to the public as part of our Speaker's Bureau. It
provides information on coping techniques, access to support systems
for families and friends.
Culturally
Competent Outreach
- Along with churches
and community organizations, NAMI-KC strives to provide culturally
competent outreach services to the citizens of greater Kansas City.
Currently, numerous African American churches and Hispanic service
providers have completed or are starting Family to Family
Education Programs, support groups or other collaborative initiatives.
Help-Line
(click for more information)
- Trained staff and peer
volunteers--people who have been through what callers are facing--offer
information and support through a network of resources. Thousands
of people benefit each year from the Help-Line.
Newspaper
- NAMI-KC publishes a
monthly 10 page newspaper which covers the most current information
on research, medications, mental illness, family & consumer
experiences, and legislation to the Greater Kansas City area.
Law
Enforcement Training
- Law Enforcement Training
has been provided to KC Police Academy (police cadets) for the last
7 years. In 1999, services were expanded to include Jackson County
Detention Center (detention officers, social workers, and intake
personnel) and Lee's Summit Police Department (in-service officers).
The training programs stress appropriate and sensitive techniques
necessary to defuse situations with persons with mental illness.
Law Enforcement Training ranges from a one-hour presentation to
the Kansas City Police Academy to a forty-hour curriculum for Crisis
Intervention Training (CIT).
Crisis
Intervention Training for Law Enforcement Officers
- NAMI-KC is working
with various law enforcement agencies to establish Crisis Intervention
Teams (CIT). CIT is 40-hours of specialized training for uniformed
patrol officers in how to respond to calls concerning persons with
mental illness in crisis. The curriculum is taught over a five-day
period addressing various issues such as diagnosis, medications,
recognizing symptoms, coping skills, how to approach persons with
mental illness, mental illness from a family and consumer approach
and the role of mental health professionals. For more information,
see the CIT Information
page.
Advocacy
to Legislators and Mental Health Care Providers
- Advocacy to Legislators,
Public Service Organizations, Mental Health Care Providers and the
General Public is a service that impacts all citizens in Kansas
City who utilize mental health services. Examples of the legislation
or public policy that has been passed or introduced is: new Outpatient
Commitment Law, removal of numerous advertising promotions that
are offensive and stigmatizing to persons with mental illness, development
of a mental health court, new policies within police departments.
If
you have any questions about NAMI-KC please contact
us at #816.931.0030 or KCAMI@AOL.com
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any of the following...
©NAMI-KC,
2001
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