Pictures from the NAMI PA State Convention

Here are two photos from the NAMI PA State Convention.

1. Carol Caruso congratulates Roz Wealth after Roz is awarded the 2008 Jean Pisano Advocacy Award at the NAMI PA Conference in Harrisburg.

2. Back row: Tim Connors, Magellan Behavioral Health; Carol Caruso; MontCo Board member Fred McLaren and Steve Miller, NAMI Iowa Board member. Front row: Steve Sikora, Montco Board member Sherry Sikora, and Carol's husband Jerry Rudakevich.

Family-to-Family Classes Now Forming

NAMI PA Montgomery County will offer two Family-to-Family Education Programs this Spring

The NAMI Family-to-Family Education Program is a free 12-week course for families and caregivers of individuals with mental illness. Trained family members teach the course. All instruction and course materials are free to class participants. The Family-to-Family curriculum focuses on diagnosis, medications, brain function, and communication skills for disorders such as Schizophrenia, Bipolar Disorder, Major Depression, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, and Borderline Personality Disorder.

Family-to-Family classes are offered in hundreds of communities across the country as well as in Canada and Mexico.

Spring Class Locations:

Glenside Office - 100 South Keswick Avenue
Class begins Monday, February 2, 2009 6:30-9:00 PM
Instructors: Anne Magowan and Sonia Grabish

Pottstown Office - Creative Health Services, 11 Robinson Street
Class begins Wednesday, February 18, 2009 6:30-9:00 PM
Instructors: Barbara Schneider and Andrea Gillis

For more information or to register for either class
Please call 215-886-0350
e-mail: montconami@aol.com website: www.montconami.com

Office of Mental Health offers Focus Groups

We need YOUR input to continue to improve the mental health system in Montgomery County.

The Office of Mental Health, in partnership with the CSP Committee will be conducting focus groups throughout the county. Your feedback will help inform the County’s Mental Health Annual Plan.

If you are a consumer or provider of services, or a family member, please join us at one of the following focus groups:

• Abington Peer Resource Center, 1925 Old York Rd. November 21tst 1:30pm
• SHARE Peer Resource Center, 538 DeKalb Street, December 3rd, 1:00pm
• Pottstown Peer Resource Center 249 E. High Street December 4th 2:00pm
• Lansdale Peer Resource Center 51 East 2nd Street (Behind the Valley Center) December 5th, 1:00pm
• Bryn Mawr Peer Resource Center 1001 Lancaster Ave December 11th, 1:00pm

Refreshments will be provided.

Please contact Linda Feliciani at 610-278-3791 if you are interested in participating.

Family Assessments - Help Needed

Dear NAMI members:

OMHSAS (Office of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services) is in the process of assessing patients at Norristown State Hospital as to their needs in the event of their discharge. Part of this process involves family assessments, where the families of these individuals will be asked for their input as to what they feel their family member would need if they were to leave the state hospital.

The local NAMI affiliates have been asked to help identify family members to help with these assessments. Email montconami@aol.com for a description of the job involved and an application for employment.

I hope you will consider being a part of this very important endeavor.

Carol

November Meeting and Other Announcements

Good morning all!

A reminder that we will hold our monthly meeting this Sunday at our Glenside office (100 So. Keswick Avenue). Our doors open at 1:30 PM with refreshments and socializing; and our meeting and program begin at 2 PM. We are very pleased to welcome Fred McLaren, Certified Peer Specialist (CPS) NAMI MontCo Board member.

Fred will share the story of his journey with mental illness and his passage from being homeless and on the street to serving as regional CSP (Community Support program) Chair for southeastern Pennsylvania. Fred will be joined by co-Certified Peer Specialist Berta Britz, who will tell us about our very exciting CPS program at CHOC, the homeless shelter in Norristown (funds raised by our 2008 Greater Philadelphia NAMIWalks provided stipends for these two Certified Peer Specialists).

So I hope you will plan on joining us for this very exciting and uplifting program.

Other announcements:

We will be hosting a Speakers Bureau training at the end of January. Based on the NAMI Ambassador's program developed by NAMI Metro Baltimore, this free training will help family members to feel more confident when presenting to groups about all that NAMI does and the importance of NAMI membership. This training will be open to our members as well as our neighboring NAMI affiliates. It will be held at our Glenside office and the date will be set soon. For more information or to register please call us at 215-886-0350 ior email at montconami@aol.com.

On Friday December 5th we will host a self-advocacy training, presented by Community Advocates of Montgomery County. This training is also free of charge and is open to consumers and family members. It will be held at the Human Services Center in Norristown from 9 AM to 3 PM. For more information and to register please contact kathy Mitchell at 610-270-0375.

Our Pottstown office will be re-locating at the beginning of the year. We will move into the new headquarters of Creative Health Services, at Robinson Street. This will not only provide us with more visibility but will also make our NAMI services more available to the community. We will provide more details when they arer available. Our spring Family to family class (starting February 18th) will be held there (the date for our Glenside class will be scheduled soon).

Please let me know if you have any questions on any of the above. As always, thank you for all that you do for persons with mental illness and their families!

Carol Cruso
Executive Director