NAMI Family & Friends is a free four-hour seminar that informs people who have loved ones with a mental health condition how to best support them. It’s also an opportunity to meet other people in similar situations and gain community support. We’re scheduling these seminars monthly – so check our events calendar please.
What You’ll Learn
The seminar is led by trained people with lived experience of supporting a family member with a mental health condition. They will walk you through the following topics.
Understanding diagnoses, treatment and recovery
Effective communication strategies
The importance of self-care
Crisis preparation strategies
NAMI and community resources
Additional Resources
The NAMI Family & Friends companion eBook provides important information about mental health conditions including: conditions and diagnoses, treatment and recovery, crisis planning, resources and more. You can download it for free at Amazon and Barnes & Noble where select languages are available for the Kindle, Nook and compatible ebook apps.
Amazon
Barnes & Noble
Compressed Epub or Mobi files (English)
Compressed Epub or Mobi files (Arabic, Chinese, Farsi, Korean, and Vietnamese)
Thank You to these Community Partners
These seminars are possible by the generosity of our grant partners – Thank You! In Scott County: The Regional Development Authority. In Rock Island and Henry Counties: The Doris & Victor Day Foundation, The Moline Foundation, Rauch Family Foundation, and Rock Island Community Foundation.
With support of UnityPoint Robert Young Center and United Way of the Quad Cities, NAMI is able to offer this education program.
NAMI Basics is a no-cost, 6-session course for parents, foster parents, and primary caregivers of children and adolescents who have shown symptoms of a mental health condition prior to the age of 13. This class is taught by trained parents/caregivers who have similar lived experiences with their own children, allowing families to connect, learn, and empower themselves to overcome new challenges. Learn more here
Posted in Education
With the support of the Rock Island Arsenal Welcome Club and the American Legion Foundation of Iowa, NAMI Greater Mississippi Valley is pleased to offer this Service Member Family education program at no cost to participants.
NAMI Homefront is a six-session education program for family and friends of Military Service Members and Veterans with mental health conditions such as PTSD or Traumatic Brain Injury. It focuses on the unique needs of active duty and veteran communities, such as post-deployment and post-discharge transitions.
The course is designed to help family members understand and support their loved one while maintaining their own well-being. The teachers of this course are also family members who have experience with military culture and know what it is like to have a loved one living with a mental health condition. Register here
Posted in EducationIf you are struggling to support an adult loved one living with a mental health condition, NAMI Greater Mississippi Valley has answers. NAMI Family to Family is a no-cost education program that strengthens families’ ability to support their loved one.
We offer a free education program taught by people who understand. You’ll learn how to cope, communicate and build a stronger family that works toward recovery.
Now enrolling in 3 locations.
Bettendorf – https://bit.ly/2Ohu1sO
Geneseo – https://bit.ly/2Mnvmh6
Muscatine – https://bit.ly/2vPIJzJ
Read Rick’s interview with Jonathan Turner of Argus/Dispatch here
The Greater Mississippi Valley affiliate of the National Alliance on Mental Illness will hold a kickoff event for NAMIWalks, a signature fundraising event to support free education programs for families living with a serious mental health condition. The event is hosted by NAMIWalks local presenting sponsor UnityPoint Health – Trinity and the Robert Young Center for Community Mental Health.
The kickoff event will be held Monday, August 6 from 5 to 6:30 p.m. at Baked Beer and Bread Company, 1113 Mound St, Davenport. The program starts at 5:30 p.m.
The featured speaker will be honorary walk chair and UnityPoint Health – Trinity CEO Rick Seidler. “I’m honored to raise awareness about one of the most important issues our communities face,” he said. “I have personal experience with severe depression, which regrettably led to my father completing suicide when I was a young adult.” Through his NAMIWalks role, Seidler will speak out to break the social stigma surrounding mental illness and encourage persons to seek help for this treatable health condition.
Persons interested in forming a walk team or sponsoring the September 22 NAMIWalks event, are invited to attend the kickoff. Register by contacting namiwalks@namigmv.org or 563-386-7477 Ext. 266.
Posted in NAMIWalksWANTED: Volunteer Instructors and Facilitators. We’re expanding classes and support groups.
Preference to NAMI Class Graduates. Must have lived experience. Please contact Education & Support Program Coordinator Vicki Walters @ education@namigmv.org to indicate interest.
We are currently looking for candidates in the areas of:
Family & Friends monthly seminars – existing family instructors will update credentials online
Family Support Group Facilitators – Rock Island County and additional team for Scott County
NAMI GMV Family Support Facilitator Application
NAMI Homefront Instructors – Rock Island and Scott Counties
NAMI GMV Homefront Instructor Application
Basics Instructors for UnityPoint Intensive Outpatient Program, Rock Island
NAMI GMV Basics Instructor Application pdf
Family-to-Family Instructors: Cedar, Muscatine, Scott, Clinton & Jackson Counties
Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority and NAMI Greater Mississippi Valley present – NAMI Family-to-Family education program for families supporting a loved one living with a mental health condition.
Download the flier here: NAMI Family to Family. People’s Church. Summer 2018
NAMI Family-to-Family Class is free to family members and caregivers who have a loved one 18 or older living with a serious mental health condition. This is a nationally-developed program delivered locally by trained volunteers who have lived experience with mental illness.
12-week class May 31 to August 16 from 6 to 8:30 p.m. at People’s Missionary Baptist Church, Rock Island. Registrations may be accepted through Class 2 (June 7) if space is still available.
Please register by calling NAMI office 563-386-7477 Ext. 266 (M-F 10 to 2). Instructors will call you prior to start of class.
Posted in Education
NAMI Greater Mississippi Valley offers free nationally-developed education programs that teach families to cope, communicate and effectively advocate for a loved one living with a mental health condition.
NAMI Homefront will be held six Wednesdays evenings from April 4 to May 9 at Western Illinois University, Moline, Ill. Registration is required. Please contact NAMI by April 2 at 563-386-7477 Ext. 266. Through a national Memorandum of Understanding with the Veterans Administration, NAMI is actively working with the VA in Iowa City and Quad Cities to promote this specialized class for veteran and active-duty service member families.
NAMI Family-to-Family is program is 12 Tuesday evenings beginning April 17 at Black Hawk College, Moline. Registration opens April 3. Call the college’s PACE department at 309-796-8223. The course is designed for family members and caregivers of individuals 18 years or older living with a mental health condition. Course topics include family response to trauma, diagnosis and dealing with critical periods, problem solving, communications skills, and self-care for caregivers. The program is taught by trained family members who have lived experience.
Posted in EducationJoin NAMI and the Veterans Administration as we screen the 90-minute documentary “Suicide: The Ripple Effect” on Saturday, March 14, 3 p.m. at Regal Moline Stadium 14.
Reserve your ticket today. We need to reserve 44 more tickets to bring this showing – so reserve today! https://gathr.us/screening/22738
Download the Flier Here: Suicide_The_Ripple_Effect_Quad Cities_Screening_Flier
View the Trailer Here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LytKNC405oI
Posted in Advocacy, Outreach, Videos