With a little help from your peers

By Ian Burke Perez

It was startling for Janice Garfinkel to come to the realization that for all the programs designed to solve the mental health crisis, none seemed to be made up of their peers. Having worked with the Queens/Nassau County chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) since 2017, she knew that feeling isolated in a mental health struggle is one of the things that can worsen mental health very rapidly.

Originally from Syosset, Garfinkel is the 2nd Vice President on the NAMI Queens/ Nassau Board and the Chairperson of peer support services. Her role for the peer support groups is to train the peer leaders to run their peer support groups effectively. In addition, she promotes the peer support group to the local community for new members and keep the current members informed about what’s going on at NAMI.

In light of her desire to make mentally ill people realize they are not alone, Garfinkel and a team of NAMI Queens/Nassau workers helped put together the organization’s virtual peer support groups, meeting every Tuesday and Thursday. Though NAMI has had support groups since 2006, their virtual support groups started with the COVID-19 pandemic.

The hour-long sessions are led by peers who have overcome their mental health struggles and share their tactics with peers currently struggling with mental illness. Garfinkel says that peers who have the experience of dealing with mental health problems are far better leaders than those who haven’t.

“People who are struggling with mental health don’t need someone who hasn’t been through the struggles to tell them what to do,” says Garfinkel. “The people running the group understand the struggles so well.”

The peer support groups began in 2019 with a mission of “find[ing] compassion, understanding and empowerment from people who can relate to your experience” according to NAMI’s website. Being that Garfinkel has a daughter with schizophrenia herself, she understands the importance of eliminating the stigma surrounding mental health to get people the help they need.

“It’s so important to realize that mental health is a real issue and there’s still a stigma around mental health. We have to take care of people who are struggling and make sure we give them the support that they need,” says Garfinkel. “If somebody has cancer, we’re very supportive of that, but people don’t want to get involved with people who have mental illness, so we have to end that stigma.”

According to Garfinkel, NAMI faces the issue of people being hesitant to participate in peer groups because of the isolation commonly associated with mental illness. The peer support groups feature in-person activities so they can meet new people such as arts and crafts, board games, karaoke and holiday activities on Halloween and thanksgiving. The physical activity with these events and separation from strictly virtual meetings tends to elevate the mood of the peers.

In addition to the peer group that consists of younger people, there are also family to family groups and a senior group. Lara Rosenthal, who has been participating as a peer for over a year, says the peer support groups give her a safe space where peers can share their coping skills.

“Being in the support groups can show you that you’re not alone and you can get through whatever you’re going through with the support of the peer support groups,” says Rosenthal. “Having this to look forward can boost your self esteem and know that people do care about you.”

With peers who have mental illnesses ranging from bipolar disorder to anxiety and depression, many peers say those who do not understand mental illness assume that mentally ill people are going to hurt others. Kimberly Uckele, a peer for over two years, says she learned how to get rid of her own bad social habits through the support groups, putting herself in other people’s shoes more often and controlling her temper. The supportive environment provided in the peer support groups allows her not to feel the need to filter herself.

“I don’t have to hide that I hear voices and people don’t automatically assume that I’m violent,” says Uckele. “It’s free therapy and you can meet new friends. You need friends you can cry to and be able to tell them ‘I couldn’t get outta bed this morning I’m having such a horrible day.’”

One of the members who has been participating the longest, preferring to simply be known as Jessica, says the groups provide a sense of togetherness. In her four years of experience, the peer aspect of the group has always been the most important, since there was no single person dictating how the groups needed to run things. In addition, group members feel they’re not alone, straying away from isolation.

“I didn’t have a lot of friends going into the peer groups, so just knowing there are people like me out there who are there for me means a lot,” says Jessica. “I’ve gained a strong sense of togetherness from this and our in person activities like karaoke and yoga have improved my mood a lot over the four years I’ve been involved.”

The format of each session is tailored to the wants and needs of the members seeking support, where they can decide on virtually whatever activity they want.

Organizers hope that members are able to utilize strategies for growth outside of the groups so every peer is able to practice effective self care. The connections established in peer support groups are made with the aim of being long-lasting ones so that each member always has someone supporting them.

NAMI Queens/Nassau hosts five different support groups, each geared at pears who have overcome some form of psychosis or depression sharing their strategies for growth and progress. They meet from 2-3 p.m. on Tuesdays and 6:30-8:30 p.m. on Thursdays. More information can be found at https://namiqn.org.