“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world.” – Margaret Mead
P.O. Box 724, New Providence, NJ 07974 Phil Avila, Editor
Division of Mental Health Services Seeks Input on Family Needs People who attend NAMI Union County’s public meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 22, at the American Legion Post at 1003 North Ave. in Westfield at 7:30 p.m. will have an opportunity to give input about family needs to a representative from the NJ Division of Mental Health and Addiction Services.
October 2013
“Input on Family Needs” Speaker: Bill Chepiga NJ Division of Mental Health and Addiction Services Tuesday, Oct. 22, 2013 7:30 p.m. American Legion Post 1003 North Ave. Westfield, NJ
Bill Chepiga, the Coordinator of Special Populations, will be speaking at the event and will ask those in attendance to express their needs so that the state can better address the needs of family members with loved ones with a mental illness. He will share his findings with Lynn Kovich, head of the division. This is a chance to get the state to listen to your concerns and ideas and have a real impact on state-funded services for persons with mental illness and their families. Our meeting environment is supportive and informational. Snacks and free literature are provided and the newly updated NAMI Union County Resource Guide will be available. There is no charge: our information and friendship are priceless—and free. Call 908-233-1628 for information, or in the event of inclement weather. E-mail: namiunioncounty@yahoo.com.
phone: (908) 233-1628 °email: namiunioncounty@yahoo.com ° website: www.naminj.org/support/affiliates/union/
Phone (908) 233-1628 • Email:namiunioncounty@yahoo.com • www.naminj.org/support/affiliates/union/
President’s Message
October
2013
Nationally, we are once again shocked and saddened by tragic events coming this time from Washington, DC. We are reminded of how much more work needs to be done to provide effective treatment for these terrible brain disorders. If you are a NAMI member we would urge you to renew your membership and to squeeze in some time to volunteer with us. There are some volunteer opportunities in our Help Wanted section that don't require too much time. We are a 100% volunteer affiliate and you are our lifeblood! If you are not yet a member please think seriously about joining us. Strength is in numbers especially when chatting with our political representatives about the needs of our loved ones. Locally, NAMI has had a busy September and October. Our F2F teachers are halfway through the fall class and we are taking names for our waiting list for the spring. Family to Family is a twelve week course for family and friends of those who have a mental illness. The course is taught by trained family members who present clinical information about the illnesses and teach effective coping skills. The CIT picnic sponsored by the Linden police was held on a beautiful but breezy afternoon. The officers had games set up, terrific music, and the "grillmaster" made a mean hamburger. It was a good opportunity for all of us to see each other in a different light. A Bridgeway client told me that it had been a very, very, long time since he had played horseshoes. The officer playing with him was surprised that he, himself, was having such a good time. The afternoon ended with a raffle for prizes supplied by the officers and we all left smiling. Next year the officers hope to "grow" the event and I would urge our members to try to attend. The Resource Guide is already in the hands of all the police officers who attended October's CIT training and many mental health providers have received their copies. NAMI volunteers are busy delivering the Guide to public locations that have requested it. Geri Muller President, NAMI Union County
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Holiday Star Project Seeks Donations NAMI-UC will be holding its annual Holiday Star Project on Wednesday, Dec. 4th at UCPC Behavioral Health in Plainfield, with an alternate snow date of Dec. 11th, 2013. We are seeking monetary donations in the form of checks made out to NAMI-Union County, or perhaps the regifting of new items from your homes that you are unable to use. We purchase a gift for each of the 70 participants, followed by refreshments, holiday songs, and a final drawing for prizes. It is a fun-filled event, and we hope you can open up your hearts to brighten those of our neediest citizens. Please try to help us at the upcoming public meetings on Tuesday, Oct. 22nd and Tuesday, Nov. 26th. Thank you! --Sandy Powers Page 2
Phone (908) 233-1628 • Email:namiunioncounty@yahoo.com • www.naminj.org/support/affiliates/union/
New Resource Guide Available! The updated 5th edition of NAMI Union County’s “Resource Guide: Help in Navigating the Mental Health System” has just been published. The Guide is written for families and individuals who rely on the very complex mental health system and its limited resources. We are delighted that healthcare providers, educators and government workers use the book too. Over 200 unique resources are included. Most are Union County-specific. The Resource Guide is more than just a list of phone numbers; short explanations of the services are given. The Guide also offers self-care tips, calls for advocacy, and NAMI programs and philosophy throughout. Pick up your free copy at the next NAMI Union County public meeting. To have a copy mailed to you, please send an email with your full mailing address to namiunioncounty@yahoo.com, or call us at (908) 233-1628. If calling, please speak slowly and say your address twice. The Guide can also be found online at http://www.naminj.org/support/affiliates/union/. The PDF is searchable and printable. Publication of all 5 editions of the Resource Guide has been funded in full by Michael’s Journals Foundation.
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Help Wanted We need several volunteers to provide light refreshments at our public meetings in November, February, March, April and May. Cost is reimbursed. You may volunteer for one or several meetings. We also need a sign-in table "greeter" and someone to help set up the literature table. Entry level position. Salary - "priceless". If you can help us please see a board member at a meeting, email us at namiunioncounty@yahoo.com or leave a message on our voicemail (908) 233-1628
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NAMI Introduces Early Psychosis and Recovery Podcast Series The podcast series is led by Ken Duckworth, M.D., NAMI’s medical director, who also works at the Massachusetts Mental Health Center (MMHC) Prevention and Recovery from Early Psychosis (PREP) program one afternoon a week. The podcasts and information on psychosis can be found at http://www.nami.org/Template.cfm?Section=First_Episode. The podcasts are also available on iTunes.
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Phone (908) 233-1628 • Email:namiunioncounty@yahoo.com • www.naminj.org/support/affiliates/union/
The Value of Crisis Intervention Training Three times a year law enforcement personnel and mental health providers come together for a forty-hour week of Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) training at the John Stamler Police Academy in Scotch Plains. The goal of CIT training is to set a standard of excellence for officers with respect to the treatment of individuals with mental illness. NAMI UC members spend about an hour putting a face on mental illness with our presentation. We explain who we are; what we do; and share some of our “stories” especially stories that involve the police. NAMI members received excellent feedback from all those attending a recent session. The organizers shared an email from a police officer with us. "I took CIT with you in the spring. Last night I had an experience that I will never forget; it moved me so much I felt like I needed to share it with you. A couple weeks ago, while doing my usual building checks, I found a homeless guy sitting behind the welfare office. The guy is one of the regulars that comes into welfare everyday, and is always causing a ruckus. We've almost ended up fighting with him and kicking him out on numerous occasions. I hadn't seen this guy in a while, and the last time I had any interaction with him was prior to my going to CIT. This time, when I found him sitting behind the building at 2 a.m., I decided to try a different approach. As opposed to being the "big tough cop" I ended up talking with him for about five minutes. He explained to me that he got kicked out of the YMCA for 60 days because they caught him using heroin, therefore he had nowhere to go. I explained to him that he wasn't allowed Role-playing during a CIT session (Persons to hang out behind the building, but he could stay for a little pictured are not the ones described in the email.) while until he was ready to move on. I asked him if he was OK or needed anything, he said yes, and that was that. I went on my way. I didn't see him again until last night. He flagged me down after a car stop and started telling me that he checked himself into the psych ER and it turns out he had been schizophrenic all along, but never knew it. Once they got him on the proper meds, he was able to join a rehab facility to stop taking the heroin he'd been doing to deal with the voices. He'd also begun working odd jobs, and was looking forward to being allowed back into his assisted housing in the next few days. All that was good to hear from him, and he actually looked healthier, but this is the part that literally had me at a loss for words. He asked me if I remembered finding him behind the welfare building, so I told him I did. He then told me; the night I found him there he was at his lowest point and feeling extremely depressed. He had gathered a rope from somewhere and decided to go behind the welfare building and hang himself from the parking deck railing. When he was sitting gathering up his courage to finally do it, I happened to pull into the parking area. He said, just the way I talked to him like he was a normal person, and didn't yell at him or try to act tough with him made him realize that maybe he didn't have to end it all. After I left him there, he walked across town to the ER and checked himself in! I literally got chills when he told me that and realized, we might just learn more than we realize in class. If I had found him sitting back there before going to the class, I may have handled myself differently while dealing with him, and who knows how that could have turned out. Anyway, that's my story; it just hit me so deeply that I thought you guys might appreciate hearing it. Thanks for the valuable tools in the toolbox." Page 4