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Family-to-Family Education Program |
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We invite you to attend a series of 12
weekly classes structured to help you
understand and support individuals with
mental disorders while maintaining your own
well being.
These NAMI classes, starting on Sunday,
February 11 (5 - 8 p.m.), are for family
members, partners, and friends of
individuals with serious mental illness.
"This course is a wonderful experience,"
said one student. "It balances basic
education and skill-training with emotional
support, self care and empowerment."
There is no cost to participate, but
registration is necessary as class size is
limited.
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December classes & events |
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Every Friday in December, NAMI Elk
Grove Chapter’s C.A.R.E. consumer support
group meets at 7 p.m. For anyone
with a mental illness and their families (18
and older). Alexian Brothers Behavioral
Hospital,1650 Moon Lake Blvd Hoffman
Estates. For information, call Carol at
847-352-6708 or Ruth at 630-497-9737.
Tuesday, December 12,
NAMI Barrington Area Chapter family support
group, 7 – 8:30 p.m. at the
Barrington Area Library. (No charge, no
reservation needed.) Call Mary at
847-381-6919 with any questions.
Thursday, December 14. The NAMI
Elk Grove Chapter family support group
and the Elk Grove parents of
children under 18 support group
each meet (separately) at 6:45 p.m. at the
Kenneth Young Center, 1001 Rohlwing Rd., Elk
Grove. Join us this month for our holiday
parties! For information on the family
group, call Sue at 630-529-3037. For
information on the parents group call Chris
at 847-687-6623 or Dawn at 847-718-9855
Wednesday, December 20. NAMI
Northwest Suburban Chapter family support
group meets the third Wednesday of
the month at 7 p.m. Alexian Center for
Mental Health, 3350 Salt Creek Lane, Suite
114, Arlington Heights (no reservation, no
charge). Call Star at 847-899- 0195 for
details.
Thursday, December 21. NAMI
McHenry County Chapter family support group
meets the third Thursday of the month at 7
p.m. at the McHenry County Mental Health
Board Building, 620 Dakota St., Crystal
Lake. Call 815-444-9991 for information.
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January classes & events |
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Starting soon (date to be announced):
NAMI Barrington Area Peer-to-Peer Education
Course. Call Fred at 847-
304-4212 for a confidential, one-on-one
discussion of your needs and the program’s
potential value for you.
Every Friday in January, NAMI Elk Grove Chapter’s C.A.R.E.
consumer support group meets at 7
p.m. For anyone with a mental illness and
their families (18 and older). Alexian
Brothers Behavioral Hospital,1650 Moon Lake
Blvd Hoffman Estates. For information, call
Carol at 847-352-6708 or Ruth at
630-497-9737.
Tuesday, January 9,
NAMI Barrington Area Chapter family support
group, 7 – 8:30 p.m. at the
Barrington Area Library. (No charge, no
reservation needed.) Call Mary at
847-381-6919 for information.
Thursday, January 11. The NAMI
Elk Grove Chapter family support group
and the Elk Grove parents of
children under 18 support group
each meet (separately) at 6:45 p.m. at the
Kenneth Young Center, 1001 Rohlwing Rd., Elk
Grove. For information on the family group,
call Sue at 630-529-3037. For information on
the parents group call Chris at 847-687-6623
or Dawn at 847-718-9855
Wednesday, January 17. NAMI
Northwest Suburban Chapter family support
group meets the third Wednesday of
the month at 7 p.m. Alexian Center for
Mental Health, 3350 Salt Creek Lane, Suite
114, Arlington Heights (no reservation, no
charge). Call Star at 847-899- 0195 for
details.
Thursday, January 18. NAMI
McHenry County Chapter family support group
meets the third Thursday of the month at 7
p.m. at the McHenry County Mental Health
Board Building, 620 Dakota St., Crystal
Lake. Call 815-444-9991 for information.
Wednesday, January 24. NAMI
Northwest Suburban Chapter
annual meeting and election of
directors, 7:30 p.m. Call Star at
847-899-0195 for details.
January in DuPage County: NAMI
Dupage will begin Family to
Family classes Thursday, January 4
in Naperville, Monday, January 8 in Wheaton,
and Thursday, January 11 in Hinsdale (all 7
- 9:30 p.m.). They will also start a
Visions for Tomorrow class
Saturday, January 20 in Naperville (8:30
a.m. - 1 p.m.). Call 630-752-0066 for
details.
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Visions for Tomorrow Education Program |
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NAMI Barrington Area will soon offer another
session of the Visions for Tomorrow
Education Program. This 11-week course
provides basic information for parents and
other caretakers of school age children with
a wide range of brain disorders. You’ll also
have a chance to share mutual experiences
and learn valuable lessons from one another.
There is no charge for the course, but
please call now as space is limited.
Check the January newsletter for starting
dates or call Sue to get on the list now.
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Peer to Peer Education Program |
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Our first NAMI “PEER-to- PEER” Education
Course, “Learning to Live Well with What
We’ve Got,” will begin after the first of
the year. Call Fred Nelson at 847-304- 4212
to: a) discuss the program and your needs
and b) to signup to be considered for this
first 9 week class. We will be finalizing
the meeting dates and locations (i.e.
private rooms in public libraries) soon.
The NAMI “PEER-to-PEER” (P2P) Course is
taught by teams of 3 trained “mentors” or
peer-teachers who are themselves experienced
at living well with mental illness.
Who can take the course? The course is
designed to offer an opportunity for growth
to any individual who experiences mental
illness.
Call Fred at 847-304-4212 for a
confidential, one-on-one discussion of your
needs and the program’s potential value for
you and your well-being.
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Chapter news - our first annual meeting |
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It’s official...with the meeting we have an
elected board of directors and an approved
budget and set of bylaws.
The bylaws include a mission statement
which is worth keeping in mind. This is what
we’re all about: The mission of NAMI
Barrington Area is to improve the quality of
life for people with mental illness and
their families through mutual support,
education in mental illness, support of
research and advocacy for improved mental
health services.
Our elected board members are Marci
Suelzer, Trowby Brockman, Brian Peters, Sue
Kluk, Maryrose Peters, Hugh Brady, Nancy
Rettger, Fred Nelson, Mary Holcomb, Lori
Motisi and Larry Kluk.
We have budgeted expenses of $21,983 and
anticipated income of only $10,500, so fund
raising will be a priority for next year.
Kathy Ryg, vice chair of the Illinois
House mental health committee spoke. Among
her other comments: as few as ten
constituents contacting their representative
can have a huge impact on legislation.
(That's right, only ten!). She says it
doesn’t matter how you make the contact.
Letters, phone calls and emails all carry
equal weight.
Our thanks to the board, our members and
friends in the community and surrounding
NAMI chapters: you’ve worked so hard and
brought us unbelievably far in just six
months! Thank you for all your efforts!
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Grace Notes - HALT stress this holiday |
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The holidays are stressful for everyone. But
when you have a loved one with a mental
health issue you may have to multiply the
usual stress by a very large number. So
what can we do to at least minimize what can
seem like the inevitable cycle of family
distress? HALT is an acronym you can use
to check yourself when you feel bad at any
time. Ask yourself: Am I hungry, angry,
lonely, or tired? Any of these conditions
can have similar consequences. The chances
are pretty good that if you take care of
these four things, you will have solved your
discomfort. And they also work very well
for your loved one – since this is a
procedure we use in the mental health field
to help people manage themselves better!
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Legislative update - Ring in a new era of
mental wellness |
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Hello Fellow NAMIans:
I got a message from Mark Heyrman, the head
of the
Mental Health Summit about this website and
this
petition. I signed up and signed the
petition. Seems like a
good idea, so I'll pass it on to you. See
you soon,Hugh Brady
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Please pass on this newsletter |
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We'd like to ask you to pass this newsletter
on to friends, family members or
professionals who might be interested or get
some useful information from it. Even though
you don't know if your friend would need
this information, you never know who may
know someone else, whether it be a co-worker
or neighbor who might benefit from this
valuable information and support.
The best way to pass it on
is to hit the 'forward email' button at
the bottom. You can write a note when you
forward it, and you may also ask your friend
to pass it on to others for the same reason.
You may mention that if he or she enjoys it,
to be sure to hit the 'join our mailing
list' button in the right-hand column.
There's no need to worry
if your friend or other contact lives in the
area, as NAMI is a national organization
with chapters throughout the United States.
It's a free newsletter. You don't have to be
a member to receive it. No one will call,
email or otherwise bother new subscribers.
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Join NAMI |
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We hope you’ll join NAMI and support our
advocacy for the mentally ill. The cost is
only $35 (adult and spouse) or $10 (for
consumer). If this cost will create a
financial hardship, we have a limited number
of open door memberships available at a
reduced fee.
If you don't wish to join right now, but
you'd like to receive our free newsletter,
simply use the "Join our mailing list"
button in the gray column to the right, call
or send us an email (see below).
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Visit our website |
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Emergency numbers |
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Local police/ambulance: 911
State police: 847-294-4400
Crisis team, Alexian Brothers, Hoffman
Estates
(24 hour): 847-755-8140
Illinois state suicide hotline: 800-784-2433
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Who we are
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NAMI, the National Alliance on Mental
Illness, is the nation's foremost grassroots
mental health organization. We are dedicated
to improving the lives of people living with
serious brain disorders that cause mental
illness and to improving the lives of their
families. Founded in 1979, NAMI is active in
all 50 states, Canada, and Mexico with over
1100 local chapters across the country. Our
mission is one of education, support, self
help, advocacy and research.
NAMI Barrington Area is a new NAMI
chapter located in the northwest suburbs of
Chicago. We are a dedicated group of people
hoping to help you or someone you love on
the path to recovery from mental illness.
NAMI Barrington area chapter formed
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