|
|
March classes & events |
 |
|
Every Friday in March, NAMI Elk Grove
Chapter’s C.A.R.E. consumer support group
meets at 7 p.m. For anyone with a mental illness
and a family member (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. Starting
Wednesday, March 7.
The U of I College of Medicine's Annual
Multi-Disciplinary Certificate Program in Child
and Adolescent Mental Health. Six
all-day sessions meant for a wide range of
professionals who work with children and
adolescents. Offered every other Wednesday
through May 16 at the Holiday Inn Rolling
Meadows. College and continuing education credit
offered. Tuition: $450 if register by March 1.
Call 217-443-8777 for details.
Thursday, March 8.
NAMI Elk Grove presents
"What it's like to live with mental illness."
Consumers and family members offer rare
insights and share their stories of recovery. A
required extra-curricular for the Harper College
Nurses program, the presentation is open to
student nurses and others in the community.
(Will be repeated in April.) Call Sue for more
information: 630-529-3037.
Thursday, March 8.
The NAMI Elk Grove Chapter family
support group meets the second Thursday
of the month at 6:45 p.m. at the Kenneth Young
Center, 1001 Rohlwing Rd., Elk Grove. Family,
friends, and recovered consumers are welcome
Call Sue at 630-529-3037 or Gina at 630 302 2530
for more information.
Tuesday, March 13,
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, March 15. 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.
Tuesday, March 20. NAMI Barrington
Area board meeting in the Barrington
Area Library, Large Meeting Room B, 6:30 - 9:00
p.m. Join us and find out what's going on in the
chapter!
Wednesday, March 21. NAMI Northwest
Suburban Chapter family support group
meets the third Wednesday of the month at 7 p.m.
at Alexian Center for Mental Health, 3350 Salt
Creek Lane, Suite 114, Arlington Heights. Call
Star at 847-899-0195 for details.
Wednesday, March 28. NAMI Northwest Suburban
Chapter presents Dr. Maxim Chasnov, MD:
"What is the role of the family in working with
the psychiatrist? (no reservation, no
charge). 7 p.m. at Alexian Center for Mental
Health, 3350 Salt Creek Lane, Suite 114,
Arlington Heights. Email
NAMINWSub@aol.com or call 847-899-0195 for
details.
|
|
April classes & events |
|
|
|
Every Friday in April, NAMI Elk Grove
Chapter’s C.A.R.E. consumer support group
meets at 7 p.m. For anyone with a mental illness
and a family member (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,
April 10,
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, April 12.
NAMI Elk Grove presents
"What it's like to live with mental illness."
Consumers and family members offer rare
insights and share their stories of recovery. A
required extra-curricular for the Harper College
Nurses program, the presentation is open to
student nurses and others in the community. Call
Sue for more information: 630-529-3037.
Thursday, April 12.
The NAMI Elk Grove Chapter family
support group meets the second Thursday
of the month at 6:45 p.m. at the Kenneth Young
Center, 1001 Rohlwing Rd., Elk Grove. Family,
friends, and recovered consumers are welcome
Call Sue at 630-529-3037 or Gina at 630 302 2530
for more information.
Wednesday, April 18. NAMI Northwest
Suburban Chapter family support group
meets the third Wednesday of the month at 7 p.m.
at Alexian Center for Mental Health, 3350 Salt
Creek Lane, Suite 114, Arlington Heights. Call
Star at 847-899-0195 for details.
Thursday, April 19. 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.
Monday, April 23. NAMI Barrington
Area board meeting in the Barrington
Area Library, Large Meeting Room B, 6:30 - 9:00
p.m. Drop in and learn what's going on in the
chapter!
Wednesday, April 25.. NAMI Northwest Suburban
Chapter presents Dr. Barbara Grace:
"Taking care of the caretakers" (no
reservation, no charge). 7 p.m. at Alexian
Center for Mental Health, 3350 Salt Creek Lane,
Suite 114, Arlington Heights. Email
NAMINWSub@aol.com or call 847-899-0195 for
details.
|
|
Family-to-Family Education Program |
|
|
|
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 again in the
summer, 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.
|
|
Peer to Peer Education Program |
|
|
|
Our first NAMI “PEER-to- PEER” Education Course,
“Learning to Live Well with What We’ve Got,”
will begin soon. 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.
|
|
Visions for Tomorrow Education Program |
|
|
|
NAMI Barrington Area will soon begin 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 Marci to register now.
|
|
Legislative Alert |
|
|
|
Good news! A group of US Senators, both
Republicans and Democrats including Senator Pete
Domenici (R-NM) and Ted Kennedy (D-MA) have
introduced a bill into the Senate which would go
a long way toward providing better health care
for those with mental illnesses. The bill, the
Mental Health Parity Act (S-558), would require
employer offered health plans to cover mental
illnesses pretty much on the same basis they
cover any other illnesses.
We urge everyone to contact Senators Durbin
and Obama and urge them to become co-sponsors of
this important bill.
The national NAMI website makes it very easy
to send our Senators such an e-mail. Just go to
the
NAMI legislative action webpage.
It is time for the Congress to do something
to remedy the shameful way in which many health
insurance plans discriminate against those with
mental illness. Log on today!
|
|
Grace Notes: How family therapy can help |
|
|
|
I was reading one of my professional journals
and came across an article about a long-term
study measuring the effect of family-focused
therapy on consumers with bipolar disorder.
The results may or may not surprise you:
during the second year of follow up, patients
who had received 21 sessions of family-focused
therapy were less likely to experience a mood
disorder relapse or to be hospitalized than
patients who had received individual therapy.
The implication for us all as caretakers is
to be sure that the entire family has
educational and therapeutic help from mental
health professionals after our loved one’s
hospitalization. I'd like to share more about
this study, along with two books that the
authors recommend.
|
|
We need your help |
|
|
|
Our new chapter has been able to accomplish a
lot in just a few months. We have Family to
Family, Visions for tomorrow and Peer to Peer
classes running plus support groups, a website
and a newsletter—we even have a grant
application in the works to provide
scattered-site housing for mental health
consumers.
It's been great to be involved with this
group. I'm having fun, I'm learning a tremendous
amount about how to help my daughter, and I feel
like I'm helping accomplish some good in the
world.
Still, like many volunteer groups, NAMI
Barrington Area is a little short on funds and
especially short on people to implement our
programs. I'd like to ask you to step forward to
help out.
If you think you might be able to help,
please use
our volunteer form to let us know what
you're able to do. You'll need to print it, fill
it out and mail it to the address on the form.
Or you could just send an email to
namiba@namibarringtonarea.org.
Have some fun—make a difference—and help your
loved one!
|
|
Please pass on this newsletter |
|
|
|
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.
|
|
Join NAMI |
|
|
|
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).
|
|
Visit our website |
|
|
|
|
|
Emergency numbers |
|
|
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
|
|
|
Who we are
|
|
|
|
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. Call us at 312-215-4104.
NAMI Barrington area chapter formed
|
|
