Trauma Informed Care

Don’t miss out on this excellent opportunity to learn about a care that will help many lives in the state of  Washington. Youth ‘N Action – FREE Training Announcement in King County

Trauma Informed Care
“Understanding and Addressing The Impact of Trauma”

August 4th 2009
8:30 am – 4:00pm
Presented by The National Center for Trauma Informed Care
http://mentalhealth.samhsa.gov/nctic/trauma.asp

When we come across young people and adults with challenging and sometimes dangerous and destructive behaviors, as family members, friends and service providers we work to fix the “behaviors”, but there could be more. What if we asked what happened to you, rather than what’s wrong with you? How can we truly understand, the impact trauma has on one’s life? How can we address it?

To answer these questions and much more; Youth ‘n Action – youth advocates are hosting a FREE training on Trauma Informed Care with the National Center for Trauma Informed Care.  Featuring National Trauma Experts Tonier Cain, Tim Tunner, PhD and Beth Filson.

Please REPLY TO YNATraining@yahoo.com or Call (toll free) 1-866-337-2424 to RSVP.

July Adult “Ask the Doctor” Call with Guest Dr. Donald Goff

Save the Date: Friday, July 24, 2009

Please join us for our monthly adult issues conference call with NAMI’s Medical Director Dr. Ken Duckworth and guest, Dr. Donald Goff. Dr. Goff is the Director of Schizophrenia Program at Massachusetts General Hospital and Associate Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. In addition, he is Medical Director of the Freedom Trail Clinic at the Erich Lindemann Mental Health Center in Boston, Massachusetts. He has been a Principal Investigator for studies concerning the treatment and management of schizophrenia. For his work in this arena, Dr. Goff has received the Faculty Scholar Award in Schizophrenia presented by the National Institutes of Mental Health as well as the Kempf Award for Mentorship in Biological Psychiatry from the American Psychiatric Assocation.

He will discuss schizophrenia. The call is toll free and scheduled from 11-12:30 Eastern Time on Friday, July 24th. To access the call, please dial 1-888-858-6021; access number 309918. This call can be made from any phone. If you have any questions, please email Bianca Ruffin ( biancar@nami.org )

Congressional Briefing on People with Serious Mental Illnesses in Jails

A new study on the prevalence of adults with serious mental illnesses in jails was released at a congressional staff  briefing last month in Washington DC.  Presenters have summarized the study findings, implications for jail systems, the courts, communities and people with serious mental illnesses.  Discussion revolved around the role of the Mentally Ill Offender Treatment and Crime Reduction Act (MIOTCRA) grant program in order to stimulate comprehensive evidence-based services and supports.

Presenters of this study included co-author, Fred Osher, M.D., Director, Health Systems and Services Policy, Council of State Governments Justice Center, Judge Steven Leifman, Special Advisor on Criminal Justice and Mental Health, Supreme Court of Florida; Art Wallenstein, Director, Montgomery County Dept. of Correction and Rehabilitation, MD; and Fred Frese, Ph.D., a psychologist who is a leading expert and spokesperson on serious mental illnesses, diagnosed with schizophrenia at age 25.

Key findings from the study :

• 14.5 percent of men and 31 percent of women entering the jails studied were found to have serious mental illnesses. These rates are three to six times higher than those found in the general population.
• The gender difference is particularly important given the rising number of women of U.S. jails.
• If applied to the 13 million jail admissions reported  in 2007, the findings suggest that more than 2 million bookings of a person with a serious mental illness may occur annually.

This study represents the most reliable estimates in the last 20 years of the rates of serious mental illnesses among adults entering jails.

This briefing was sponsored by the Council of State Governments Justice Center, the National Alliance on Mental Illness, The Mental Health America and the Campaign for Mental Health Law, the National Association of Counties, the National Council for Community Behavioral Healthcare Reform. Further details of the study and briefing will be revealed in the near future as it gains more media coverage.

NAMI-Tri-Cities

Invites you to our
Family to Family Education Program

Free for family members, partners, and friends of individuals with:

Major Depression

Bipolar Disorder (Manic Depression)

Schizophrenia and Schizoaffective Disorder

Borderline Personality Disorder

Panic Disorder and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

Co-occurring Brain Disorders

A series of 12 weekly classes structured to help caregivers understand and support individuals with serious mental illness while maintaining their own well being. The course is taught by a team of trained NAMI family member volunteers.

There is no cost to participate in the NAMI Family-to-Family Education Program. We think you will be pleased by how much assistance the program offers. We invite you to call for more information

Classes start

Wednesday, September 2, 2009

Kennewick First Presbyterian Church

Pre-registration is required.

To learn more about the material covered in the course and/or register, call Call Judith 375-0269 or Nan 946-8291. Space is limited and classes fill quickly.

Knowledge is Power!

CIT REVIEW

Again NAMI, in cooperation with other agencies, was able to host a second CIT session on June 22-26, thanks to NAMI Coordinator, Chewerl Radican.

Attendees came from around the state and were in attendance along with a few local police officers and dispatchers.

Since first responders are so crucial in times of a crisis, they can make the difference between medical treatment and/or jail.

Unfortunately, state funding for these programs have been cut for next year. Our challenge in NAMI will be to carry on, in spite of these hard times.  Think NAMIWalk and other funding opportunities for this worthy cause!  Feel free to contact one of our board members with your suggestions.

General Meeting Program

Presentation on the NAMI National Convention

by Melody Otness

7:00 pm, Tuesday, July 14, 2009

Shalom United Church ~ 505 McMurray in Richland.

Thousands of NAMI members and leaders, including Melody Otness, descended on the 2009 national convention held in San Francisco earlier this month.  As our designated representative for our affiliate, she will be present this evening to share with us this exciting and fact-finding venture. Don’t miss it.  Refreshments following.