November: Time for Gratitude

As Thanksgiving nears, I am reminded that without volunteers, we could not live up to our mission: to provide education, support and advocacy for individuals in Sonoma County whose lives are affected by mental illness -- and their families. It is with deep appreciation that I offer a humble thank you to those listed below who have contributed their knowledge, time, experience and caring in the past year.

-- Mary-Frances Walsh, Executive Director

Barbara and Denny Bozman-Moss, Pete and Ginny Breeland, Cindy Fenton, Joe Hamp, Alistair Matthew, Whitney Rodgers, Ron Stever and Sonja Vincent; Teachers, NAMI Family-to-Family: This 12-class program for family and caregivers is taught by trained family members who know what it is like to support a loved one with serious mental health challenges.

Mary Christlieb and Denny Bozman-Moss; Facilitators, NAMI Family Support Group: These drop-in groups offer family members and caregivers of individuals living with serious mental illness a confidential place to find strength and learned wisdom.

Jason Gallock, Facilitator: NAMI Connection: Leading two separate weekly support groups, these drop-in sessions provide an opportunity for adults living with mental illness to gain insights and a sense of community by sharing recovery successes and challenges.

J. Roy Martinez and Brendt Gudzus, Facilitators; Working Professionals Support Group: Presently on hold, this group offered a confidential place to check in with one another and gain support for those managing both recovery from mental illness and work-related challenges or stress.

Lana Zientek and Matti Cotrelli, Teachers; NAMI Peer-to-Peer: This educational program is for adults with mental illness on the journey toward recovery. Participants find compassion and reinforcement from people who can relate to their experiences.

Cinthia Junco, Debra Iervolino, Jim Glover, Irish Krings, Karen Li and Marissa Roberts, Warmline Specialists: The Warmline offers free mental health information, support and resource referrals and serves as a conduit for Sonoma County wildfire survivors to find out about free support services made available through the Wildfire Mental Health Collaborative. (See more below).

Additional Key Volunteers & Staff Members, who contribute time and dedication include:
Jane Jackson, helps at the Front Desk twice monthly
Nick Fierro, contributes to newsletter and communications content and production
Gregg Jann, shares a personal perspective through NAMI In Our Own Voice presentations
Meg McDaniel and April Perez-Rodriguez, provide ongoing Warmline information and support and training for new Warmline Specialists
Jose Castro-Gambino, provides logistical support for NAMI classes and support groups, as well as serving as a Warmline Specialist
Susan Dunn, oversees delivery of our education and support services

Thank you; all of you make NAMI Sonoma County a place of service and hope to our community!

NAMI Shares in the Grief

Recent tragic events in Pittsburgh and Thousand Oaks have furthered a national discussion about mass shootings and their possible connection to mental illness. During such events, we often hear stigmatizing comments about mental illness or see people with mental illness being broadly described as violent, which simply isn’t true.

Research suggest that risk factors for violence include: a history of violence including domestic violence and substance use. Untreated symptoms of psychosis such as delusions or paranoia may somewhat increase the risk of violence. However, most people with mental illness will never become violent.

Some people with mental illness may need intensive and ongoing support for long periods of time, but acute care and crisis beds remain in very short supply. Steps in the right direction would include ensuring a well-funded and strong mental health system and requiring private insurance to provide adequate coverage for mental health and substance use treatment. Visit namicaadvocacy.org for more information.

Seeking NAMI Presenters & Volunteers

We are looking for NAMI presenters, willing to help us respond to requests for speakers.

NAMI Sonoma County is also looking for administrative volunteers to help with office tasks, library management, social media management, correspondence and more.

For more information on how to become a presenter or volunteer, please email info@namisoco.org.

Join NAMI’s Nation-wide “Cure Stigma” Campaign

Did you have a loved one with mental illness
who was affected by the wildfires?

NAMI Sonoma County is working with Dr. Anita Catlin, Manager of Research at Kaiser Permanente in Santa Rosa and Vallejo, to develop disaster preparedness resources for residential facilities that offer housing to individuals with mental health conditions. If you had a loved one who was evacuated due to the October 2017 wildfires, we would love to hear about their experience. Please email info@namisoco.org if you would like to be contacted to share your insights or concerns.

California Proposition 2 Passed

California Proposition 2, was approved by voters during midterm elections on November 6.
The measure authorizes the state to use revenue from Proposition 63 (2004), which was a 1% tax on income above $1 million for mental health services, on $2 billion in revenue bonds for homelessness prevention housing for persons in need of mental health services. Proposition 63 (2004) is also known as the Mental Health Services Act.

The measure established the No Place Like Home program, which finances permanent housing for individuals with mental illness who are either homeless or at risk of chronic homelessness. Housing developed under this program must include on-site access to supportive services, a victory for mental health advocates across the state.

Wildfire Mental Health Collaborative Update

Although Sonoma County has passed the first-year anniversary of the October 2017 wildfires, many in our community continue to experience distress and difficulty “going back to normal.” Recent fires in Northern California have amplified such feelings for many.

In partnership with the Healthcare Foundation of Northern Sonoma County, NAMI Sonoma County and over a dozen other community-based organizations launched the Wildfire Mental Health Collaborative. This community-wide initiative was created to help those in who have experienced loss, directly or indirectly, due to the fires.

The Collaborative offers free access to individual and group counseling sessions, yoga and meditation classes, and programs for building resiliency and coping skills. For mental health professionals, the Collaborative offers training in Skills for Psychological Recovery (SPR).
For assistance with free wildfire survivor resources, the NAMI Sonoma County Warmline by calling or texting 866-960-6254.