Holly Provan Community Hours

NAMI

Type of Facility/Agency/Group NAMI is an organization that is dedicated to helping families and people that are affected by mental illness. NAMI provides organization for support groups and resources for these patients and their families. They are also involved in educating the public regarding mental illness, and advocates for the rights of mentally ill individuals. NAMI provides resources, support groups, education, treatment, and research for the mentally ill. Some of these resources may include inpatient, outpatient, day programs, or other support groups. NAMI provides a centralized place for resources for every type and needed treatment for mentally ill patients. (nami.org, 2011) NAMI California is licensed as a California Nonprofit Public Benefit Corporation (namicalifornia.org, 2011).

Financial Structure NAMI is a non-profit public organization that relies on funds raised from public and private sources. These include federal agencies, foundations, corporations, and individual donations. NAMI maintains a financial neutrality in its donations, and does not endorse any specific treatment plans. NAMI has many different chapters, organized by state and by region, for example, NAMI California and NAMI Los Angeles. NAMI is organized into the national, state, and local levels (nami.org, 2011).

Location, Physical Structure/Layout of Facility ********* I visited the Family support group organized by NAMI. These meetings were held in a public building in Culver City, the Didi Hirsch Mental Health Center. The center functions as a suicide prevention organization, as well as hosting meetings for NAMI. It is located on a public street with easy access from buslines. a. Amenities. b. Size and location. c. Proximity to service facilities (shopping, entertainment, food).

d. Recreation areas (inside and outside). e. If inpatient, number of patients per room, size of room, number of patients per bathroom, location of bathroom. f. Safety precautions in facility, in individual rooms, in bathrooms.

Patient Selection Criteria NAMI allows any patient or person affected by mental illness to attend their meetings. They offer more in-depth classes for immediate family members, called Family-to-Family classes. These classes provide a lot of education and peer support for people living with mental illness, and do not discriminate based on any characteristics. They provide support to all levels and degrees of illness and physical capability. Many of the patients that attend NAMI meetings are referred through hospitalizations and counseling sessions. Others may be referred after they encounter legal trouble. Others may find NAMI through internet searches. Regardless, anyone is welcome to attend and NAMI serves populations all throughout the US. NAMI is free, as money is generally provided through public and private funding.

Treatment Modalities ********** NAMI meetings vary considerably, but they are not replacement for short or long term intensive therapy. Rather, many of the meetings provide long term support and resources for family and patients. NAMI also provides workshops for teachers and also holds meetings that are specific to certain illnesses. These include support groups such as Emotional support, obsessive-compulsive disorder, bipolar patients and others. a. Longterm vs. short term. b. Cognitive, behavioral, humanistic, psychoanalytic, etc. (many use more than one). c. Rationale for why/how you identified the treatment modality. d. Describe the milieu. e. Adjunct therapies (occupational, vocational, recreational).

Staffing ************ There was sufficient staffing in these meetings, but a lot of that was due to the great peer support. A lot of the people there had good advice to offer others, so there was a sense of community as

well. The staff leader appeared well trained, and I read on nami.org that many of the staff receive ongoing training. There are lots of classes to attend for every person involved in the NAMI meetings, especially the teachers and facilitators. The staff appeared knowledgeable and was very resourceful with the patients. a. Sufficient staff to support therapeutic interactions. b. Level of training, ongoing training needed. c. Level of functioning of staff.

Community Involvement NAMI meetings are definitely designed with the community in mind. The meetings are free and open to anyone who might need them. While some of the meetings are more specific in their design (such as for patients only, or caregivers only, or bipolar only) many of them are broad and all-inclusive. NAMI works hard to erase the stigma that mental illness can have in the community, and to make themselves available for helping patients. The particular place I attended was located in a good area, in a place that was already dedicated to those who suffered from suicidal thoughts. Again, the location was close to a down-town type area of Culver City, and had easy access with either walking or public transportation.

Personal Reaction ************ I have to say that overall, before I attended one of these meetings, I was a bit nervous. Statistics claiming that most horrible crimes are committed by those with mental illness stuck in my mind. However, I know also that many patients with mental illness can be harmless, so I tried to clear my mind of any previous biases before I attended. And I was pleasantly surprised. While some patients had obvious impairments that affected their daily lives, others just needed some guidance and making appropriate decisions. I think that some of my strengths are that regardless of any biases I might have, I treat everyone appropriately and kindly. a. Stereotypes or biases b. Cultural learning or issues c. Strengths and weaknesses with this population d. What you learned by this experience