A Look at Our Impact in 2021

October 29, 2021 by Nova Getz

We are so grateful to everyone who joined our virtual Annual Meeting and Awards Ceremony and made it a night to remember. It was a great year for NAMI Metro Baltimore. Learn more by reading our full annual report.

Click the image above to read our full Annual Report.

During the Annual Meeting and Awards Ceremony, we reflected on our impact from the last year, engaged in an insightful discussion with our esteemed panelists about mental health and the workforce, and recognized professionals and community members who go above and beyond to support the mental health of our fellow Baltimoreans.

Couldn’t make it to the live event? You can catch the recording on YouTube by clicking the play button, below!

For any questions, please contact info@namibaltimore.org or call our HelpLine during weekdays from 9am – 5pm at (410) 435-2600.

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Pregunte al Experto, 15 de Octubre

October 11, 2021 by Nova Getz

On Friday, October 15th, we’ll be joining our friends at Johns Hopkins University’s Centro SOL and Fortalece tu Bienestar for a Facebook Live conversation about mental health in the LatinX community.

We’ll be joined by experts Cecilia Suarez, Omaira Mejija Castano, and Aida Pinto Medina as they discuss the importance of reaching out for support if you are experiencing depression, anxiety, or other symptoms that indicate an underlying mental illness.

No registration is required! Simply join by visiting our Facebook Page at noon, on Friday, October 15th!

Jump to Our Facebook

This conversation will be held in Spanish!

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NAMI Maryland Advocacy Day is February 22nd

January 12, 2023 by Nova Getz

**Registration for NAMI Maryland Advocacy Day is now open! Click the button below to register on EventBrite.**
Click Here to RSVP

Each year, NAMI Maryland hosts an Advocacy Day during the legislative session. This is your chance to join us virtually to meet with your legislators and share your story!

This year, we’re fighting for Early Intervention & Treatment, Better Access to Treatment & Services, Reducing Racial Health Disparities, and Strengthening Maryland’s Mental Health Crisis Response.

Will you take a stand with us? Click the button below to make your voice heard!

Click Here to RSVP for Advocacy Day

NAMI Metro Baltimore is also hosting an Advocacy Breakfast on February 15th from 7:30am – 8:45am to brief our advocates on policy priorities, and to help them feel comfortable sharing their stories with state legislators.

Meet other local mental health advocates when you join this breakfast! RSVP at the button below.

Click Here to RSVP for the Breakfast

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NAMI is Committed to #Vote4MentalHealth

November 1, 2022 by Nova Getz

From health care to the economy to criminal justice and more, mental health touches many of the issues that you might care about the most. When you choose which candidates to support, you #Vote4MentalHealth, whether you realize it or not.

Many people across the country are voting early this election. Are you one of them? If not, do you have a plan to #Vote4MentalHealth ?

Learn about your voting options and the information you need to vote here.

To help build your plan to vote in 2022, answer these questions:

Are you registered to vote? Register or check your voter registration here.
Are you able to vote early in your state? Or will you vote on Election Day, November 8?
If you are voting by absentee ballot, have you requested your ballot? When will you send it back? Or will you return it at a drop box, if available?
If you’re voting in person, will you vote early or on Election Day? Will you go in the morning, during the day, or after school or work?
How will you get to your polling location? Do you need transportation? Can you help your friends, neighbors or family get to the polling location?

Election Day is November 8th! It’s important to make your plan to vote NOW to make sure your vote is counted. Thank you for your #Vote4MentalHealth!

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Our 2022 Annual Report

October 19, 2022 by Nova Getz

We are so grateful to everyone who joined our virtual Annual Meeting and Awards Ceremony and made it a night to remember. It was a great year for NAMI Metro Baltimore and for reaching a record number of community members here in Baltimore. Learn more by reading our full annual report.

During the Annual Meeting and Awards Ceremony, we reflected on our impact from the last year, engaged in an deep discussion with youth about their mental health and ways to support the next generation of leaders as they navigate the ever-changing world, and recognized professionals and community members who go above and beyond to support the mental health of our fellow Baltimoreans.

Couldn’t make it to the live event? You can catch the recording on YouTube by clicking the play button, below!

For any questions, please contact info@namibaltimore.org or call our HelpLine during weekdays from 9am – 5pm at (410) 435-2600.

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Now Enrolling March 2023 Education Classes

July 29, 2022 by Nova Getz

NAMI Metro Baltimore’s Signature education classes provide invaluable information and support for people living with mental health conditions and their family members.

NAMI Peer-to-Peer is an 8-week course for individuals with mental health conditions. NAMI Family-to-Family is an 8-week course for family members and loved ones of an adult living with a mental health condition.

NAMI Peer-to-Peer

NAMI Peer-to-Peer is a free, 8-session education program for adults who are looking to better understand their mental health condition and journey toward recovery. Taught by a trained team of people who’ve been there, the program includes presentations, discussion and interactive exercises.

What You’ll Gain

NAMI Peer-to-Peer will help you:

Create a personalized relapse prevention plan
Learn how to interact with health care providers
Develop confidence for making decisions and reducing stress
Understand the impact of symptoms on your life
Access Baltimore-area resources to assist you in maintaining your journey toward recovery.

Register for a Class

NAMI Peer-to-Peer is offered in person at South West Partnership. Space is limited and advanced registration is required.

NAMI Peer-to-Peer
Dates: Mondays, March 6th – April 26th | 7pm – 9pm

To register, click here or contact our HelpLine at (410) 435-2600 or email info@namibaltimore.org

Click Here to Register

NAMI Family-to-Family

NAMI Family-to-Family is a free, 8-session educational program for family, significant others and friends of people living with mental illness. It is a designated evidence-based program that includes presentations, discussion and interactive exercises. Research shows that the program significantly improves the coping and problem-solving abilities of the people closest to an individual living with a mental health condition.

What You’ll Gain

NAMI Family-to-Family provides critical information and strategies for taking care of the person you love.

In the program, you’ll learn about:

How to manage crises, solve problems and communicate effectively
Taking care of yourself and managing your stress
Developing the confidence and stamina to provide support with compassion
Finding and using local supports and services
Up-to-date information on mental health conditions and how they affect the brain
Current treatments, including evidence-based therapies, medications and side effects
The impact of mental illness on the entire family

Register for a Class

Dates: Wednesdays, March 1st – April 19th

To register, click here or contact our HelpLine at (410) 435-2600 or email info@namibaltimore.org.

Click Here to Register

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988 is Now Live: What Does It Mean for Baltimore?

July 16, 2022 by Kerry Graves

Beginning Saturday, July 16, people across the country can call or text 988, the new three-digit number for mental health, substance use and suicidal crises, to connect directly to mental health support during a crisis. This new, shorter dialing code will help people more easily connect to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline network — over 200 local crisis call centers — for support during a crisis.

In Baltimore City and Baltimore County, this means people in need of mental health crisis support will only have to remember to dial 9-8-8, and will automatically be connected to 24/7 support provided by counselors at trusted call centers like Baltimore Crisis Response Inc., the Here2Help Hotline, and Affiliated Sante Group’s Crisis Hotlines.

Questions? Want to learn more? NAMI has more information available about what is and is not changing across the country with the launch of 988.

The availability of 988 is a great step to helping people in crisis and their families – but the work to improve our full crisis response system is only beginning. While the new number is now live, efforts to build the system’s local capacity in our state to help everyone in crisis will continue in the weeks, months and years to come. Our policymakers must act to build and invest in local resources so that everyone in crisis has someone to talk to (local 24/7 crisis call centers), someone to respond (mobile crisis teams consisting of mental health professionals instead of law enforcement) and somewhere to go (short term crisis stabilization options instead of relying solely emergency departments). Learn more about this vision here.

Want to help spread the word about 988? According to a recent survey by NAMI National, 80% of U.S. residents do not know what 988 is, and what the changes will mean to their ability to access mental health support. Help us lower that number when you click the button below to share social posts, flyers, and information!

Click Here to Help Spread the Word!

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Get to Know NAMI Metro

July 7, 2022 by Nova Getz

Are you curious to learn more about the work NAMI Metro Baltimore does, and about the people behind the mission? Every quarter, NAMI Metro Baltimore hosts a 1-hour virtual session, so you can learn about all of the programs we provide to our community, meet some of the staff and volunteers, and ask questions about how you can get involved as a volunteer or advocate!

Upcoming Get to Know NAMI Metro Sessions

Click any of the dates you are interested in to register.

July 12th, 2022 | 12:00pm – 1:00pm

October 11th, 2022 | 4:30pm – 5:30pm

January 10th, 2023 | 12:00pm – 1:00pm

During each session we talk about:

NAMI as an organization and how we operate
How we end stigma in the community and raise awareness
Our educational programs and offerings
Our support groups
Advocacy opportunities for our community
Volunteer roles
Any questions you have!

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LOUDER Playlist

April 15, 2022 by Nova Getz

Each of the artists featured on this playlist is living with, or lived with a mental health condition. Thanks Sheppard Pratt for sponsoring our LOUDER event and the creation of this playlist! We hope you enjoy these tracks, and find inspiration in the musicians’ stories, which you can read below.

Mental-Health-Music-Playlist Download

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Feature in Baltimore Magazine

February 3, 2022 by NAMI Staff

NAMI Metro Baltimore is proud to be featured in the February 2022 Issue of Baltimore Magazine! You can read more about mental health in the workplace, criminal justice system, and more by checking out our feature below.

If you would like to read the rest of the Magazine, visit their website by clicking here.

Baltimore-Magazine-Feature Download

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A Letter on Virtual Programming Through February 2022 from Executive Director, Kerry Graves

January 19, 2022 by Kerry Graves

To Our Dedicated Volunteers, Program Participants, and NAMI Friends,

The Fall of 2021 brought us some hope, as we relaunched in-person programming with great success. But, if this pandemic teaches us one thing, it will be flexibility. We have pivoted, swiveled, and salsa danced around each scenario thrown in our path – and unfortunately it is time to do so again.

We have made the tough decision to temporarily suspend our in-person support groups through February, 2022. Our staff have been closely monitoring trends in COVID-19 data and are following the advice of public health officials. While it has been so special to bring community members back together in a physical space, we feel it is important to do our part to protect the health and safety of our participants and volunteers.

We know that our support groups and classes are essential for many to manage and maintain their mental health and wellness, and that this decision will have a big impact on the people who count on us. As such, we want to make clear that the support groups that were in-person will be made available through Zoom.

To view our updated support group offerings and how to access them, please click here or visit www.namibaltimore.org/support-groups

All support groups will be held virtually in January and February 2022. In mid-February, we will re-evaluate the state of public health and determine how groups will operate in March and April 2022. We are so grateful for your patience and flexibility as we are trying to create the best experience for our participants and volunteers.

I know you, like me, are exceedingly weary over this ongoing pandemic and the constant changes. At the same time, I am increasingly hopeful over the elevated voices around mental health. The conversations are happening all around us – in the media, in schools, in the workplace, and yes, even in line masked-up at the grocery store. The buzz around mental health that initiated in 2020 at the onset of COVID-19 has become a roar. 2022 might be off to a rough start, but we will persevere and we will get louder!

Yours in Health,

Kerry Graves

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Webinar Series for Faith Leaders

January 12, 2022 by NAMI Staff

Click the image above to purchase a ticket.

Gain insight into how you can support the mental health of your community at this educational web series hosted by NAMI Metro Baltimore.

The Mental Health Education Conference for Faith Leaders offers participants the opportunity to gain a better understanding of topical issues pertaining to mental health and the effects of stigma. Faith community leaders will learn new strategies for supporting their congregation’s mental health needs by effectively “Putting their Heads Together”.

Participants will hear from fellow faith leaders, experts in the mental health field, and peers and family members whose lives have been impacted by mental illness.

Check out our presentation line up below!

May 5th: Dr. Que English “The Kids are not OK: Mobilizing Faith and Community Leaders to address Youth Behavioral Health”

May 12th: Rev. Kevin Wayne Johnson “Suicide Prevention: Why It Matters and How You Can Help”

May 19th: Rabbi Ilan Glazer and Rev. Jermine Alberty “A Conversation About Recovery”

May 26th: Rev. Pamula Yerby-Hammack, Robin Schaffer, and Dr. Sharlene Allen-Milton “Putting Our Heads Together” Panel

Click Here to Get Your Ticket

Join our newsletter to stay in the know about other NAMI Metro Baltimore Events!

Past Faith Conferences

NAMI Metro Baltimore’s annual conference for faith community leaders took place virtually in 2021 and was a 3-part webinar series to help educate and support faith leaders. Participants learned new strategies and gained tools to help support the mental well-being of their congregations.

This educational program has passed, however you can view recordings of the Webinars of your interest by clicking the links below. Be sure to click the play button on the bottom of the screen in the new window.

Mental Health Stigma | July 22nd

A discussion led by Rev. Bryce A. Jones will define social and perceived mental health stigma and the factors that cause stigma. Participants will learn how to help reduce mental health stigma in their congregations.

About the Presenter: Rev. Bryce A. Jones graduated from the Samuel DeWitt Proctor School of Theology at Virginia Union University with a Masters of Divinity. Ordained in the Gospel ministry at New Friendship Baptist Church in Baltimore, Rev. Jones currently serves as the Minister of Urban Affairs and Political and Community Outreach.

Vicarious Trauma |July 29th

Rev. Bryce A. Jones joins us again to discuss the emotional, mental and physical toll that is often imposed on faith leaders. Participants will learn how to identify and define vicarious trauma, and more importantly how to strengthen themselves and their organization against compassion fatigue and burnout.

You can watch a recording of the Webinar by clicking here!

Congregational Depression Assistance Program |August 5th

Dr. W. Dan Hale of Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center will lead a discussion to inform participants of a congregational mental health training program and how faith organizations can get involved.

About the Presenter: Dr. W. Dan Hale is a clinical psychologist who serves as special advisor to the President of Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center and director of the hospital’s Healthy Community Partnership. He is the coauthor of Healing Bodies and Souls: A Practical Guide for Congregations.

You can watch a recording of the Webinar by clicking here!

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