NAMI’s Statement on Recent Racist Incidents

June 4, 2020 by Caitlin Mulrine

The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) today released the following statement from CEO Daniel H. Gillison, Jr., regarding recent racist incidents across the country and their impact on mental health:

“The effect of racism and racial trauma on mental health is real and cannot be ignored. The disparity in access to mental health care in communities of color cannot be ignored. The inequality and lack of cultural competency in mental health treatment cannot be ignored.

“Our nation’s African American community is going through an extremely painful experience, pain that has been inflicted upon this community repeatedly throughout history and is magnified by mass media and repeated deaths. We stand with all the families, friends and communities who have lost loved ones senselessly due to racism. And, with more than 100,000 lives lost to the coronavirus pandemic – disproportionately from minority communities – these recent deaths add gasoline to the fire of injustice.

“While there is much we need to do to address racism in our country, we must not forget the importance of mental health as we do so. Racism is a public health crisis.

“As the nation’s largest grassroots mental health organization, it is our responsibility to serve all. While as an organization we are still early in our intentional Diversity, Equity and Inclusion journey and have much to do, we have renewed our commitment to our values. We continue to strive to deliver help and hope to all who need it.

“NAMI stands in solidarity with everyone impacted across the country. You are not alone.”

Local Black Mental Health Resources

There are a variety of mental health resources available for people of color, but we have provided a few local resources below.

Black Emotional and Mental Health Collective
The Black Emotional and Mental Health Collective is a training, movement building, and grant making organization dedicated to the healing, wellness, and liberation of Black and marginalized communities. Learn more.

Black Mental Health Alliance
The Black Mental Health Alliance develops, promotes, and sponsors trusted culturally-relevant educational forums, trainings and referral services that support the health and well-being of Black people and other vulnerable communities. Learn more.

Open Path Collective
Open Path Psychotherapy Collective provides middle and lower-income individuals, couples, families, and children with access to affordable psychotherapy and mental health education services. Learn more.

National Black Mental Health Resources

PsychHub with collaboration from Mental Health Professionals of the African-American community put together a comprehensive list of resources to help Black people and other people of color care for their mental health through the trauma of racism. Learn more.

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NAMI COVID-19 Resource and Information Guide

April 21, 2020 by Caitlin Mulrine

NAMI released the NAMI COVID-19 Resource and Information Guide to answer frequently asked questions regarding the intersection between Coronavirus, or COVID-19, and people affected by mental illness, their caregivers and loved ones. The guide features FAQs on a variety of topics from managing anxiety and social isolation to accessing health care and medications.

Download

La Guía COVID-19 de información y recursos está disponible en español. Tiene información sobre preguntas frecuentes y recursos para que encuentres apoyo para ti y tus seres queridos. Incluye temas relacionados a la salud mental, como encontrar comunidades de apoyo en línea, ayuda financiera, y más. Para acceder, presiona el botón descarga (en español).

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For additional information on NAMI Metropolitan Baltimore’s programs and operations during the COVID-19 health emergency, click here.

For additional information about local resources, please contact the NAMI Metropolitan Baltimore HelpLine at (410) 435-2600. Staff are available to answer your call Monday through Friday, 9am-5pm.

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Community Conversations with Baltimore Magazine

April 17, 2020 by Caitlin Mulrine

On Tuesday April 21, more than 300 participants joined Baltimore for the first-ever virtual event, Community Conversations: Navigating Emotional Wellness During Uncertain Times. This event was presented in partnership with NAMI Metro Baltimore and Sheppard Pratt. Experts Dr. Todd Peters and Dr. Brad Piergrossi shared how to take care of yourself and others along with the best means of coping with anxiety, depression, and isolation. You can view the full recorded discussion below.

Lucinda Levine of Inkquiry Visuals illustrated our conversation and turned it into a work of art.

Additional Resources:

Learn more about NAMI Metro Baltimore’s online support group meetings being offered during the COVID-19 emergency.

For more information or referrals to local resources, please contact the NAMI Metro Baltimore HelpLine at (410) 435-2600.

Sheppard Pratt is here to serve as a mental health resource for you and your family. Learn about telehealth and walk-in options that are now available:

Telehealth and Teletherapy

Sheppard Pratt is now offering telehealth, teletherapy, and medication management services through telehealth. Please contact the outpatient center nearest you to learn more and see if you qualify. Click here to see locations and learn more.

Sheppard Pratt’s Virtual Crisis Walk-In Clinic is now open. Through this program, we offer psychiatric triage and referrals to our other virtual and in-person care options through a secure, online platform. Click here to learn more and make an appointment.

Walk-In Options

Crisis Walk-In Clinic: Our Crisis Walk-In Clinic remains open for immediate psychiatric triage – please exercise this option rather than going to an emergency room when possible. Learn more here.

Hours: Monday – Friday, 10 a.m. – 9 p.m.; Saturdays, 1 – 5 p.m.

Outpatient Behavioral Health Centers: Some of our outpatient behavioral health centers are now offering walk-in appointments. Click here to find a location near you.

For those considering in-person care: if you have a fever, coughing, shortness of breath, or have been in close contact with someone diagnosed with COVID-19, please call your primary care provider. If you feel sick and it is an emergency, please call 911.

To learn more, contact info@sheppardpratt.org.

For guided meditations from Dr. Brad Piergrossi that you can do from home, visit here.

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NAMIWalks Your Way

April 1, 2020 by Caitlin Mulrine

Virtual NAMIWalks Maryland Event: Saturday, May 30th

This year, NAMIWalks Maryland is going virtual event. While it may look and feel a bit different this year, at its core NAMIWalks is so much more than one day or one event. It is a way to promote awareness of mental health, to raise critically important funds to support NAMI’s high-quality programs, and to build a closer and stronger community.

Join NAMI supporters from across the country as we come together in a way that is safe and comfortable.

Stay tuned for updates on virtual walk activities leading up to an online celebration on May 30th.

What is a “5K Your Way”?

Participating in a virtual NAMIWalks means just what it sounds like: virtually anything goes. You can walk around your neighborhood, maintaining safe social distancing practices. Have a treadmill at home? That works too! You can get creative with your NAMIWalks.

However you choose to “5K Your Way,” be sure to share with others why mental health is important to you, your family, and the Baltimore community.

Start or Join a Team

Ready to take the first step? Start your team today, or join an existing team with friends, family, or colleagues. Register at namiwalks.org/maryland

Please be sure to designate that you are walking in support of the Metro Baltimore affiliate during registration. This ensures that funds raised by your team will provide free mental health education, support, and advocacy programs right here in Baltimore.

I’m Ready to Walk!

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NAMI Support Groups – Online Meetings

March 27, 2020 by Caitlin Mulrine

NAMI Metropolitan Baltimore is offering weekly online support groups. Meetings will be held via Zoom video call.

Registration is required to participate in each meeting. Space is limited to ensure participants can be heard, and receive needed support. Registered attendees will receive a link to join the Zoom call 24 hours in advance.

NAMI Family Support Group

Schedule: Thursdays, 7:00-8:30pm
Participants: Open to any family member or caregiver whose loved one lives with a mental health condition

NAMI Family Support Group is a peer-led support group for family members, caregivers and loved ones of individuals living with mental illness. Gain insight from the challenges and successes of others facing similar circumstances. Learn more.

NAMI Connection Support Group – Saturdays

Schedule: Saturdays, 10:30am-12:00pm
Participants: Open to any adult living with a mental health condition

NAMI Connection Recovery Support Group is a free, peer-led support group for adults living with mental illness. You will gain insight from hearing the challenges and successes of others. Learn more.

NAMI Connection Support Group – 1st & 3rd Wednesdays

Schedule: 1st and 3rd Wednesdays, 6:00pm -7:30pm
Participants: Open to any adult living with a mental health condition

NAMI Connection Recovery Support Group is a free, peer-led support group for adults living with mental illness. You will gain insight from hearing the challenges and successes of others. Learn more.

NAMI Connection Support Group for Young Adults

Schedule: 2nd and 4th Wednesdays, 6:00-7:30pm
Participants: Open to any young adult (under 40) living with a mental health condition

NAMI Connection Recovery Support Group is a free, peer-led support group. This group is specifically open to young adults living with mental illness. You will gain insight from hearing the challenges and successes of others. Learn more.

Please note: NAMI Support Group facilitators will make every effort to adhere to the NAMI Signature Support Group models and practices. Adaptations may be made in the online format. The group is confidential, and personal information requested in the registration form will only be shard with NAMI Metro Baltimore staff.

Questions? If you have any questions about the group, or experience any difficulty with registration, please contact our HelpLine at 410-435-2600.

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Writers LIVE: Robert Kolker, Hidden Valley Road

March 23, 2020 by Caitlin Mulrine

Date/Time: Wednesday, October 14, 2020, 7:00-8:30pm
Location: Pratt Central Library – Wheeler Auditorium
400 Cathedral Street, Baltimore, MD

The program is presented in partnership with the Enoch Pratt Free Library.

Don and Mimi Galvin seemed to be living the American dream. After World War II, Don’s work with the Air Force brought them to Colorado, where their twelve children perfectly spanned the baby boom: the oldest born in 1945, the youngest in 1965. In those years, there was an established script for a family like the Galvins–aspiration, hard work, upward mobility, domestic harmony–and they worked hard to play their parts. But behind the scenes was a different story: psychological breakdown, sudden shocking violence, hidden abuse. By the mid-1970s, six of the ten Galvin boys, one after another, were diagnosed as schizophrenic. How could all this happen to one family?

What took place inside the house on Hidden Valley Road was so extraordinary that the Galvins became one of the first families to be studied by the National Institute of Mental Health. Their story offers a shadow history of the science of schizophrenia, from the era of institutionalization, lobotomy, and the schizophrenogenic mother to the search for genetic markers for the disease, always amid profound disagreements about the nature of the illness itself. With clarity and compassion, bestselling and award-winning author Robert Kolker uncovers one family’s unforgettable legacy of suffering, love, and hope.

Robert Kolker is the New York Times bestselling author of Lost Girls, named one of the New York Times‘s 100 Notable Books and one of Publishers Weekly‘s Top Ten Books of 2013. As a journalist, his work has appeared in New York magazine, Bloomberg Businessweek, The New York Times Magazine, Wired, GQ, O magazine,and Men’s Journal. He is a National Magazine Award finalist and a recipient of the 2011 Harry Frank Guggenheim Award for Excellence in Criminal Justice Reporting from the John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York.

Books will be available for purchase at a signing after the program.

Free, no registration required. Seating is first come, first serve.

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NAMI Metro Baltimore Health Emergency Response – COVID-19

March 11, 2020 by Caitlin Mulrine

NAMI Metro Baltimore takes the coronavirus risk very seriously, and is staying informed of all advisories from the state of Maryland and the Center for Disease Control (CDC).

Program Schedule Update: April 22, 2020

In accordance with the state of Maryland’s declaration of a state of emergency, NAMI Metro Baltimore suspended in-person education and support programs beginning March 16th. NAMI Metro Baltimore adheres to the closure policy of Baltimore County Public Schools for all programs and activities. Please see below for additional program and event schedule changes.

Online Support Group Meetings

Beginning April 2nd, NAMI Metropolitan Baltimore will offer weekly peer and family support group meetings online. Registration is required to participate in each meeting. View the schedule and learn more here.

Event Postponement

The Of Substance Stoop Storytelling event scheduled for March 31 at Goucher College will be postponed. The partnering organizations are developing plans to hold the event in the fall.
The Mental Health Education Conference for Faith Leaders scheduled for April 2nd at the Conference Center at Sheppard Pratt has been postponed.
The Writers LIVE event in partnership with the Enoch Pratt Library scheduled for May 28th has been postponed to October 14, 2020.

We will continue to keep you updated as events are rescheduled.

Virtual NAMI Classes

NAMI Family-to-Family will be offered online this spring. This class is open to any family member or caregiver of an adult living with a mental health condition. Learn more about the program here.

Class Schedule

Dates: Tuesdays, May 5th – June 23rd, 6:30-8:30pm
Location: Online via Zoom

Registration is required. Please contact the NAMI Metro Baltimore HelpLine (410) 435-2600 to join.

Office Closure and HelpLine

The NAMI Metro Baltimore office will be closed from March 16th through May 15th. Staff will be available remotely. Additionally, the HelpLine will continue to be available during business hours, Monday through Friday, 9am-5pm.

NAMI Metro Baltimore will share updates on our program schedule and events via email, our website, and our social media accounts. Please be sure to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to receive the latest updates and announcements. You can subscribe to receive our email newsletter and updates here.

Managing Your Mental and Physical Health

First, and foremost, we want you to care of your own health. Be sure to stay hydrated, eat good, healthy foods, get restful sleep, and maintain, to the best of your ability, your own personal self-care practices. This is key to wellness.

We know that the breaking news and headlines about this health emergency can feel overwhelming and stressful. It’s important to remain informed and aware, but also to manage your stress and anxiety. Here are a few tips and practices:

Take breaks from your news consumption: With smartphone apps, push notifications, and 24/7 news coverage, there is a tremendous amount of information available at all times. It’s ok to take breaks. Be observant of your own tendencies in news consumption, and limit your time on news sites if you notice yourself spending a lot of time on them.
Be cognizant of your social media use: Social media can intensify the effects that you feel from news and information overload. The seemingly endless stream of information can make it difficult to shift your focus. Make sure to exhibit self-control when it comes to social media use, and consider deleting apps, turning off push-notifications, or giving yourself a mental break.
Practice good stress management: Consistent and sound stress management practices can be an easy and effective way to mitigate news anxiety. Be sure to stick with practices that work for you.

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Mental Health Education Conference for Faith Leaders

February 5, 2020 by Caitlin Mulrine

Out of an abundance of caution and in an effort to minimize the spread of coronavirus, NAMI Metro Baltimore has postponed the Mental Health Education Conference for Faith Leaders scheduled for Thursday, April 2nd. Staff is working to identify a new date for the conference. Please check back for updates and announcements regarding this event.

The Mental Health Education Conference for Faith Leaders will help you to effectively address the mental health needs of your congregation.

About the Event

The Mental Health Education Conference for Faith Leaders offers participants the opportunity to gain a better understanding of mental health and the effects of stigma. Faith community leaders will learn new strategies for supporting their congregation’s mental health needs by effectively “Managing the Cards in Your Deck.”

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. Stay tuned for announcement of the speaker lineup!

About the Keynote Speaker

NAMI Metropolitan Baltimore is delighted to welcome Baltimore Ravens Chaplain, Mr. Johnny Shelton. Shelton will deliver the conference’s keynote address on the importance of faith leaders supporting mental health and wellness among their congregants and fellow faith leaders.

Mr. Johnny Shelton attended Southeast Missouri State University, where he was an all-conference football player. After college, Johnny signed NFL contracts for the Atlanta Falcons and San Francisco 49ers. Free agency making it hard to make a final roster, he left football to pursue a career in corporate America.

Johnny’s passion for inspiring and motivating men led him back to the game he loves in 2005. Through the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Johnny joined Elon University for two seasons, and then moved to Virginia Tech, as their football team’s chaplain. This work led Johnny to play a vital role in establishing the Chaplain ministry within the entire Fellowship of Christian Athletes Organization. In 2013, Johnny joined the Baltimore Ravens to encourage and uplift the players and staff, on the field and off.

Registration Details

This one-day conference is open to anyone who holds a leadership role in their faith community. Conference registration is $25, and includes breakfast, lunch, and all conference materials. All participants will receive a faith leaders toolkit with information on available community mental health resources.

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Stoop Storytelling: “Of Substance”

February 4, 2020 by Caitlin Mulrine

Out of an abundance of caution and in an effort to minimize the spread of coronavirus, the organizing partners have postponed the “Of Substance” Stoop Storytelling event scheduled for Tuesday, March 31st. The event will be rescheduled in fall 2020. Please check back for updates and announcements regarding the event.

Real, personal stories about our complicated and contradictory relationships with drugs and alcohol

Hear seven compelling stories from people whose lives were changed by drugs and alcohol – the thrills, the perils, the regrets, and the struggles. Their stories may be funny, sad, or serious…but they’re all true.

This event is free and open to the public. Advanced registration is encouraged to reserve your seat.

This event is presented in partnership by Goucher College, Catholic Charities Baltimore, Behavioral Health System Baltimore, Baltimore magazine, MATOD, MedStar Health, Jewish Community Services, NAMI Metropolitan Baltimore, Baltimore Jewish Council, and the Associated.

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I Will Listen Campaign: October 6-18, 2019

September 30, 2019 by Caitlin Mulrine

Students participate in the 2018 I Will Listen Campaign at the University of Maryland – School of Pharmacy.

1 in 5 college students are impacted by mental health conditions. Listening can be one of the most powerful ways to support someone who is facing mental health challenges.

This is the message of the I Will Listen Campaign, a mental health awareness initiative that kicks-off its 4th annual event on college campuses across Baltimore on October 6th. NAMI Metro Baltimore will partner with 12 local colleges and universities for this year’s campaign, and more than 50 programs and events are planned.

I Will Listen events include open mic nights, wellness activities and fitness classes, and film screenings and discussion. Each campus will also host a NAMI In Our Own Voice presentation, giving students the opportunity to listen to first-hand stories of recovery. All of the events and programs will encourage students to start open and honest conversations about mental health with their friends, classmates, and others on campus.

At each event, students will receive information about mental health resources on campus and in the community. The overall goal of the I Will Listen Campaign is to help students reach out for mental health support when they need it.

I Will Listen was created by NAMI New York City in 2013 as a campaign encouraging listening with an open mind, and without judgement, at school, in the workplace, and in the community. NAMI Metro Baltimore activated the campaign locally in 2016. In 2018, the campaign reached more than 2,300 students, faculty, and staff on 9 college campuses. This year, MICA, Towson University, and Baltimore City Community College join the campaign bringing this important anti-stigma initiative to 12 area campuses.

NAMI Metro Baltimore invites you to follow along with all of the I Will Listen Campaign activities. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter for updates throughout the campaign.

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