In 2023, NAMI Metro Baltimore began its first ever Mental Health Story Portrait Project, to highlight the insights and resilience of some of our volunteers as they advocate to end stigma around mental health conditions in our community.

Our features come out at the beginning of every month! Below is a catalogue of the stories published, thus far.

March: Mary

February: Fatin

January: Rita

Share this story

On February 28^th, we hosted our first ever Mental Health Prayer Breakfast for Faith Leaders with our friends at Maryland Wellness. It was a morning full of discussion around the mental health concerns that local faith leaders are facing, and how to find a path forward to make sure that all congregations are connected with the appropriate resources, so that if a community member comes to them needing mental health support, they know where to point them.

During our panel discussion, we were grateful to hear from the below Faith and Community Leaders:

Dr. Carla Debnam – First Lady of Morning Star Baptist Church
Ayyub Hanif – CEO of INGE Benevolent Ministries, co-founder of Muslimat Al-Nisaa, and Registered Nurse
Denielle Randall, LCSW-C – Pathways to Advocacy Against Violence Everyday program (PAAVE) at the Center for Hope in Baltimore City, Maryland.
Tikvah Womack, LCPC – Jewish Community Services and serves as a member of the Jewish faith congregation
Pastor Rodney Morton – Pastor of Central Baptist Church

Key themes and takeaways that arose throughout the discussion were as follows:

1. Mental health trainings are desired for all congregation staff, including security and front desk personnel because they might be the first point of contact for someone in need of support
2. Collaboration and forming a Mental Health Coalition between multiple congregation leaders was of interest
3. Cultural humility and cultural competency are seen as buzz words, and there should be more focus around truly putting these concepts into practice, by acknowledging implicit bias
4. There is a need to look at the whole individual and their life experiences, beyond just mental or physical health because oftentimes, peoples’ living situations can affect the two
5. The desire to stop criminalization of suicide attempts was shared by many faith leaders, who recalled incidences where police involvement and the use of handcuffs was traumatizing for both the individual at risk, and family members

Churches, temples, mosques, and faith communities reach 70% if the American population each month. Faith communities can fight stigma through educating their congregations and staff, to create a culture that truly offers emotional, relational, and spiritual counseling to people touched by mental illness.

If you are interested in participating in future mental health programs for faith communities, sign up for our newsletter to stay in the loop for our Mental Health Education Faith Conference on May 4^th, 2023!

Stay engaged with our activities in West Baltimore and to reach out to Outreach Coordinator Tyleia Reed at treed@namibaltimore.org for more info about our support group at Bon Secours Community Resource Center.

Share this story

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

---

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.

Share this story

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.

Share this story