January & February Newsletter 2022 |
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In this newsletter, you will find upcoming NAMI affiliate events, local mental health news, more mental health awareness events, information about NAMI of Washington County's annual meeting & reopening event, plus support group highlights; Sunday Connections and new peer support groups at NAMI WC. |
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| | NAMI Ending The Silence For Families NAMI Ending the Silence is a free presentation designed to give audience members an opportunity to learn about mental illness through an informative PowerPoint and short videos. This presentation has a focus on Parents and Caregivers of school-aged children with mental health challenges. Each presentation of NAMI outlines symptoms of mental health conditions and gives attendees ideas about how to help themselves, friends, or family members who may need support. Additionally, these presentations include personal testimony from a young adult living well with mental health challenges. DATE: March 1, 2022 TIME: 12 PM & also 7 PM LOCATION: Zoom TO REGISTER: Contact Christina Matousek at christina@washconami.org or call (503) 356-6835 | | |
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| | Evening With the Experts: Veteran Resources Peers who are experienced in resource navigation will share information about accessing VA benefits, community resources, resources for families, and an interactive Q and A session.
Date: Monday, March 21st
Time: 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM
Format: Online via Zoom
Click button below to register, or call NAMI Multnomah's HelpLine at
503-228-5692. | | |
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Behavioral Health Resource Center—opening in 2022 Multnomah County's Behavioral Health Resource Center located at 333 S.W. Park St. is slated to open this year. The first floor day center is projected to open from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., staffed by peer professionals, with referral services, behavioral health services and social series on site. For people who aren’t ready or interested in engaging in services, it will be a place to shower, get a meal, check email and charge a phone. The second floor will provide 42-bed co-ed shelter beds, staffed by peer professionals and clinical providers. The shelter will offer temporary respite for up to 30 days for guests working with social service and behavioral health providers to establish ongoing support. And on the third floor, Bridge Housing will provide 20 guests with up to 90 days of housing while clinic and peer professionals work together with guests on plans to transition into stable housing or a long-term treatment facility. | | |
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January is Codependency Awareness Month The concept of codependency goes back about 80 years. Around 1940, two women who were married to alcoholics – one of whom was the founder of Alcoholics Anonymous, Bill W. – met and decided to support one another as they experienced the effects of their husbands’ disordered use of alcohol. Over the next ten years, the two women – Lois W. and Anne B. – created family groups to support others in their position, and in 1952, coined the name Al-Anon. The goal of Al-Anon is to “…help the families and friends of alcoholics connect and support each other through meetings, information, and shared experiences.” |
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January is also International Mind-Body Wellness Month Article: Defining "Mental Wellness" vs. “Mental Health” Mental wellness is a term that is increasingly used in the popular lexicon, but it is vague and not well-understood. People associate mental wellness with many different types of activities: meditating, listening to music, talking to a friend, taking a walk in nature, taking a vacation, getting a massage, taking a bubble bath, squeezing a stress ball, or just carving out some time for peace and quiet in daily life. When we talk about mental wellness, we are not just focusing on our mental or cognitive functioning, but also our emotions; our social relationships; our ability to function in daily life; and even our spiritual, religious, or existential state. Most people would agree that mental wellness is different than happiness, but very few could elaborate precisely how the two are different. Sometimes the term mental wellness is used synonymously with mental health or mental well-being, two terms that are also not well-defined. |
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National Eating Disorders Awareness Week (Feb. 23-Feb. 29) National Eating Disorders Awareness Week (NEDAwareness Week) is an annual campaign to educate the public about the realities of eating disorders and to provide hope, support, and visibility to individuals and families affected by eating disorders. NEDAwareness Week 2022 will take place during the week of February 21 - February 27, 2022. To learn more click the NEDA button below or visit www.nationaleatingdisorders.org |
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| | NAMI of Washington County's Annual MeetingNAMI WC held its annual meeting on February 19, 2022, from 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM. This meeting was open to all members of NAMI and a few special guests. NAMI of Washington County shared its goals for 2022, talked about NAMI WC successes in 2021, and voted to welcome two new board members; information to come soon on the NAMI WC website. washconami.org | | |
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| | Please join us in celebrating the reopening of NAMI Washington County's building, The Cornish Center! The NAMI WC remodel is complete and some staff members have been moving back in to work in-person at the building. The building will be open to the public beginning March 1, 2022. A small reopening celebration and open house following the NAMI WC annual meeting was held on February 19th from 12:30 – 4:00 PM. To learn about NAMI WC's hours of operation and what will be happening at the building, click the "NAMI WC" button, visit the NAMI WC website at washconami.org, or call us at (503) 356-6835. | | |
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Peer Support Group Highlights |
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Connections Support Group Sunday connections, Connections is a peer-led adult support group where one can be heard, contribute, and feel supported. To share experiences and gain insight in a safe, confidential space with others living with any mental health concerns. We strive to help each other learn as a community, have productive, non-judgmental conversations about some of the hardest issues a person can encounter in their lives, and maybe feel a little bit better for having been a part of it. This group meets Sundays from 1:30 to 3:00 PM Click the button below to join this group. | | |
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| | New! Parent Support Group
NAMI Washington County Parent Support Groups are peer-led support groups for parents and caregivers of children/adolescents who have experienced symptoms of challenging mental health issues. Every group is offered free of charge. All of these groups are facilitated by individuals who are parents or caregivers with lived experience.
This group meets on Zoom the 1st and 3rd Thursdays of every month at 7 PM. ☆First meeting: February 17, 2022
To Register: Email christina@washconami.org
or call (503) 356-6835
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| | New! In-Person NAMI Connections Support Group A NAMI Connection Support Group is a free, peer-led support group for any adult who has experienced mental health challenges. The groups are led by trained facilitators who've been there. This group will be meeting Wednesdays from 2 to 3 PM at NAMI of Washington County located at 18680 SW Shaw St.
Aloha, OR 97007 beginning March 2, 2022. ☆To keep each other safe and not help spread Covid-19 throughout our community, all visitors to the NAMI Washington County building will be required to wear a mask and socially distance themselves from others. Upon entering our building we will please ask that you also answer a few symptom screening questions as well. For any questions about this group please call us at (503) 356-6835 | | |
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Director's Message Good news! NAMI of Washington County received the go-ahead to implement a program for parents of school-age children for Beaverton School District. The program consists of the core mission of NAMI; Education, Support and Advocacy. It is exciting to bring this program to parents of school-age youth. Isolation and mental health challenges have disproportionately impacted school-age youth. NAMI will make a difference for this population and their parents. We will be making presentations to parents and staff throughout the Beaverton School District. These presentations will include providing information about youth mental health, as well as having a parent tell their story and a young person talk about their experiences with mental health issues as a school-age person. Thank you Beaverton School District for greenlighting this program. Together we will make a difference in the lives of parents and youth. And after much delay and anticipation; It is finally here. Our building remodel is complete! We will re-open to the public on March 1st. We will continue all of our virtual support groups which are being attended by over 80 people each week. And, we will begin adding in-person support groups gradually. In the meantime, I welcome you to come visit, enjoy working in our art room and garden, see our amazing new deck overlooking the garden, and socialize in a place where everyone is accepted for who they are without judgment. Volunteers will be here to welcome you and show you around. Due to Covid and the remodel it has been a long time coming. I look forward to seeing you soon. Dave |
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