Let's get social! From Facebook to Instagram to TikTok, how are you promoting your NAMI Organization in the digital space to not only fundraise but to engage new, diverse audiences? Join the Field Resource Development Team as we discuss all things social media fundraising and awareness to build your local engagement strategy.

AMI state and affiliate leaders are increasingly engaged in outreach, program and initiatives designed for diverse communities. They recognize that the need in these communities is great, that NAMI increasingly understands how to engage diverse communities and this engagement leads to new funding opportunities, new strategic partnerships and strengthening their organizations. This session will feature innovative ways in which NAMI at all levels - national, state and affiliate levels - are increasing their focus on engaging with diverse communities in new ways. This session will feature newly rolled out resources, tools and strategies to connect with diverse and minoritized communities.   

Advocacy is a critical yet often neglected pillar of NAMI's work. In this session, you will learn about what resources are available from NAMI National to strengthen your advocacy impact from advocacy campaigns and publications to grants and hands-on guidance. Attendees will walk away with an understanding of NAMI-specific advocacy tools and how to use them for their own state and local-level policy priorities.

This presentation will serve as a guide to measuring the impact of NAMI Signature Programs through numbers and stories.  Through the presentation, hands-on activities, group discussions and Q&A, attendees will learn the role impact measurement plays in program growth, and sustainability, along with implementing strategies to measuring program outcomes. The session will also touch upon ways NAMI can help NSOs and NAs to track and retrieve their program data for ease of use.

Join us for an overview of how to build a successful grants program. We'll cover how to find grants, tips for grant writing, and advice on how to prioritize grants when you have a small staff. We will also answer your grants-related questions and take feedback to develop additional, virtual grants trainings.

Volunteers are the foundation for the work that NAMI Affiliates and NAMI State Organizations do. They provide programming, assist with events and operations, and join Boards of Directors. They strengthen ties to the communities served and broaden support networks. Given the important role they play, taking an intentional and strategic approach to recruiting volunteers can go a long way in meeting an organization's needs, and fostering a stable and sustainable volunteer base. In this session, participants will receive tips and tools on how to: 1) identify their organization's needs; 2) find volunteers with the skills and interests to meet those needs; and 3) match volunteers up to opportunities with their organization.

All incorporated NAMI organizations have an obligation to remain in good standing in their jurisdictions, including any and all mandatory filings at the local, state, and federal levels. NAMI organizations operate as nonprofit entities with many of the same requirements as other corporate entities within their state. On occasion, these administrative necessities take a back seat to the well-intended ambitions to deliver on the NAMI mission. This session aims to share strategies that refocus NAMI organizations to meet their requirements under the law so that they are free and unencumbered to do all the wonderful and supportive activities that help those in their community.

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We are so excited to welcome everyone to NAMICon 2024!! Join us as we kick things off in the Mile High City! There will be food, drinks, a DJ, games and lots of amazing people. Can’t wait to see you there!

NIMH is celebrating its 75th Anniversary this year. In light of this milestone, Dr. Gordon will discuss the contributions of NIMH research to current approaches to care of individuals with mental illnesses and highlight priorities for research aimed at advancing care in the future.

Discover "The Way Work Should Be" , an initiative designed for businesses to help them prioritize mental health and employee well-being. This tailored workplace program targets the business community, in offering a comprehensive approach that includes online and in-person courses on mental health and well-being as well as access to a resource library that includes videos, podcasts and a toolbox, along with information for developing a funding stream that includes building a NAMIWalks team.

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Students With Psychosis is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that empowers student leaders and advocates worldwide through community building and collaboration. This session will be presented by three Students With Psychosis members. The panel will have a mix of storytelling and discussion followed by a Q&A. The discussion and storytelling will highlight intersectionality, academic accommodations, and action points on transforming community, workplace, and educational environments.

This session will provide innovative ways that communities are tackling the need to advance equity in access to mental health care for people in Black/African Ancestry communities experiencing serious mental health conditions. Participants will learn about strategic partnerships, building community, new resources to use in outreach and more. Much important work is happening on 988, this session explores how we leverage that work for good. Speakers listed are placeholders and to be confirmed.

Our presentation explores how children's early thought & behavior patterns can lead to mental health issues. It highlights the limitations of current systems & attendees will be challenged to think innovatively & more inclusively. Featuring a mother's story about losing her teen to suicide, this session emphasizes the need for awareness & action in nurturing children's creative development & mental well-being, urging proactive steps from parents, educators, leaders, & health professionals.

This session delves into the science behind the underappreciated potential of mental health literacy for caregivers supporting people with mental illnesses, highlighting its positive effects on their well-being and coping skills. We explore the broader social and economic implications and the current gaps in knowledge. We end by putting forth innovative, practical and accessible solutions for implementation.

Despite adoption of a 10-Year Mental Health Plan and significant investment, NH continues to face emergency department boarding. NH DHHS and its partners developed the Mission Zero initiative to address 3 key drivers to this issue – front door, inpatient supply & coordination, and back door issues. Through this collaborative initiative the partners have forged an alliance to help all Granite Staters access the right care at the right time so that they can live full lives in their communities.

Mental health is health, but too often health insurance won’t cover mental health care equally, or at “parity,” with physical health care. However, the fight for parity is heating up again with new federal rules aimed at ensuring that services are available without long waits or excessive out-of-pocket costs. States are also finding innovative ways to ensure people can access mental health benefits with fewer barriers. Hear from policy experts about what new tools exist to enforce parity.

This lecture will review the four stress responses; the role of positive, tolerable, and toxic stress, how getting stuck in 'survival mode' impacts health; and concrete healing tools and strategies for both children and caregivers to thrive after adversity. This will include: Dan Seigel’s Window of Tolerance, Bruce Perry’s “Regulate, Relate, Reason,” and stress-informed approaches to supportive relationships, sleep, nutrition, physical activity, mindfulness, nature, and mental health care.

YouTube is a platform that lifts up voices and we want to help others share their stories. We would like to host a panel at PLV’s The Pitch as a great opportunity to share best practices on sharing your story in For Mental Health Awareness Month. We would like to encourage creators from all backgrounds and verticals to share their story, if and when they are ready to do so. ? Panel of 2 creators, NAMI rep and a moderator. 1 creator will be a Mental Health expert and the second will be a top creator from YouTube. ? Have the Mental Health Expert and Creator Share their story and discuss the Personal Stories guide. ? Follow up with a Q&A on how to tell your story between the MH creator and the Top Creator.

This talk will describe the current landscape of psychedelic treatment for mental illness in the United States. Topics will include the legal status of psychedelic treatments, a synopsis of the most studied treatments and their corresponding research findings, the applicability of recovery principles in psychedelic treatment, recommendations for individuals pursuing these treatments and for their families, and finally, challenges and open questions in the field.

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In this interactive discussion, participants will learn about innovative ways to prioritize workplace wellness, to help staff achieve a strong work-life balance. We will explore ways to incorporate DEIB-Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging, into existing workplace culture to create environments where staff feel valued, seen and heard which in turn empowers them to have more to give to clients. We will offer practical ways to think differently and transform culture for stronger outcomes.

Creating access to care for people living in mental health deserts. Just like a food desert (an area that has limited access to affordable and nutritious food), we have mental health deserts in America. A mental health desert means there is a large area where people have limited access to affordable and mentally nutritious services. In my session, I want to teach people how to advocate for access to mental health care in their remote communities.

CIT International discusses the 5-legged stool of the Memphis Model, however oftentimes times the primary focus of work is on police officer training. Critical components of a successful program also include community collaboration, a vibrant and accessible crisis system, behavioral health staff training, and family, consumers, and advocates collaborate and educate. CIT Maine has built a solid foundation with data and collaborations for individuals and communities.

My session is focused on the 3 biggest lessons I learned going from being a patient when I was hospitalized at 19, struggling tremendously with my mental health, to returning to work at this same facility 4 years later. These 3 lessons are: the power of our thoughts, the role of cultivating support networks and the importance of tracking habits. I will expand on the powerful lessons I learned being on both sides – as a patient in the system and as a dedicated worker striving to make an impact.

The possible unfavorable influence of a caregiver's device engagement on attachment style is the basis for a research investigation currently being conducted by the session presenters. These two globally-recognized experts in healthy device management, attachment, family systems, and adolescent treatment will discuss this issue, their research study, and offer recommendations to help avoid the potential negative impact of a caregiver's device use on attachment bonding with their children

Participants will learn about two NAMI Kansas projects: Assisted Outpatient Treatment and the Justice Involved Person Project that are placed in courts, jails, and state prisons. The impact, success, and lessons learned from these projects alongside how NAMI Kansas has adapted signature programming for correctional settings will be discussed. Finally individuals will hear from Becca Lane at National on how to work with National on these adaptations and what fidelity looks like for these programs

Graphic Medicine can be explained as the intersection between the medium of comics and the discourse of healthcare. These stories in book or short zine format create reader empathy through heartfelt, intimate drawings. As visual creatures we are moved by pictures and images. I believe in the importance of story and that we are all able to draw our stories. Join me for a look at current graphic medicine novels and create your own short [8 page] personal zine from a single piece of paper.

This panel is a business-led partnership between NAMI Florida and the Florida Chamber of Commerce. The panelists: A former CEO of an International company: son died by suicide. A Prominent Businessman: his daughter was treated for SUD and died by suicide. An EVP of a large health insurance plan whose twin brother died by suicide. Sr. Vice President at the Florida Chamber of Commerce lost father to suicide, mother lived with Schizophrenia. Dr. Nicholas Abid, Board-certified psychiatrist

I will spotlight eating disorders, body image, and the post-COVID impact. Leading "Body Talks," a peer-led program at the University of Georgia, and serving as the former NAMI chapter president, highlights the transformative impact of open discussions about eating disorders and their stigma. I value unfiltered dialogues when it comes to this subject, and believe presenting facts, ideas and my own experiences at NAMICon will continue the candid conversation to foster support and resilience.

Goal is to start conversations about mental health in African American men and develop a tool kit for supportive resources, impactful programs, educational resources, and access to additional support when needed.Evaluate the mental health concerns of men and how it affects us as men in the space; Discuss and share resources that will help other brothers in their walk-in fatherhood centered around building the family and assisting in maintaining relationships.

Have you ever felt overwhelmed by the challenges of supporting others who are neurodevelopmentally diverse (neurodivergent, trauma-impacted, or navigating mental-health challenges), while struggling to balance their needs with your own well-being and sense of purpose? Explore the Resilient SEQUOIA Model to support others while cultivating your well-being. Learn key strategies for understanding, empathy, and practical support, transforming life into a journey of growth, resilience, and thriving.

Sharing the innovative programs offered to teens & young adults at NAMI Orange County that can be adapted for any NAMI affiliate. Programs include NAMI on Campus Clubs, “Happy Hour” self-care nights, Honest Hour webinars, and our Anxiety Sucks podcast. These programs empower TAY to take charge of their mental health and share their experiences. We will also discuss how we partner with local high schools to offer Ending the Silence.

This session focuses on how to utilize the know that we have as peers to facilitate our own wellness as peers. There will be an emphasis on staying well while working in the field as a peer in the mental health field..

Join Karena Dawn, founder of Tone It Up, the leading fitness and lifestyle brand, and of The Big Silence mental health foundation, for a revitalizing experience that will awaken your body and mind. Karena shares practices and tools to guide and inspire you to turn your challenges into triumphs. Through fun, meditation, movement, and an inspirational and educational mental health discussion, she will motivate you to feel confident, empowered, fulfilled, and excited about life’s journey.

Providing health care, not handcuffs, when a person is experiencing a mental health crisis requires a workforce prepared to do this crucial work without relying on law enforcement unless significant safety or criminal concerns are present. This session will highlight NAMI-funded work being done to lay the foundations for this workforce and elaborate the steps for establishing it as a new professional role—that of the Certified Community Behavioral Health Crisis Responder (CBHCR).

This session presents a novel collaboration with Pixar Animation Studios to adapt their film Inside Out into a social emotional learning program called InsideU. InsideU is a cost-free, web-based application designed for 6–12 year-olds that includes online learning modules on emotional awareness and regulation. InsideU uses the model of Entertainment Education and includes a series of episodes that are interactive, choose your-own-adventure stories. A panelist QnA will follow the presentation.

Coalitions have the power to span gaps, scale up excellent practice and amplify diverse voices. Learn from the Advancing Behavioral Health Initiative, an 8-year collaboration between 10 local coalitions and the Medical College of Wisconsin. Learn how a state coalition, the Mental Health Action Partnership leverages local coalition experience to gather diverse stakeholders in a learning community, achieve consensus on policy goals, and promote ongoing system improvement. Explore NAMI’s role.

In this session, participants will be exposed to the simile of the Wellness Waterfall and its potential impact on organizational key indicators like retention, engagement, and satisfaction including industry trends. The Wellness Waterfall is influenced by skills (learning and development), will (self-care and self-regulation), and fills (reward and recognition) which influence healthy and sustained behavior change at the individual and organizational levels.

A perennial NAMI-Con favorite, during this session NAMI National staff will provide a recap of major federal developments in mental health policy and how NAMI is continuing to set the tone with federal policy makers. We will also examine the upcoming elections and what that may mean for mental health in 2025.

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Based on findings from a 2023 phenomenological study on affectivity in schizophrenia, this session offers important insights and language for caregivers and providers about the concepts of "affective proximity," "experiences of othering" and "value-based markers of being in the world" to help develop meaningful, and justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion (JEDI)-oriented relationships with persons diagnosed with schizophrenia.

The session is about the lived experience of 3 formerly incarcerated peers and the impact it had on their mental health. To include discussion on barriers that were present & the impact they had on the peers state of mental wellness. Also including tools and resources that have been gained from NAMI that would have been beneficial on their journey to recovery/mental wellness. Discussion includes their lived experience testimony of tools such as Competency Hearings & Restoration.

This session that will give conference go-ers an overview of NAMI’s priority and vision around 988 and crisis care. 

Presenting on a report entitled The Economic Burden of Mental Health Inequities, This report aims to offer an understanding of the economic impact of our failure of over 165 years since the passage of the Bill for the Benefit of the Indigent Insane to invest in equity-focused behavioral health interventions, services, treatments, supports, and programs. The report included policy recommendations to address political determinant of behavioral health, investments, and culturally centered care.

Join us for an enlightening look at the latest findings from NAMI's new annual workplace mental health polling data. Through a comprehensive survey, NAMI has gathered invaluable insights into the state of mental health within workplaces across various sectors. From understanding the current experience of the American worker to evaluating the knowledge of existing support systems, this presentation promises to offer a nuanced perspective on the intersection of mental health and the workplace.

Discover key trends, emerging patterns, and potential areas for improvement with NAMI’s Workplace Mental Health team. Whether you're an HR professional, a business leader, or an advocate for mental health awareness, this presentation equips you with the knowledge and tools necessary to foster a healthier and more supportive work environment for all.

In this session, Sierra will share her passion for leveraging evidence-based techniques, including gamification and positive psychology, to add a sense of adventure, accomplishment, and fun to everyday life. Stories about how she uses this system in her mental health recovery are a focus of the presentation. Sierra will teach you how to create a personalized "Questify Your Life" system: establish your character, design fulfilling quests, and map your journey.

People with mental health conditions are overrepresented in our nation’s jails and prisons and when people leave incarceration, there are many challenges to successfully reentering their communities. This session will explore new policies that allow Medicaid to cover some services prior to people being released from prison or jail have the potential to improve the health and wellbeing of people with mental health and substance use conditions.

NAMI’s Youth and Young Adult Initiatives Hub will provide an exclusive preview of video highlights from NAMI’s new, on-demand, Trauma Awareness Training, scheduled to launch on nami.org in June 2024. Workshop participants will receive resources they can use in their work with young people, including scripts for mindfulness practices and tips tailored by age-group for understanding and engaging youth whose behavior is impacted by traumatic stress.

Women tend to put everyone and everything in their lives first even in the workplace. This workshop will discuss the statistics of women mental health challenges specifically in the workplace, the importance of making mental health a priority in your life and how focusing on your own mental health improves your leadership abilities.

Mothers mourning children lost to suicide underscore a need to walk out of their darkness and into a transformative light. A beacon that will repurpose their intent and galvanize their willingness to live for another tomorrow. Utilizing case studies participants will explore the maternal narratives of the survived to deepen their understanding about the factors that contribute to posttraumatic growth in the wake of child suicide. Compassion fatigue and vicarious trauma will be emphasized.

Justice-involved individuals experience mental health and substance use disorders at much higher rates than the general population. In this session, experts from All Rise will discuss concrete strategies for identifying individuals with mental health and/or substance use disorders in the justice system, explore promising diversion models, and offer guidance for jurisdiction seeking to build new alternatives to incarceration.

Justice-involved individuals experience mental health and substance use disorders at much higher rates than the general population. In this session, experts from All Rise will discuss concrete strategies for identifying individuals with mental health and/or substance use disorders in the justice system, explore promising diversion models, and offer guidance for jurisdiction seeking to build new alternatives to incarceration.

85% of employees are disengaged at work. Staff leave because they don't feel seen, heard, or appreciated.  Who knew the answer to this lies in a show called Ted Lasso? In this workshop, we will explore how play and positive psychology are essential to building psychological safety in this surreal new reality of work. We will analyze through the lens of Ted Lasso what currently needs to be added to your workplace that would create the culture your staff is looking for.

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and NAMI began partnering in April 2022 to promote access to NAMI’s Homefront virtual family education curriculum. While still in its infancy, the VA/NAMI partnership has expanded engagement in Homefront across the Veteran family & caregiver populations. This panel will present the partnership development, share background on supportive legislation, summarize early implementation efforts and lessons, and highlight data from our first year of collaboration.

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For many of us, our jobs consume most of our time, energy, and effort each day. The experiences we share with our colleagues strengthen our mental health or diminish it. How can a company move beyond policies and programs to shape healthy human connection at work? It begins with strong Purpose and Values. Join Chief Human Resource Officer Grace Lee and Organizational Culture Consultant Deborah Urbanik to learn how to uncover if your company's core principles support a mentally healthy culture.

The Elizabeth Dole Foundation released the Caregiver Mental Wellness Framework, following more than two years of development with military and veteran caregivers, mental health professionals, and human-centered design experts. In this session, we’ll walk through the development of the Framework before taking an interactive dive into its content, where session participants will have an opportunity to engage in self-reflective content within each of the Framework’s six dimensions.

As a Gen Z Latine man advocating to normalize and encourage action around mental health for the last 6 years, I've experienced and heard the challenges youth and young adults (YYA) have AND continue to navigate. Applying these experiences, my session will explore how to go beyond including YYA and the importance of moving towards providing us with ownership of the solutions built for us but often without us. Doing my best to depict why lack of YYA presence has led to the crisis we face today.

In this presentation the audience will hear from a panel of 3 different national peer subject matter experts (2 are also NAMI National board members) who will provide a unique perspective on their personal mental health, substance use, and veteran peer lived experiences and the challenges they overcame to gain leadership status in the national peer recovery space. This session will explore the valuable insights of effective leadership strategies rooted in direct lived experience.

For the past 10 years, NAMI Ohio has worked to increase youth peer support, programs, and opportunities throughout Ohio. This presentation will include youth peers and adult supporters who are working at the state and local levels to strengthen NAMI's work with young people. Learn how our youth leadership team created a strategic plan, leveraged funding, advocated for Certified Youth Peer Support, and are increasing youth presence in our State and Local Affiliates.

My session is about a balanced approach toward treating bipolar disorder. I’ll describe how I built up resiliency through caring for mental, physical, and spiritual health. The hope is that by sharing my story, I’ll provide others the missing elements of their care plan.

Many jurisdictions across the country have made efforts to divert people with significant mental health needs away from the criminal legal system and into community-based care, yet many people living with behavioral health disorders continue to experience arrest and the perils of pretrial detention. With increased risks of suicide and self-harm, expanding the crisis care continuum into the initial detention phase of incarceration offers a pathway to care and an opportunity for diversion.

Intergenerational partnership and diverse leadership is essential for sustained organizational growth. Engaging youth and young adults in leadership roles is necessary for both growing the Alliance and building the mental health care system of tomorrow. The presenters, young professionals and the youngest NAMI National board members to serve in the organization’s history, share challenges and lessons on how to include and support diverse youth leadership and advocacy.

The volume of competency orders increased by an alarming rate in Indiana over the past five years. With hundreds of individuals lingering in county jails awaiting competency restoration services, our strategies had to be revisited. This session will describe the innovative pathways, data driven decision making, impressive outcomes and unique collaborations designed to meet the demand for competency evaluation and restoration services in our state.

It’s about how we encourage men to seek support for their mental health – by exploring my own story of having a rare disease, my mental health challenges and the creation of my Rare Disease Mental Health Support group. It’s a space for men from different countries and cultures to come together, and despite our differences, we all have that shared powerful connection between us. I facilitate societal challenges men face today as well as unpacking ways we can as a collective make a change for all

In late March, 2021, Yale College was shaken by the on-campus death by suicide of Rachael Shaw-Rosenbaum. A small group of alumni quickly assembled to encourage administrators to modernize their arcane mental health policies. With the help of two courageous students, and an experienced legal team, we filed a class-action lawsuit on November 30, 2022 alleging that Yale discriminated against students with mental health conditions, in violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act, among other

In 2021, NAMI and Girl Scouts USA decided to come together to create a patch program for girls grades 4-12 to address mental health and wellness. In July 2023, the patch program was announced and released at the 2023 Girl Scouts Convention. Hear about the development of the patch program and how it's been used in a Denver Girl Scouts Troop. You'll also hear from a Girl Scout Gold Award Recipient who created a space for young people to share their struggles and see that they're not alone.

This workshop will offer an overview of SAMHSA’s Model Standards for Peer Support Credentialing along with an update of feedback received since the standards were launched summer of 2023. Co-presenters will then share the findings of NAMI’s organization wide survey of Certified Peer Specialists who were asked to share their feedback on each of the 11 standards and suggestions for improvement, as well as their thoughts on what NAMI National’s role should be in the Peer Credentialing space

We seek to share JED’s research results to shift the conversation about stigma and help-seeking among teens. Attendees will hear teens’ perspectives around emotional well-being, challenges to reaching out for support, and where they are most likely to seek help. This session will challenge commonly held perceptions of stigma and evaluate structural and systemic barriers to help-seeking as well as propose effective solutions for initiating difficult, intergenerational conversations.

Uncover Maui's post-fire NAMI support group evolution, uniting community resilience. Navigate unique strategies for mental health post-disaster, with insights into innovation, challenges, and community empowerment. Explore collaborative initiatives, including a partnership with HECO, spotlighting the impact of corporate-community collaboration in crisis recovery.

Coalitions have the power to span gaps, scale up excellent practice and amplify diverse voices. Learn from the Advancing Behavioral Health Initiative, an 8-year collaboration between 10 local coalitions and the Medical College of Wisconsin. Learn how a state coalition, the Mental Health Action Partnership leverages local coalition experience to gather diverse stakeholders in a learning community, achieve consensus on policy goals, and promote ongoing system improvement. Explore NAMI’s role.

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It’s a party—and you’re invited! You don’t want to miss this fabulous night of good food, drinks, live music, games and most of all... lots of fun. Make lasting memories with old and new friends alike!

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