GETTING DOWN TO BASICS: Four members of NAMI Western Carolina, from left, Neil Friedman, Share Friedman, Marianne Olson and Angela Stott, went to Raleigh for training to teach NAMI Basics, which is a six-session class that teaches parents the fundamentals of caring for a child or adolescent with mental health issues.
Editor’s note: As part of our Nonprofit Issue, Xpress asked local nonprofits to share a bright moment of 2017.
NAMI Western Carolina is an affiliate of the National Alliance on Mental Illness, the nation’s largest grassroots mental health organization dedicated to improving the lives of individuals and families affected by mental health issues. People with mental health issues can lead full, meaningful lives. Treatment works. Recovery happens. The purpose of NAMI WC is support, education and advocacy.
This year, four members of NAMI WC (Neil Friedman, Share Friedman, Marianne Olson and Angela Stott, pictured) went to Raleigh for training to teach NAMI Basics, which is a six-session class that teaches parents the fundamentals of caring for a child or adolescent with mental health issues.
Paulette Heck
NAMI Basics is a free class. It includes information about the following:
• The biology of mental health issues and getting an accurate diagnosis.
• An overview of treatment options that work.
• Tools for the toolbox — communication skills, problem-solving, crisis preparation and response, handling challenging behavior, relapse planning and impact on family members.
• Record-keeping and the systems your child is involved in (school, juvenile justice, mental health).
• Stories of recovery.
NAMI WC has completed two Basics classes in Asheville, one in the spring and one in the fall. We look forward to our next class. If you are interested in signing up, please contact 828-505-7353 or info@namiwnc.org. For other NAMI programs, check out our website at namiwnc.org.
— Paulette Heck,
board president, National Alliance on Mental Illness Western Carolina
We share your inclination to get the whole story. For the past 25 years, Xpress has been committed to in-depth, balanced reporting about the greater Asheville area. We want everyone to have access to our stories. That’s a big part of why we’ve never charged for the paper or put up a paywall.
We’re pretty sure that you know journalism faces big challenges these days. Advertising no longer pays the whole cost. Media outlets around the country are asking their readers to chip in. Xpress needs help, too. We hope you’ll consider signing up to be a member of Xpress. For as little as $5 a month — the cost of a craft beer or kombucha — you can help keep local journalism strong. It only takes a moment.
The comments section is here to provide a platform for civil dialogue on the issues we face together as a local community. Xpress is committed to offering this platform for all voices, but when the tone of the discussion gets nasty or strays off topic, we believe many people choose not to participate. Xpress editors are determined to moderate comments to ensure a constructive interchange is maintained. All comments judged not to be in keeping with the spirit of civil discourse will be removed and repeat violators will be banned. See here for our terms of service. Thank you for being part of this effort to promote respectful discussion.
Teaching parents about caring for kids with mental health issues
Editor’s note: As part of our Nonprofit Issue, Xpress asked local nonprofits to share a bright moment of 2017.
NAMI Western Carolina is an affiliate of the National Alliance on Mental Illness, the nation’s largest grassroots mental health organization dedicated to improving the lives of individuals and families affected by mental health issues. People with mental health issues can lead full, meaningful lives. Treatment works. Recovery happens. The purpose of NAMI WC is support, education and advocacy.
This year, four members of NAMI WC (Neil Friedman, Share Friedman, Marianne Olson and Angela Stott, pictured) went to Raleigh for training to teach NAMI Basics, which is a six-session class that teaches parents the fundamentals of caring for a child or adolescent with mental health issues.
NAMI Basics is a free class. It includes information about the following:
• The biology of mental health issues and getting an accurate diagnosis.
• An overview of treatment options that work.
• Tools for the toolbox — communication skills, problem-solving, crisis preparation and response, handling challenging behavior, relapse planning and impact on family members.
• Record-keeping and the systems your child is involved in (school, juvenile justice, mental health).
• Stories of recovery.
NAMI WC has completed two Basics classes in Asheville, one in the spring and one in the fall. We look forward to our next class. If you are interested in signing up, please contact 828-505-7353 or info@namiwnc.org. For other NAMI programs, check out our website at namiwnc.org.
— Paulette Heck,
board president, National Alliance on Mental Illness Western Carolina
Thanks for reading through to the end…
We share your inclination to get the whole story. For the past 25 years, Xpress has been committed to in-depth, balanced reporting about the greater Asheville area. We want everyone to have access to our stories. That’s a big part of why we’ve never charged for the paper or put up a paywall.
We’re pretty sure that you know journalism faces big challenges these days. Advertising no longer pays the whole cost. Media outlets around the country are asking their readers to chip in. Xpress needs help, too. We hope you’ll consider signing up to be a member of Xpress. For as little as $5 a month — the cost of a craft beer or kombucha — you can help keep local journalism strong. It only takes a moment.
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Before you comment
The comments section is here to provide a platform for civil dialogue on the issues we face together as a local community. Xpress is committed to offering this platform for all voices, but when the tone of the discussion gets nasty or strays off topic, we believe many people choose not to participate. Xpress editors are determined to moderate comments to ensure a constructive interchange is maintained. All comments judged not to be in keeping with the spirit of civil discourse will be removed and repeat violators will be banned. See here for our terms of service. Thank you for being part of this effort to promote respectful discussion.
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