Reaching out to Faith Communities

Part I Laying the Foundation

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WHO & WHAT IS NAMI?

NAMI is the National Alliance on Mental Illness …

…the nation’s largest grassroots mental health organization dedicated to

building better lives for the millions of Americans affected by mental illness

through support, education advocacy and research.

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Four Phases of Reaching out to Faith Communities

• Laying the Foundation

• Opening the Door

• Sharing Your Story

• Looking Ahead & Following Up

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Our Purpose

1. To equip NAMI members, clergy and congregations for creating more supportive faith communities

2. To share NAMI resources and hopeful stories with religious groups

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Why Reach Out to Faith Communities?

• They are the first place to which many turn • Faith communities are more numerous and

more evenly distributed geographically• Faith groups already provide educational settings• Faith groups are already committed to caring

and advocating for a better world

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Why Reach Out to Faith Communities?

NAMI Affiliates Can Receive...• Valuable community exposure• Education and support group

participants• Volunteers and advocates• New members and community

partners

Mental Illness Also Impacts the Faith Community

• 1 in 5 adults experiences a mental health disorder in a given year

• About 1 in 20 lives with a serious mental illness• 1 in 5 children and youth experience a mental health disorder

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Treatment Works But Most Go Without...

• Fewer than one-third of adults and one-half of children receive treatment

• There are long delays—an average of eight to ten years—from first symptoms to a proper diagnosis

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Lack of Treatment and Support Can Lead to:

School failure• About half of students with mental illness

dropout

Unemployment• Only 1 in 3 adults living with mental

illness is employed … most want to work

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Lack of Treatment and SupportCan Lead To:

Homelessness• 26 percent of the homeless population

lives with a serious mental illness

Hospitalization• 1 out of every 5 community hospital stays

is due to a mental illness

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Lack of Treatment and Support Can Lead to:

Criminalization• About 20-25 percent of jail and prison inmates and

youth involved with juvenile justice live with a mental illness.

Suicide• We lose one life to suicide every 15.8 minutes.

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Honoring DiversityHonoring Diversity

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Individual Spirituality

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Religious Bodies

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LEARN ALL YOU CAN

• ABOUT VARIOUS FAITH TRADITIONS• ABOUT TERMS USED

– FOR CLERGY– HOUSES OF WORSHIP– NOT-FOR-PROFIT AND COMMUNITY GROUPS– FAITH GROUPS

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We All Have Connections

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Sharing, Listening and Encouraging

Requires Humility

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Sharing, Listening and Encouraging

Requires Being Realistic

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Work with a Partner

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Form a TeamForm a Team

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Your Resource Notebook

1. Local NAMI Affiliate Brochure2. Local Congregation/Faith Community

Contact Sheet3. Your Lead-in statements and story 4. Fact Sheet5. Multi-Faith Mental Health Ministry Web

sites

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Suggestions for Study

• Take a moment to read each slide• Read the notes for each one• Keep a notebook handy and jot down …

1. things you agree or disagree with2. things you have questions about

• Share your affirmations, concerns and questions with your study group

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Visit www.nami.org/faithnetor www.NAMI.org under the “Get

Involved” tab.

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Questions or Comments?

Thank you for taking thethree minute survey

and for registering your feedback!www.surveymonkey.com/s/NAMIreachingout

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