Nami-Wood River Valley Inc

TO PROVIDE EDUCATION, SUPPORT, ADVOCACY AND EMPOWERMENT FOR THE MENTALLY ILL AND THEIR FAMILIES, ENSURING EQUAL ACCESS TO MEDICAL, SOCIAL, ECONOMIC, LEGAL, JUDICIAL AND SPIRITUAL RESOURCES WITHIN OUR COMMUNITY.

A GRASSROOTS AND COMMUNITY-BASED ORGANIZATION AT ITS CORE, NAMI-WOOD RIVER VALLEY (NAMI-WRV) DIRECTLY SUPPORTS INDIVIDUALS AND FAMILIES IN THE WOOD RIVER VALLEY THAT ARE AFFECTED BY MENTAL HEALTH CHALLENGES. SOME EXAMPLES OF MENTAL HEALTH CHALLENGES ARE ANXIETY, DEPRESSION, EATING DISORDERS, BI- POLAR, SUBSTANCE ABUSE DISORDERS, TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY, PTSD, AND SCHIZOPHRENIA. ONE IN FIVE ADULTS AND ONE IN FOUR CHILDREN WILL BE FACED WITH ONE OF THESE CHALLENGES. OUR SUPPORT GROUPS SEEK TO ELIMINATE STIGMA AND SHAME IN GETTING TREATMENT AND SUPPORT, NEARLY 90% OF SUICIDES THAT OCCUR HAVE AN UNDIAGNOSED OR DIAGNOSED MENTAL ILLNESS ASSOCIATED WITH THAT PERSON. ALL OF NAMI-WRV'S PROGRAMMING US PROVIDED AT NO COST TO OUR PARTICIPANTS, TO ENSURE EQUITY IN ACCESS TO CARE. ON THE MOST FUNDAMENTAL OF LEVELS, WE PROVIDE SUPPORT BY LINKING THESE IMPORTANT MEMBERS OF OUR COMMUNITY TO MENTAL HEALTH RESOURCES, SHARING PERSONAL COPING STRATEGIES THROUGH A PEER SUPPORT MODEL, AS WELL AS EDUCATING AND ADVOCATING FOR THEM SO THAT THEY CAN BUILD BETTER LIVES FOR THEMSELVES. NAMI-WRV ALSO AIMS TO PROVIDE EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES FOR THE PUBLIC SO THAT THEY, TOO, BECOME MORE AWARE, AND ULTIMATELY HAVE A DEEPER UNDERSTANDING OF MENTAL HEALTH CHALLENGES AND THE IMPACT THEY HAVE ON OUR FAMILIES, FRIENDS, CO-WORKERS, AND COMMUNITY MEMBERS. WE DO THIS WITH OUR STIGMA FREE COMMUNITY PRESENTATIONS, SHARING OUR STORIES OF RECOVERY AND HOPE. WE CREATE OPPORTUNITIES FOR THOSE THAT NEED AND WANT HELP, TO GET HELP, AND TO BUILD A STRONGER COMMUNITY THROUGH THEM, BY NORMALIZING THE CONVERSATION. THE KEYSTONE TO OUR WORK, IS OUR PEER-LED SUPPORT GROUPS, CLASSES THAT RELY ON A FUNDAMENTAL PRINCIPLE; PEOPLE HELPING PEOPLE. ALL OF OUR PROGRAM FACILITATORS AND LEADERSHIP HAVE BEEN AFFECTED BY MENTAL HEALTH CHALLENGES AND HAVE COME TO UNDERSTAND WHAT HEALTH AND RECOVERY CAN LOOK LIKE; WE RELY ON THIS HUMAN EXPERIENCE TO SUPPORT, EDUCATE, AND ADVOCATE. IN ADDITION, THE ORGANIZATION WORKS TO FACILITATE COOPERATIVE RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN EXISTING ORGANIZATIONS WITHIN OUR COMMUNITY (AND BEYOND TO OTHER REGIONAL ALLIES) WHO SERVE THE NEEDS OF THOSE WITH MENTAL HEALTH CHALLENGES. THE ONSET OF COVID-19 HAS HAD A SIGNIFICANT IMPACT ON BOTH OUR ORGANIZATION AND OUR PARTICIPANTS DUE TO THE DEMOGRAPHIC WE SERVE. OUR PARTICIPANTS ARE MORE VULNERABLE THAN MOST DUE TO THEIR MENTAL HEALTH CONDITIONS, WHICH ARE NOW SEVERELY HEIGHTENED BY THE ANXIETY ASSOCIATED WITH THE NEED TO LEAVE THEIR HOMES FOR BASIC NECESSITIES, THEIR DEEPENING DEPRESSION FROM SOCIAL DISTANCING AND ISOLATION, AND IN THE MOST SEVERE OF CASES, FEELINGS OF SUICIDAL IDEATION. TO MEET THE INCREASED DEMANDS OF OUR PARTICIPANTS DURING THIS TIME OF CRISIS AND UNCERTAINTY, WE HAVE INCREASED THE NUMBER OF SUPPORT GROUPS AVAILABLE. BELOW IS A LIST OF OUR CURRENT AVAILABLE SUPPORTS: THE BLUEBIRDS: A UNIQUE PROGRAM TO THE WOOD RIVER VALLEY, IS A JUDGMENT- FREE, MENTAL HEALTH ADVOCACY PROGRAM THAT IS OVERSEEN BY SCHOOL SOCIAL WORKERS AND COORDINATED BY THE NAMI-WRV'S PROGRAMS COORDINATOR/SOCIAL WORKER. WE CURRENTLY HOST SUPPORT GROUPS IN FIVE SCHOOLS WITHIN THE BLAINE COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT AS WELL AS A SUMMER PROGRAM FOR ONGOING MENTAL WELLBEING. WHILE THE WEEKLY BLUEBIRDS PROGRAMMING IN ALL SCHOOLS ARE CO- FACILITATED BY ADULTS TRAINED TO MEET THE NEEDS OF THESE COURAGEOUS STUDENTS, THE REAL WORK TAKES PLACE AMONGST THE STUDENTS THEMSELVES, WHO SUPPORT AND LEARN FROM ONE ANOTHER'S LIVED EXPERIENCES. THE BLUEBIRD'S USE A VARIETY OF EVIDENCE-BASED AND EVIDENCE-INFORMED MODELS TO ENGAGE THE STUDENTS AND ENCOURAGE ACTIVE PARTICIPATION IN THEIR OWN LIVES AND COMMUNITY AS ADVOCATES OF THEIR OWN WELL-BEING, AS WELL AS THAT OF THEIR COMMUNITY. DURING THESE GROUP SESSIONS, WE BUILD AN UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT ARE OFTEN DIFFICULT, YET QUITE REAL, TOPICS, IN A JUDGMENT-FREE, PEER-SUPPORTED FORUM. WITHIN THIS PROGRAM, STUDENTS WORK WITH THEIR FACILITATORS AND EACH OTHER, TO BUILD HEALTHY COPING SKILLS, LIFE SKILLS, AND A GROWTH AND GOAL-ORIENTED APPROACH TO THEIR LIVES. THEY WORK TOGETHER TO UNDERSTAND AND IMPLEMENT PRACTICAL STRATEGIES INTO THEIR DAILY LIVES RELATED TO COPING WITH SOCIAL AND GENERAL ANXIETY, SUICIDE PREVENTION, AND MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS. THROUGH THESE INTERACTIONS WITH EACH OTHER AND THE CURRICULUM, OUR GOAL IS TO BUILD RESILIENCY WITHIN OUR YOUTH SO THAT THEY CAN BRING THEIR BEST SELVES TO THE COMMUNITY. THE COMMUNITY RESILIENCY MODEL (CRM) SERVES AS THE FRAMEWORK WITH WHICH WE FOSTER NOT ONLY COPING SKILLS THAT THEY CAN USE TO SURVIVE THE CHALLENGES OF AN EVER-DEMANDING WORLD BUT TO ACTIVELY THRIVE AS CONTRIBUTING MEMBERS OF IT. ONE OF THE WAYS WE DO THIS IS BY TEACHING STUDENTS ABOUT 'ZONES' OF RESILIENCY, AS WELL AS 'HELP NOW' SKILLS TO MOVE OUT OF THE EXTREMES OF 'HIGH- OR 'LOW' ZONES AND BACK INTO THE NATURAL RHYTHM OF THE 'RESILIENT ZONE'. FREQUENCY AND TIMES OF THE BLUEBIRDS PROGRAMMING VARIES BY LOCATION, WITH A MINIMUM OR ONES PER WEEK ON AVERAGE. CONNECTIONS PEER-TO-PEER SUPPORT GROUP: IS A PEER-LED SUPPORT GROUP FOR ADULTS LIVING WITH A MENTAL HEALTH CONDITION. PARTICIPATION WITHIN THIS GROUP PROVIDES A SENSE OF BELONGING, AND AN OPPORTUNITY TO BE PART OF A COMMUNITY AS YOUR TRUE SELF. NAMI'S CONNECTION SUPPORT GROUPS ARE UNIQUE BECAUSE THEY FOLLOW A STRUCTURED MODEL TO ENSURE THAT EACH PARTICIPANT'S VOICE IS HEARD AND WITHIN A SAFE AND SUPPORTIVE SETTING. THE GROUPS VARY IN THEIR MAKE-UP TO PROVIDE A MORE CONCERTED FOCUS ON ISSUES THAT MEN AND WOMEN FACE RESPECTIVELY, AS WELL AS ONE THAT EMPLOYS AN ALL-GENDER APPROACH. CURRENTLY, THREE PEER-TO-PEER SUPPORT GROUPS ARE HELD WITHIN THE WOOD RIVER VALLEY EACH WEEK. AT THIS TIME, PEER-TO-PEER GROUPS ARE BEING FACILITATED IN A VIRTUAL FORMAT TO COVER A WIDER GEOGRAPHICAL LOCATION AND OFFER FURTHER MENTAL HEALTH SUPPORT STATEWIDE. DURING THE PEAK OF COVID, PEER-TO-PEER SUPPORT GROUPS WERE HELD DAILY AND ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE AT ANY TIMES TO MEET DEMAND. FAMILY SUPPORT GROUP (ENGLISH & SPANISH) IS SIMILAR TO THE AFOREMENTIONED PEER SUPPORT GROUP YET ARE FOCUSED ON THE FAMILY MEMBERS WHO LIVE WITH A LOVED ONE WITH A MENTAL HEALTH CHALLENGE. THE FAMILIES ARE TOO OFTEN FORGOTTEN IN THE CHAOS BROUGHT ABOUT BY A DIAGNOSIS. GIVEN THE CRITICAL NEED OF CARING FOR A LOVED ONE WITH A MENTAL HEALTH CONDITION, THESE WEEKLY SUPPORT GROUPS ARE OFFERED IN BOTH ENGLISH AND SPANISH IN A VIRTUAL PLATFORM, ENSURING FAMILIES CAN BE SUPPORTED STATEWIDE. DURING THE PEAK OF COVID, FAMILY SUPPORT GROUPS WERE HELD ON AN INCREASED BASES AND ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE AT ANY TIME TO MEET DEMAND. FAMILY-TO-FAMILY EDUCATION CLASS: FAMILY-TO-FAMILY EDUCATION CONSISTS OF A 12-PART, 6-WEEK COURSE IN WHICH OVER A DOZEN FAMILIES RECEIVE CRITICAL EDUCATION OF THE RESOURCES, SUPPORTS, INTERVENTIONS, AND EMPATHY, UNDERSTANDING AND COPING SKILLS OF CARING FOR A LOVED ONE WITH A MENTAL HEALTH CONDITION. THIS CRASH COURSE, OFTEN REFERRED TO AS THE "BLACK BELT" CLASS FOR CARING FOR A LOVED ONE WITH A MENTAL HEALTH CONDITION, CONNECTS COMMUNITY MEMBERS TO OTHERS NAVIGATING A SIMILAR JOURNEY, AND PROVIDES THEM WITH A MANUAL FOR A LIFE THEY NEVER IMAGINED. FAMILY-TO-FAMILY COURSES ARE HELD ANNUALLY OVER THE COURSE OF 6-WEEKS. JAIL SUPPORT: IN AN EFFORT TO REDUCE CURRENT RETENTION AND RECIDIVISM RATES, NAMI-WRV IS HONORED TO PARTNER WITH OUR LOCAL BLAINE COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE AND PROVIDE A PEER-TO-PEER SUPPORT GROUP DESIGNED SPECIFICALLY TO MEET THE NEEDS OF OUR BLAINE COUNTY JAIL. INDIVIDUALS WHO HAVE BEEN DIAGNOSED WITH A SERIOUS MENTAL HEALTH CONDITION ARE 4 TO 7 TIMES MORE LIKELY TO FIND THEMSELVES WITHIN THE JUDICIAL SYSTEM THAN THE GENERAL PUBLIC, DEMONSTRATING THAT MENTAL HEALTH SUPPORT IS AN ABSOLUTE NECESSITY. JAIL SUPPORT GROUPS ARE HELD ON A WEEKLY BASIS. SURVIVORS OF SUICIDE LOSS: THE SURVIVORS OF SUICIDE LOSS SUPPORT GROUP IS A JUDGMENT-FREE, SAFE SPACE FOR THOSE WHO ARE MOURNING THE LOSS OF A LOVED ONE TO SUICIDE. PARTICIPANTS ARE PROVIDED THE OPPORTUNITY TO MEET AND ENGAGE WITH OTHER SURVIVORS, SHARE THEIR STORY, AND INTEGRATE GRIEF AS A PART OF THEIR DAILY LIFE. FACILITATORS OF THIS GROUP ARE TRAINED THROUGH THE AMERICAN FOUNDATION FOR SUICIDE PREVENTION (AFSP) SURVIVORS OF SUICIDE LOSS SUPPORT GROUP MODEL AND ARE ALSO LOSS SURVIVORS NAVIGATING THIS JOURNEY AS WELL. SURVIVORS OF SUICIDE LOSS GROUPS ARE HELD ON A MONTHLY BASIS WITH CRISIS RESPONSES GROUPS HELD ON AN AS NEEDED BASIS FOLLOWING A COMMUNITY LOSS. DURING THE PEAK OF COVID, SURVIVORS OF SUICIDE LOSS SUPPORT GROUP WAS HELD ON A DAILY BASIS AND IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE AT ANY TIME TO MEET DEMAND. ALL OF OUR SUPPORT GROUPS BEGIN WITH A REVIEW OF "GROUP GUIDELINES- AND "PRINCIPLES OF SUPPORT". FOLLOWING THIS INTRODUCTION, ANYONE WHO WISHES TO CAN SHARE AN UPDATE ON CURRENT LIFE SUCCESS AND/OR CHALLENGES. THE GROUP WORKS TOGETHER TO FACILITATE A GROWTH-ORIENTED SOLUTION AND RESPONSE TO EACH OTHER'S CHALLENGES USING A PROCESS WE CALL "GROUP WISDOM." THE IDEA IS THAT THROUGH PEOPLE HELPING PEOPLE, A FELLOWSHIP WILL GROW, AND THAT COLLECTIVE WISD