|
|
|
NAMI Geauga - National Alliance
on Mental Illness
NAMI - Geauga County is for individuals,
family members and friends of individuals diagnosed with major
Depression, Bipolar Disorder, Schizophrenia and Schizoaffective
Disorder, Borderline Personality Disorders, Panic Disorder,
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder and Co-occurring Brain and Addictive
Disorders.
NAMI, the National Alliance on Mental Illness
is a grassroots, non-profit education, support, and advocacy
organization of families, friends, consumers, and professionals
dedicated to improving the quality of life for all whose lives
are affected by mental illness.
Our main support group meets at 7:00 p.m.
on the first Thursday of the month. Support groups are held
at the Geauga County Board of Mental Health and Recovery Services,
13244 Ravenna Road (Rte 44) across from Geauga Hospital in
Chardon.
Our educational speaker meeting meets at
7:00 p.m. on the third Thursday of every month. Speakers meetings
are held at various locations throughout Geauga County. Call
440-285-3945 or email mdoehring@mhageauga.org for more information.
The NAMI Connection Support Group for people
living with mental illness meets at 1:30 to 3:00 p.m. on the
second and fourth Wednesday of the month at the Murray Center,
208 North Hambden St., Chardon, Ohio.
|
Meeting
Dates
NAMI Walk
NAMI Family-to-Family
NAMI
Geauga Officers
NAMI Connection
|
|
The Mission of Nami-Geauga County is to offer
mutual support and empowerment to persons and their families
affected by serious mental illness through education, advocacy,
and emotional support.
The purpose of the organization is:
- To encourage and assist people with psychiatric
disabilities to successfully live, socialize, learn and
work in the community.
- To advocate for non-disciplinary treatment
of the mentally ill and to prevent exploitation of the mentally
ill by any group, agency or individual, and to help alleviate
the stigma associated with mental illness.
- To advocate that the state and county provide
for and protect the physical and mental well-being of the
mentally ill.
- To promote and support organizations whose
purpose is to benefit persons with mental illness and their
families.
|
A volunteer teacher says the education program can
have a profound impact on those whose lives are affected by a loved
one's mental illness. "Rather than trying to find your
way in the dark, we can light a candle, and shed the light of facts
and understanding on the confusion, fears, and 'aloneness' that
come with these illnesses."
|
NEW Member Encourages Others
to Join
Leona has recently found NAM Geauga to be
helpful to her and her family. She wrote the following letter
in hopes that it would encourage others to seek the help she
found.
As a participant in the second Family-to-Family
class I would like to thank our Geauga NAMI founders. Without
them, I would still feel very alone and helpless. I now have
an extended family of friends that can offer their support,.
compassion and general understanding. Only through self-endurance
and the support of others can we continue on.
I would like to challenge everyone to become
an active member of our Geauga NAMI Association. Mental illness
is not just a disease that affects one person. It is a family
illness. It has a trickle down effect that affects everyone
differently. Through sharing our experiences and knowledge
we are helping our loved ones as much as we are helping ourselves.
It's heartbreaking to watch your loved one
slowly slipping away. To look to the future and have your
dreams crushed. It's important to remember that there is hope.
Geauga's support group is unique in that it encourages interaction
between those affected by mental illness and those of us who
care for them. To see someone who is leading a productive
life gives us hope for our loved ones. Their personal experiences
help us to understand what it's like and how the medicines
make them feel. It is important to remember that we are not
alone.
|
|
Educational
Speaker Meetings meet at 7:00 p.m. on the third Thursday
of every month. Speakers meetings are held at various
locations throughout Geauga County. Call 440-285-3945 or email
mdoehring@mhageauga.org for more information.
|
Educational
Speaker
Meetings
|
It shall be the mission of the Geauga County Board
of Mental Health and Recovery Services to provide leadership in
the development, implementation, and evaluation of mental health
and substance abuse programs. As an agent for change in Geauga County,
this Board is dedicated to optimizing human and financial resources,
and enhancing and stabilizing the mental health of citizens of Northeast
Ohio. Through comprehensive needs assessment, the Board shall effectively
plan and coordinate a full range of community-based services that
provide for quality client care in the least restrictive environment
possible.
|
 |
