WHAT WE ARE DOING
Mission: Our mission is to educate, support, and advocate for mental wellness through partnerships with families and community resources in the building of mentally healthy lives throughout Cape Cod and the islands of Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket.
All of our programs are free and open to the public.
- Daily support and crisis calls or calls for information and appropriate referrals
- Family-to-Family 8-week education courses throughout the Cape and Islands to help families understand and deal with mentally ill loved ones
- Drop-in family support groups throughout the Cape & Islands
- Specialized workshops for parents, mental health professionals, and educators to deal with challenging children: “Think: Kids”, a collaborative problem-solving approach, developed by the psychiatry department at Mass General Hospital.
- Working to train teachers in school systems across Cape Cod.
- Borderline Personality Disorder 12-week course to help families cope with this disorder, in conjunction with the National Education Alliance for Borderline Personality Disorder
- Focus on Advocacy: We have a legal consultant to advise us on client legal issues and to review and monitor current legislation to improve the conditions of those with mental illness.
- Community Crisis Intervention Team Training and Jail Diversion— NAMI CC&I has trained over 250 police and community members at over 8 “It Takes A Community” 5-day training sessions for police departments throughout Cape Cod.
- The ‘Primer’, is a free, comprehensive compilation of mental health disorders, symptoms, and treatment plans as well as discussions on what to expect with crises and hospitalizations of mentally ill loved ones. Call the Office to get a copy or read it online.
- Collaboration with Cape Cod Behavioral Healthcare, the Department of Mental Health, several social service agencies, and local police departments to improve emergency room practices.
- Initiated NAMI on Nantucket and NAMI on the Vineyard, each with its own program coordinator and dedicated phone.
- A newsletter to inform readers of NAMI events, advocacy efforts, and mental health research.
- Lending library of books, pamphlets, and articles on mental health conditions.
- Extensive resource and referral list for Cape Cod and the Islands.
- Mental Health First Aid is a nationally known program to train people to recognize the signs of mental illness and to handle mental health issues.
- Homefront is a program similar to Family-to-Family for veterans and their families.
- Portuguese language classes on mental health issues are taught by a Portuguese-speaking social worker.