NAMI Far North Idaho

Provides education and support to its members and guests. Speakers’ presentations address topics of general interest to individuals with mental illness, their loved ones and mental health professionals; this is followed by Support Groups: one for the individuals living with mental illness, and the other for those who love them. (No meeting in December).

Next Meeting:

NAMI Family Support Group is a peer-led support group for any adult with a loved one who has experienced symptoms of a mental health condition. Gain insight from the challenges and successes of others facing similar experiences.

NAMI’s support groups are unique because they follow a structured model, ensuring everyone has an opportunity to be heard and to get what they need.

Free of cost to participants
Designed for adult loved ones of people with mental health conditions
Led by family members of people with mental health conditions
60-90 minutes long and meets weekly, every other week or monthly (varies by location)
No specific medical therapy or treatment is endorsed
Confidential
What You’ll Gain
By sharing your experiences in a safe setting, you can gain hope and develop supportive relationships. This group allows your voice to be heard and provides an opportunity for your personal needs to be met. It encourages empathy, productive discussion and a sense of community. You’ll benefit from other’s experiences, discover your inner strength and empower yourself by sharing your own experiences in a non-judgmental space.

NAMI Family Support Group will help you:

Aim for better coping skills
Find strength in sharing experiences
Not judge anyone’s pain
Forgive ourselves and reject guilt
Embrace humor as healthy
Accept that we cannot solve every problem
Understand that mental health conditions are no one’s fault and can be traumatic experiences

Next Meeting:

NAMI Connection Recovery Support Group is a free, peer-led support group for any adult who has experienced symptoms of a mental health condition. You will gain insight from hearing the challenges and successes of others, and the groups are led by trained leaders who’ve been there.

NAMI’s support groups are unique because they follow a structured model to ensure you and others in the group have an opportunity to be heard and to get what you need.

Free of cost to participants
Designed for adults (18+) with mental health conditions
Led by people with mental health conditions
90 minutes long and meets weekly, every other week or monthly (varies by location)
No specific medical therapy or treatment is endorsed
Confidential
What You’ll Gain
By sharing your experiences in a safe and confidential setting, you can gain hope and feel a sense of connection. The group encourages empathy, productive discussion and a sense of community. You’ll benefit from other’s experiences, discover your inner strength and empower yourself by sharing your own experiences in a non-judgmental space.

NAMI Connection Recovery Support Group will help you:

Aim for better coping skills
Find strength in sharing experiences
Not judge anyone’s pain
Forgive ourselves and reject guilt
Embrace humor as healthy
Accept that we cannot solve every problem
Understand that mental health conditions are no one’s fault and can be traumatic experiences

Next Meeting:

NAMI Family & Friends is a free 90-minute or four-hour seminar that informs people who have loved ones with a mental health condition how to best support them. It’s also an opportunity to meet other people in similar situations and gain community support.

NAMI Family & Friends is a free 90-minute or four-hour seminar that informs people who have loved ones with a mental health condition how to best support them. It’s also an opportunity to meet other people in similar situations and gain community support.

What You’ll Learn
The seminar is led by trained people with lived experience of supporting a family member with a mental health condition. They will walk you through the following topics.

• Understanding diagnoses, treatment and recovery
• Effective communication strategies
• The importance of self-care
• Crisis preparation strategies
• NAMI and community resources

NAMI Family-to-Family is a free, 8-session educational program for family, significant others and friends of people with mental health conditions. It is a designated evidenced-based program. This means that research shows that the program significantly improves the coping and problem-solving abilities of the people closest to a person with a mental health condition.

NAMI Family-to-Family is taught by NAMI-trained family members who have been there, and includes presentations, discussions and interactive exercises.

What You’ll Gain
NAMI Family-to-Family not only provides information and strategies for taking care of the person you love, but you’ll also find out that you’re not alone. Recovery is a journey, and there is hope.

The group setting of NAMI Family-to-Family provides mutual support and shared positive impact—experience compassion and reinforcement from people who understand your situation. Sharing your own experience may help others in your class. In the program, you’ll learn about:

• How to solve problems and communicate effectively
• Taking care of yourself and managing your stress
• Supporting your loved one with compassion
• Finding and using local supports and services
• Up-to-date information on mental health conditions and how they affect the brain
• How to handle a crisis
• Current treatments and therapies
• The impact of mental health conditions on the entire family

NAMI In Our Own Voice presentations change attitudes, assumptions and ideas about people with mental health conditions. These free, 40-, 60- or 90-minute presentations provide a personal perspective of mental health conditions, as leaders with lived experience talk openly about what it’s like to have a mental health condition.

This presentation provides:

• An opportunity to hear open and honest perspectives on a highly misunderstood topic
• A chance to ask leaders questions, allowing for a deeper understanding of mental health conditions and dispelling of stereotypes and misconceptions
• The understanding that people with mental health conditions have lives enriched by hopes, dreams and goals
• Information on how to learn more about mental health and get involved with the mental health community