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If you or someone you know needs help now, text or call 9-8-8, the National Crisis Line
December is the month for Families and Family Relationships
December is the month for Families and Family Relationships
NAMI on Campus Club members will work across campus to education students about how to get their families involved and educated on mental health
NAMI on Campus Club members will work across campus to education students about how to get their families involved and educated on mental health
Organizing events on campus create a safe space for students to feel more comfortable opening up about mental health. Check out the December Club Activity Guide or scroll below for more NAMI Club meetings, events and activity ideas.
Organizing events on campus create a safe space for students to feel more comfortable opening up about mental health. Check out the December Club Activity Guide or scroll below for more NAMI Club meetings, events and activity ideas.
Lady Gaga's BeKind21 is a mega-campaign bringing kindness to schools across the country. Join the movement & download the Toolkit & start your NAMI Club's social media Kindness Campaign or Letter Writing to Love Our Elders or Youth Letters
Host a community event or activity during the month to raise awareness of the importance of children’s mental health.
Stay inside for December, and spend your NAMI Club meeting time talking about what family means. Opening up and talking is a great way to understand and develop deeper appreciation of one another. Use these convo starters, or come up with your own.
Family Holiday Table Talk
Family Holiday Table Talk
What’s Poppin Holiday Edition Conversation Cards offer students, teachers, and families a great opportunity to create positive conversations and have some fun during the holidays!
V-A-R® is Active Minds’ everyday guide for everyday challenges. It’s about showing up for one another in our everyday struggles.
V-A-R® is Active Minds’ everyday guide for everyday challenges. It’s about showing up for one another in our everyday struggles.
The letters V-A-R correspond to three steps: Validate, Appreciate, Refer®. The steps are easy-to-understand, easy-to-do, and easy-to-remember. They provide a guide to listening and responding in a helpful way.
V-A-R conversations can take many forms — phone, in-person, text message, Facetime. The medium doesn’t matter as much as the message that you care.
VALIDATE THEIR FEELINGS
VALIDATE THEIR FEELINGS
APPRECIATE THEIR COURAGE
APPRECIATE THEIR COURAGE
REFER THEM TO SKILLS AND SUPPORT
REFER THEM TO SKILLS AND SUPPORT
Just three simple steps. But it means so much.
Just three simple steps. But it means so much.
This tool is meant to show the many ways you can talk about mental health with people in your life. But, everyone's experience is different. So, if you think, "wait, that's not how I feel," you're probably not alone. Use these words as inspiration, but also feel free to find your own.
Great Family Engagement
Host a Cant-Miss Family Engagement Event
Crafting Communications That Connect With Families
If you have a family member or friend who has been diagnosed with a serious mental illness, you are probably wondering what you can do to help. Explore Mental Health Conditions and Topics, questions about Helping Someone with Mental Illness, and strategies for supporting someone close to you.
If you have a family member or friend who has been diagnosed with a serious mental illness, you are probably wondering what you can do to help. Explore Mental Health Conditions and Topics, questions about Helping Someone with Mental Illness, and strategies for supporting someone close to you.
Eight Tips for Talking About Mental Health
Eight Tips for Talking About Mental Health
1. Set time aside with no distractions:
It is important to provide an open and non-judgemental space with no distractions.
2. Let them share as much or as little as they want to
Let them lead the discussion at their own pace. Don’t put pressure on them to tell you anything they aren’t ready to talk about. Talking can take a lot of trust and courage. You might be the first person they have been able to talk to about this.
3. Don't try to diagnose or second guess their feelings
You probably aren’t a medical expert and, while you may be happy to talk and offer support, you aren’t a trained counsellor. Try not to make assumptions about what is wrong or jump in too quickly with your own diagnosis or solutions.
4. Keep questions open ended
Say "Why don’t you tell me how you are feeling?" rather than "I can see you are feeling very low". Try to keep your language neutral. Give the person time to answer and try not to grill them with too many questions.
5. Talk about wellbeing
Exercise, having a healthy diet and taking a break can help protect mental health and sustain wellbeing. Talk about ways of de-stressing and ask if they find anything helpful.
6. Listen carefully to what they tell you
Repeat what they have said back to them to ensure you have understood it. You don’t have to agree with what they are saying, but by showing you understand how they feel, you are letting them know you respect their feelings.
7. Offer them help in seeking professional support and provide information on ways to do this
You might want to offer to go the GP with them, or help them talk to a friend or family member. Try not to take control and allow them to make decisions.
8. Know your limits
Ask for help or signpost if the problem is serious. If you believe they are in immediate danger or they have injuries that need medical attention, you need to take action to make sure they are safe. More details on dealing in a crisis can be found below.
www.mentalhealth.org.uk/publications/supporting-someone-mental-health-problem
Mental illness is no one’s fault.
Because millions of people in the U.S. live with a mental health condition, you are likely encounter people with a mental illness in your family or in your daily life. However, if you are unsure of how best to approach someone who may be struggling, these tips may help.
Caregivers have an important role of the recovery process
Be Part of the Treatment Team
Find the Right Support
Celebrate all Successes
Always Have Hope and Look to the Future
Empathy
Empathy
with Dr. Brené Brown
with Dr. Brené Brown
What is the best way to ease someone's pain and suffering? In this beautifully animated RSA Short, Dr Brené Brown reminds us that we can only create a genuine empathic connection if we are brave enough to really get in touch with our own fragilities.
How Childhood Trauma Affects Health Across a Lifetime
How Childhood Trauma Affects Health Across a Lifetime
with Dr. Nadine Burke Harris
with Dr. Nadine Burke Harris
Recournt Dr. Nadine Burke Harris' realization that kids suffering from numerous physical ailments were also coping with all kinds of trauma. Her response was dramatic and the results were profound. Now serving as California's first Surgeon General, Dr. Harris has since undertaken a campaign to unite doctors and therapists around an understanding of ACEs (Adverse Childhood Experience) and the vital importance of treating the whole person.
Getting Relationships Right
Getting Relationships Right
What Does It Take to Build Relationships That Help Kids Be and Become Their Best Selves?
What Does It Take to Build Relationships That Help Kids Be and Become Their Best Selves?
In this talk, Dr. Kent Pekel shares five essential actions that adults can take to build developmental relationships with young people in families, schools, programs, and other settings. Using findings from Search Institute's research and his personal story, Pekel provides powerful but also practical ideas for anyone who wants to create connections with kids that put them on the path to thrive.
Mai's Story
Mai's Story
Home was a scary place for Mai, and when she tried to get help to understand why she was feeling sad her family didn't support her. Surrounded by stigma related to her Asian culture, she was shamed by her family for her depression. Share Mai's story with your NCHS Club and ask questions to facilitate discussion:
Mai said her home was a scary place. Describe what she looked like on the outside? to her friends and teachers? good grades, volunteered in the community, student body government)
What was Mai doing in private to cope with her feelings? (thoughts of suicide, self-harm, couldn't sleep, trouble concentrating at school)
Mai's sister encouraged her to go to counseling. Did it matter MORE that a family member encouraged her to go? ( Yes... sister understood because of shared experiences and culture; No... she was doing it with or without encouragement from her sister )
How did Mai feel about the pressure from her parents? (Shame, misunderstood, judgement, she kept quiet so no one would yell at her)
What goals did her counselor suggest to help her? (be more independence, higher self-esteem, use better coping skills)
Do you agree with Mai's decision to go to counseling?
What would you do?
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