PEER TO PEER CLASS

Next class beginning Tuesday April 14th
3:00 pm to 5:00 pm
Consumer Family Learning Center
Peer to Peer is a nine week course
There is no charge to attend
You do not have to be a NAMI member
NAMI's Recovery Curriculum is taught

PEER TO PEER IS OFFERED ONLY
TO THOSE WHO ARE AFFLICTED WITH A BRAIN DISORDER.
NOT THE FAMILY MEMBERS

What is NAMI's Peer to Peer Program?
Peer-to-Peer consists of nine two-hour classes and is taught by a team of three trained "Mentors' who are personally experienced at living well with a brain disorder.

Mentors are trained in weekend long training sessions, supplied with teaching manuals, and are paid a stipend for each course they teach.

Participants come away from the course with a binder of hand-out materials, as well as many other tangible resources: an advance directive; a "relapse prevention plan" to help identify tell-tale feelings, thoughts, behavior, or events that may warn of impending relapse and to organize for intervention; mindfulness exercises to help focus and calm thinking; and survival skills for working with providers and the general public.

For more information or to register please contact
NAMI Kern County @ (661) 868-5061
or e-mail to: patricemaniaci@gmail.com

Golden Self

I'm really scared

It just hit me last night
I need to change my ways
I need to put up a fight
People walk all over me
And I accept this as okay
I need to stand up for myself
And I need to pave my own way
To somewhere great
A beautiful place
Where love overpowers
And I can look myself in the face
Where the best treasure is myself
And no one can take that away
Where I respect and love myself, every piece
And I know I'm golden through every night and every day

by
Chelsea Sempell

OSYM SPEAKS OUT VIDEO CLIP:

This was taken at our Hart Flat Retreat 2008, when OSYM was just getting organized and in the planning stages. Our dreams are coming true and OSYM is growing and reaching out to our community just as we have anticipated.

OSYM Collaborative

WHAT:

A Community Collaborative to coordinate and provide resource information and education to our community on mental health issues through Outreach and Quarterly Conferences. To develop trained peer facilitated, supervised Support Groups for our Youth ranging in age from 15 up to 25. Peer mentoring opportunities as healthy role models for older youth.

WHY:

This age group is the typical time where serious mental health issues unfold. At this time, there is a great need for both public and private mental health and behavioral health service delivery providers to work together with our academic institutions (both public and private), faith community and our criminal justice system to best serve these Youth, their families and educators. Therefore, NAMI Kern County, a grassroots volunteer organization will provide the proven leadership and enthusiasm to bring together all interested and committed stakeholders to see this project be successful.

WHERE:
GOOD SAMARITAN HOSPITAL, SOUTHWEST
5201 WHITE LANE (at Grissom)
1st THURSDAY OF THE MONTH
4:00PM - 5:00PM

WHO:
ALL INTERESTED IN SUPPORTING OUR YOUTH
For more information contact:
Russ Sempell - (661) 303-1416 russmft@aol.com
micn111@aol.com
americanswimmer1976@yahoo.com

NAMI KERN's OSYM Fund Raiser At Fishlips:

Make a Smilebox slideshow

NAMI KERN's OSYM APRIL CONFERENCE

NAMI Kern County’s Outspoken Young Minds
“A project of the National Alliance on Mental Illness of Kern County”

Community Resource and Educational Conference
A panel of experts including our own

OutSpoken Young Minds and Family Members,

Mental Health Professionals & Community Leaders

discussing mental health issues

dealing with teens and their families.

Why
Information & Community Resources

for our youth, their Families and our Community.

What
Youth suicide prevention
Substance Abuse – Addiction and Self Medication
Communication & Sensitivity Needs – Family Communication
Resource in our community & a free OutSpoken Young Minds Collaborative Handbook

When
April 2, 2009
6:00PM-8:00PM
No cost to attend – Light Refreshment provided

Where
Good Samaritan Hospital, Southwest
5201 White Lane Bakersfield, CA 93309
RSVP by E-mail strongly encouraged!

Contact
NAMI Kern, P.O. Box 9144
Bakersfield CA 93389
(661) 868-5061

http://www.namicalifornia.org/
http://www.nami.org/
http://www.namikerncounty.com/

Russ Sempell (661) 303-1416 RUSSMFCC@aol.com
Cathy Cornell (661) 378-7372 americanswimmer1976@yahoo.com
Mickie Nommensen (661) 203-6933 micn111@aol.com

NAMI KERN's OSYM SUPPORT GROUPS:

OutSpoken Young Minds

Youth & Family Suppport Groups

would like to welcome those living with mental health issues

(both youth ages 15 through 25 and their family)

to come share, listen and learn!

EVERY TUESDAY

6:00 TO 7:30 PM

Good Samaritan Hospital Southwest

Outpatient Services Office

5201 White Lane (at Grissom)

Bakersfield, Ca 93309

HOPE TO SEE YOU THERE - YOU ARE NOT ALONE

For any questions or more info please feel free to contact:

Russ Sempell, MFT (661) 303-1416 RUSSMFCC@aol.com

Cathy Cornell (661) 378-7372 americanswimmer1976@yahoo.com

Mickie Nommensen, Parent Advisor, (661) 203-6933 micn111@aol.com

NAMI, National Alliance on Mental Illness, focusing on Youth helping Youth with support and understanding on living with Bipolar, Depression, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), or Anxiety

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Reaching Out To The Community:

The parent advisors and youth of OSYM have gone to various High Schools in our community to present their stories and the OSYM outreach program to the counselors and administrators. Besides reaching out to the High Schools in the community OSYM has presented our outreach program to the faith community as well, and has taken our OSYM program into the youth groups at the churches of our local faith community. WE MUST MOVE FROM BEHIND STAINED GLASS TO TOUCH STAINED LIVES TO REMOVE THE STIGMA OF MENTAL ILLNESS!

GETTING THE BLOG UP AND RUNNING:

The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams. Eleanor Roosevelt

Who We Are:

NAMI Kern County's OutSpoken Young Minds

Established 2008

OSYM is a three (3) tiered, comprehensive Early Intervention & Prevention, Outreach, Education and Support Project of NAMI Kern County for Youth (13-25) and their families with mental health issues.

1) OSYM facilitates the only community wide (Bakersfield currently) mental health collaborative of schools (high schools and jr. highs), public and private mental health agencies & resources, the faith community, probation and law enforcement to name a few. We partner to better serve the families with loved ones coping with mental health issues.

2) NAMI holds quarterly OSYM Educational and Resource Conferences to educate the general community of mental health issues and needs of our youth and their families. Vendors in the collaborative offer information to those participating.

3) NAMI's OSYM also provides adult supervised and trained peer led support groups to youth screened and deemed stable and motivated enough to benefit. Others not yet ready are referred to appropriate OSYM collaborative partners for stabilization. Participants and their loved ones are offered NAMI's Signature Educational Peer to Peer and Family to Family classes. Parents and Families are encouraged to participate in NAMI Kern's established weekly Family Support Groups.

OSYM serves youth and their families in our community at OSYM Collaborative partners' sites. The long term projected impact of OSYM we expect will be a reduction of : preventable youth suicides, high school & college dropout rates, (due to mental illness) arrests and incarcerations.

For more information contact:

Russ Sempell at (661) 303-1416 or russmft@aol.com

Founder of OutSpoken Young Minds Est. 2008

NAMI Kern County Affiliate President 2007-2008