OSYM COLLABORATIVE

WHAT: A community collaborative to coordinate and provide resources information and education to our community on mental health issues through outreach and quarterly conferences. To develope trained peer facilitated supervised support groups for our youth ranging from ages 13 up to 25. 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, criminal justice system to best serve these youth, their familis and educators. Therefore NAMI Kern County, a grassroots volunteer organization will provide the proven leader ship and enthusiasm to bring all interested and commited stakedholders to see this project be successfull. For more information contact Russ Sempell MFT 661-303-1416 russmft@aol.com

Monday, March 2, 2009

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


8 comments:

  1. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  2. This support group has been life altering for my daughter, my family and myself. Thank you to everyone involved in making it happen. We are blessed to be a part of your family. How OSYM!

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  3. I am loving this website! Cathy you did an OSYM job!

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  4. I love OSYM!!!!! It is OSYM!!!!! The web design is spectacular!!! U ROX MY SOX

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  6. let us know if we can help you out with some more songs for your playlist. like rock and stuff like that.

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  7. Hey Cathy, I love your post "Through My Eyes". And thanks for the new Casting Crowns songs! (especially "Who am I") that one is a favorite around here!

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