NAMI NJ SAMHAJ wishes you and your family a new year filled with peace, health and happiness.
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JOIN SAMHAJ SUPPORT GROUP MEETINGS ONLINE
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SAMHAJ Family Support Group
For Family Members, Caregivers, and Friends of People with Mental Health Conditions.
Date: Thursday, January 5th, 2023
Time: 7:00 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. ET
Venue: Online - Zoom
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SAMHAJ Recovery Support Group
For Individuals with Lived Experience of Mental Health Conditions.
Date: Thursday, January 5th, 2023
Time: 7:00 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. ET
Venue: Online - Zoom
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UPCOMING PRESENTATIONS & WORKSHOPS
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Looking at Mental Health Care Through a Cultural Lens
NAMI NJ collaborates with the New Jersey Child Placement Advisory Council (NJ CPAC) to bring you this two-part series, on January 19th and February 9 (10am–Noon), exploring the cultural aspects of mental health and well-being for New Jersey children and families. You will hear from NAMI NJ professionals and people with lived experience. Panelists will share what it’s like living with various mental health conditions and the challenges of seeking treatment within the social context of their African American, Chinese American, Hispanic/Latinx and South Asian communities. More information will follow. For inquiries, email Barbara McClurken, at barbara.McClurken@njcourts.gov. Please click on the register button here to receive your ZOOM link.
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The Darren Clark Jr. Memorial and NAMI NJ will observe the annual Invisible Pain Day with a community gathering. It is an official day to honor those who have lost a loved one to mental distress and suicide. We will come together to encourage and support one another, bring awareness to mental illness and remind the world that our loved ones may be gone, but they will never be forgotten. We will spread hope and share vital information to people affected by suicide. Our goal is to ensure that individuals, friends and families have access to the resources they need to discuss suicide prevention and to seek help. We share this day with our friends, family, and others who have suffered a loss of a loved one by suicide and as NAMI NJ says, “You are not alone.”
Saturday, January 7, 2023
11:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.
Middlesex County Fire Academy
1001 Fire Academy Drive
Sayreville, NJ 08872
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Strengthening Families: For Parents and Youth 10 – 14
BY: Wellspring Center for Prevention
Thursdays, January 5, 12, 19 – Wellspring Center for Prevention will be hosting a free, 7-session “Strengthening Families Program: For Parents and Youth 10 – 14” series. Come and enjoy practicing valuable communication and family bonding skills.
This program will be hosted at the Wellspring Center for Prevention in East Brunswick from 6:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
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The training will help you identify and understand signs and symptoms of individuals who may be dealing with issues such as depression, anxiety, substance use, eating disorders, trauma, psychosis, and deliberate self-injury. You will also learn how to respond in a mental health crisis, offer support to someone who appears to be in emotional distress and, if necessary, guide the person to appropriate services.
When: January 17, 2023
Time: 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Event Price: $49.00
Location: Community Wellness, 731 Alexander Rd Suite 103, Princeton, NJ 08540
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With the stress and uncertainty in the world right now, learn how you can identify the emotional needs and assist those in your community, family, or organization.
Youth Mental Health First Aid, QPR (Question, Persuade, Refer) Suicide Prevention, Pandemic Fatigue & Strategies for Resiliency and COVID-19 Strategies will be offered virtually, at no cost.
When: January 19, 2023 & March 8, 2023
Time: 9am-3pm
Event Price: Free
Location: Virtual
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DECEMBER OUTREACH & EVENTS
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SAMHAJ would like to share a summary with you on some of the events from the past month. Here is what we accomplished in December:
SUPPPORT GROUPS: Thanks to our wonderful facilitators we were able to successfully host our peer connections and family support groups on the first Thursday of the month December 1st, 2022.
BUILDING BRIDGES WITH TRUST AND COMMUNICATION: Thanks to Anjali Badrinath for an interactive presentation about the gap between generations and how it effects the trust between the parents and children of all ages. She touched important points like generational trauma, model minority myths, stigma..... and much more. It was a great presentation many participated and would like to have more interactive presentations in the feature.
YOUNG ADULT CLUB OF NAMI MIDDLESEX COUNTY: Thanks to NAMI Middlesex county YAC some of our SAMHAJ members and their families attended the Lunch event at Olive garden on Dec 11th and Jingle Mingle holiday event on Dec 15th.
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FROM THE NJ DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN SERVICES
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New Jersey Resources is a comprehensive guide detailing the programs and services the New Jersey Department of Human Services offers residents, caregivers, advocates, and individuals with disabilities, statewide. The resource guide is available in English and Spanish and in both print and digital formats. To request printed copies of our publications, email us at: dds.publications@dhs.nj.gov.
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FREE ONLINE COURSES FOR OLDER ADULTS IN HINDI AND ENGLISH
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In an effort to combat social isolation, Human Services Commissioner Sarah Adelman today announced the Department’s partnership with GetSetUp, an interactive online learning community, to provide free, live virtual classes for New Jerseyans ages 60 and older.
The GetSetUp platform offers live classes taught by peers who are experts in their field, social hours hosted by community members, and special events with speakers who directly address areas of interest to older adults. Older New Jerseyans can choose from more than 500 available classes on a range of topics such as aging in place, computers, budgeting, mental fitness, and more. Classes are offered in English, Spanish, Hindi and Mandarin. Classes are available 24 hours a day. To reach the New Jersey GetSetUp site, visit getsetup.io/partner/NJ.
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Housing:
Pl chek the recording of the legislative disability cacus meeting on affordable housing here:
Adult day care/ day services:
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CSPNJ is now offering free mental health services to adults, 18 yrs and older, in Essex County and beyond.
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Respite is a safe alternative to an inpatient psychiatric hospitalization. As a peer-run initiative, Respite staff provide 24/7 peer to peer support in working through a behavioral health crisis in a comfortable setting in which guests can establish positive coping skills and become empowered. Establish healthy habits and routine. For more information please click on CSPNJ Peer Respite.
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COVID-19 CRISIS COUNSELING SERVICES
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Visit the DMHAS webpage for a list of agencies providing county-based services, including those for special populations.
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Self-Care University, a show where NAMI ambassadors explore different self-care activities to help manage mental health.
NAMI ambassador Alessandra Torresani meets with staff at Special Spirit Equine Therapy to learn what animal therapy is, how it helps with mental health, and brings you along to a live session of equine therapy.
NAMI ambassador Brooke Johnson meets with Registered Drama Therapist Alexis Maron to learn what drama therapy is, how it helps with mental health, and brings you along to a live session.
NAMI ambassador Corinne Foxx meets with Sound Healer Danny Santos to learn what sound therapy is, how it helps with mental health, and brings you along to a live session of a sound bath.
Please click on the button watch the video's.
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You may see self-care as a luxurious act of pampering yourself. You may have thought to yourself, I should enact this ritual of personal dedication, resolving to begin a self-care practice immediately. That is, right after those things on your to-do list. And after you help your friend move. And when you get your next paycheck, so you can afford candles.
Maybe self-care starts next week? Please click on button to read the full blog.
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Who really wants to “practice” self-care? It can feel like just another task to put on our to-do list. However, preventative care is an essential element to protect emergency services professionals from the potentially damaging effects of what they regularly witness.
If self-care sounds tedious and boring, then consider incorporating the creative arts into your resiliency strengthening regimen. The creative arts have proven to be an effective processing tool for stress, trauma and physiological regulation. The ultimate goal behind focusing on self-care with emergency services personnel is to manage and decrease the cumulative stress, to keep our heroic men and women fit for the fight. So why not have some fun while we strengthen our minds, bodies and spirits? ....
Please click on the button to read the full blog.
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It’s finally here! NAMI’s first-ever book, “You Are Not Alone" by Dr. Ken Duckworth, NAMI’s Chief Medical Officer: NAMI’s Guide to Navigating Mental Health” is now available.
This comprehensive guide includes stories from more than 130 people who have been there — people with mental illness and their caregivers — and understand how challenging it can be to find the help you need, when you need it. Their stories are what makes this book different from your typical mental health guide.
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SAMHAJ OFFERS HOPE, RECOVERY AND RESILIENCE
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South Asian American Mental Health Awareness in Jersey is a NAMI NJ initiative to provide support, education and advocacy to people of South Asian origin in NJ who are affected by mental illness. We offer support groups, educational events and phone referral service.
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At the option- Feel free to let us know why you are passionate about our cause! Please mention you would like to designate your contribution to SAMHAJ program. Thank you!
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SAMHAJ - NAMI New Jersey
email: samhaj@naminj.org | phone: 732-940-0991 Ext 112
www.naminj.org/programs/multicultural/Samhaj
Check us out on
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