JOIN SAMHAJ SUPPORT & SOCIAL GROUP MEETINGS
|
|
SAMHAJ Family Support Group
For Family Members, Caregivers, and Friends of People with Mental Health Conditions.
Date: Thursday, March 2nd, 2023
Time: 7:00 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. ET
Venue: Online - Zoom
|
|
SAMHAJ Recovery Support Group
For Individuals with Lived Experience of Mental Health Conditions.
Date: Thursday, March 2nd, 2023
Time: 7:00 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. ET
Venue: Online - Zoom
|
|
Social Group Gathering
In-person Social Group Gathering for SAMHAJ members
This in-person informal gathering is for SAMHAJ members (individuals and families with mental health conditions) to come together for socializing and networking. Refreshments will be served.
Saturday, March 25th, 2023
Time: 2:00 pm - 4:00 pm ET
Venue: Quaker Bridge Mall Food Court
3320 US-1, Lawrenceville, NJ
Disclaimer: As an attendee of a NAMI NJ event or program, as well as anyone entitled to act on my behalf, herby forever waive, release, and hold NAMI NJ, and its employees and agents harmless from any and all claims, suits, liability, actions, judgements, attorney’s fees, costs, and any expenses of any kind resulting from injuries or damages, grounded in tort or otherwise, that I and/or my representatives, sustain during or related to my participation or involvement in this program; other than claims based upon intentional or reckless misconduct of NAMI-NJ. NAMI NJ can use names, photos, video/audio recordings of participants and can be published.
|
|
UPCOMING PRESENTATIONS & WORKSHOPS
|
|
Intensive Family Support Services of Middlesex County invites you to attend their two-part Spring Speaker Series virtual presentations which will be held from 5:00 p.m. - 6:30 p.m. The first presentation will be held on March 6. Register Here.
|
|
Reimagining Crisis:
Join us for a class that covers the basics of Module 1: Telling Your Story in the service of advocating for a crisis system that provides a mental health response to a mental health crisis. On Wednesday, March 22, 2023 from 6 p.m – 8 p.m. by Zoom. Register Here.
|
|
Support Groups: Our recovery connection and family/caregiver support groups are on the first Thursday of the month. They are on March 2nd, 2023 @ 7:00pm ET. The zoom room will be open 10 min before the group starts so feel free to join early if you have any questions.
NAMI Family-to-Family: It 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. We have multiple sessions starting in the month of February. Please check here for Family to Family upcoming classes.
North American Telugu Society NJ: On March 4th, 2023 NATS NJ is celebrating Mahila Sambaralu (Women's Celebrations) at Anand Mandir in Somerset, NJ. As part of the celebrations Subha Bolisetty will be talking about Mental Health Awareness and the resources/services provided by NAMI NJ SAMHAJ. We will also have an outreach table at the event from 6pm - 10pm.
YAC is on a mission to make friends. It is a recreational group for anyone over 18 with an emotional or behavioral challenge. YAC meets on Zoom the 2nd and 4th Sundays most months, unless there is a special outing planned! For more info or the Zoom link, please email YAC.
3/12: Zoom from 1-2:30 pm
3/26: In person meeting from 1-3:30 TBD
SAMHAJ in-person Social group gathering is on Saturday March 25th, 2023 at 2pm. There will be refreshments provided by SAMHAJ. Please register ahead of time so that we know the number of people attending.
Lunch time Conversation: On March 30th at 12pm, NAMI NJ Multicultural Programs will be celebrating Women's History month by having a conversation on selfcare on zoom. And the link will be available on our FB and Instagram on March 30th before noon.
|
|
FEBRUARY OUTREACH & EVENTS
|
|
SAMHAJ would like to share a summary with you on some of the events from the past month. Here is what we accomplished in February, 2023:
Support 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 February 2nd, 2023. New attendees joined our groups. And thanks to our wonderful facilitators for volunteering their time to facilitate the groups.
Ending the Silence for Families Presentation: SAMHAJ members attended ETS for families presentation on February 2nd and they all thought it was great for families as well as individuals who are diagnosed with mental illness or just to learn about the signs, stats and treatments. Many of our number appreciated young adult presenter who shared their path to recovery. SAMHAJ family appreciates presenters and ETS program for bringing the presentation. It was powerful and educational.
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. Mr. Laxman Kanduri our SAMHAJ member and NAMI NJ Board member participated in the panel discussion on Feb 9th. Thank you Mr. Kanduri!
Manodarshan & Self Improvement Through Awareness (SITA) Presentation:
On February 19th, 2023 Post-Doctoral student Ed Kaskauskas gave a presentation on the topic
"Understanding Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)". In this presentation attendees learned about ADHD, general facts and discussed issues that are expected to arise when navigating relationships with those diagnosed with ADHD. We are very grateful for SITA for their collaboration with SAMHAJ and for bringing monthly presentations to spread awareness around mental illness and remove stigma in South Asian community and beyond.
Young Adult Club of NAMI Middlesex Thanks to NAMI Middlesex county YAC some of our SAMHAJ members and their families participated in two events. Met via zoom on Sunday, February 12th and in person on February 26th, 2023 at the Sea Quest aquarium in Woodbridge.
on February 24th, 2023 we participated at an outreach event, made some great connections and spread word about our programs and services. Thank you to Shivani our SAMHAJ volunteer for helping us at the outreach event.
|
|
FROM THE NJ DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN SERVICES
|
|
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.
|
|
The NJ CICRF helps families deal with medical bills related to the health care of their child (before they turned 22). We reimburse families for a wide range of expenses, including doctor visits, hospital visits, outpatient therapies, addiction services, residential treatment, modified vehicles, medications, travel, and more. There is no income limit but to be considered for the program, eligible expenses must exceed 10% of the family’s annual household income up to $100K (plus 15% of income over $100K).
CICRF help New Jersey kids and young adults with expenses related to any medical or mental health condition regardless of the severity, type, duration or prognosis. Over the past 35 years, we have assisted kids with almost every condition imaginable: autism, mental health conditions, genetic conditions, disabilities, eating disorders and so much more. In fact, we have even assisted with temporary conditions like broken bones! And if needed, we can provide information about our program in different languages via our translation service.
1-800-335-FUND (3863) for information and an application.
|
|
New Jersey has a program that allows undocumented families to enroll their children in NJ Family care (Medicaid). Great news to all the immigrant families whose children may benefit from this program.
|
|
FREE ONLINE COURSES FOR OLDER ADULTS IN HINDI AND ENGLISH
|
|
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.
|
|
The purpose of this study is to learn about the experiences and motivations of South Asian female emerging adults that seek mental health treatment.
Seeking Feedback from People with Serious Mental Illness (SMI) and their Caregivers
NAMI is working with a clinical research partner seeking to understand more about people’s experiences with treatments
for serious mental illness. We are looking for 60 adults with an SMI diagnosis and 30 caregivers of individuals with an SMI
diagnosis to participate. If you have any questions about this survey, please contact the study investigator Dr. Melissa Maravic at melissa.maravic@precisionvh.com.
|
|
|
CSPNJ is now offering free mental health services to adults, 18 yrs and older, in Essex County and beyond.
|
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.
|
|
INTENSIVE OUTPATIENT PROGRAM
|
|
COVID-19 CRISIS COUNSELING SERVICES
|
|
Visit the DMHAS webpage for a list of agencies providing county-based services, including those for special populations.
|
|
MULTICULTURAL CONVERSATIONS
|
|
|
Multicultural Conversations Webinar Series:
NAMI New Jersey is committed to serving NJ’s diverse communities and is hosting a webinar series – NAMI NJ Multicultural Conversations. Our four multicultural programs (serving African American, Hispanic/Latinx, South Asian and Chinese American communities) will help facilitate meaningful, culturally-sensitive dialogues on various mental wellness topics.
|
|
By Gina Cross
I know I am not the only person who has spoken about mental health symptoms only to have someone respond in an unhelpful or hurtful way. My peers who experience conditions like major depressive disorder and bipolar disorder frequently lament that some people in their lives “just don’t get it.”.......
|
|
By Max E. Guttman, LCSW
Socialization is particularly important for the emotional well-being of people with serious mental illness (SMI). This is true for several reasons. When people maintain their connections with others, they are more likely to be tuned in to the world around them, given that social expectations require attention,.....
|
|
|
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.
|
|
SAMHAJ OFFERS HOPE, RECOVERY AND RESILIENCE
|
|
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.
|
|
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!
|
|
SAMHAJ - NAMI New Jersey
email: samhaj@naminj.org | phone: 732-940-0991 Ext 112
www.naminj.org/programs/multicultural/Samhaj
Check us out on
|
|
|
|
|
|
|