Bringing Family Lived Experience To You


Accept, Advocate, Act


May 1, 2023 | Volume 1, Issue 7


Children's Mental Health Acceptance

2023 Advocacy Calendar


NFF Mental Health Acceptance Month Events

SAMHSA Webinar: Moving from Awareness to Acceptance

May 10th, 1:00 p.m. ET


STARR Coalition Advocacy Roundtable Open Forum Discussion

May 10th, 3:30 p.m. ET


Accept.Advocate.Act. Parents Talk About Children's Mental Health

May 18th, 1:00 p.m. ET


SAMHSA Webinar: Supporting Family Members with Co-Occurring Diagnoses

May 24th, 2:30 p.m. ET



NFF News and Highlights

Register for the Annual Conference


Nationally Certified Family Peer Specialist Flyers: Value, Need, Steps


Recorded SAMHSA Webinar:

Family Engagement Strategies

for Clinicians


NFSTAC News and Highlights

Family Connections: Navigating Family Supports

May 4th, 1:30 p.m. ET


Office Hour: Moving from Awareness to Acceptance Through Storytelling

May 9th, 3:00 p.m. ET


NFSTAC Webinar: Marijuana: What Parents, Schools, and the Healthcare Workforce Need to Know

May 17th, 2:00 p.m. ET


Celebrating Our Affiliates

NFF Affiliates Recognize CMHAW


Legislative & Advocacy News

Stay Up to Date


Mental Health Acceptance Month Resources


Events and Resources

Great Lakes MHTTC's Bringing Youth Voice into Your Work

May 3rd, 1:30 p.m. ET


Mtn Plains MHTTC's Depression and Anxiety: Mental Health Tools for Providers Working with College-aged Youth

May 11th, 2:00 p.m. ET


Northwest MHTTC's More than a DSM Code: Addressing Stigma Experienced by Families

May 19th, 12:00 p.m. ET


Flourishing Families: This is My Brave Storytelling Event

May 23rd, 6:30 p.m. ET

*In-Person & Livestream!


Book Release: Everything is Normal Until Proven Otherwise


Resource: SAMHSA's 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline Toolkit

Note from the Executive Director


Celebrating Children's Mental Health Acceptance Week


May is said to be named for Maia, the Greek goddess of growth. 31 years after the first Children’s Mental Health Awareness Week, it is time for growth into Children’s Mental Health Acceptance Week. As we lead this conversation with families, advocates, systems leaders, and others, we see how the power of language can change beliefs, behaviors, and eventually systems to be more family-driven.


The Acceptance Campaign doesn’t end in May. It’s an ongoing dialogue about the importance of children’s mental health to foster acceptance and end prejudice and discrimination. We will carry this message until we’ve achieved systemic change in how children’s mental health is viewed.


That desired change is why the theme for our 34th Annual Conference is “Advancing Social Justice, Equity, and Inclusion for Families and their Children.” We hope you’ll join us in Chicago from November 9th-11th so we can work together to leverage our lived experience and our learned solutions to support and advance families whose children of any age experience mental health and/or substance use challenges during their lifetime. 


Watch and share our “Accept. Advocate. Act.” video. It encapsulates why acceptance matters to families and children across the lifespan—and is needed NOW. 


With hope,

Lynda Gargan, PhD.

Executive Director, National Federation of Families

 Acceptance Campaign: Accept, Advocate, and Act because Awareness isn't Enough. May 7-12, 2023

The "Accept. Advocate. Act." video above is available for everyone's use! Share or download it from our YouTube channel. While you're there, check out our recent event videos.

Children's Mental Health Acceptance

Thank you for accepting, advocating, and acting for Children's Mental Health Acceptance Week! May is full of events focused on Acceptance. Read on for all the free Federation and NFSTAC events in May with SAMHSA and other partners.


Across the country, our amazing affiliates have created even more Acceptance activities, conferences, and celebrations. They've worked to get proclamations recognizing the importance of Children's Mental Health Acceptance. Check out our special Celebrating Our Affiliates section rounding up their work recognizing CMHAW!


New to the Acceptance Campaign? It's not too late! Find resources available on our site: event planning and marketing tools, campaign history, and much more. One of our favorite sections is our Children, Youth, and Family page with an activity calendar, workbooks, resources, and more to help start conversations about the importance of mental health. You can also attend any or all of the events—and share them with family, friends, and colleagues. We always have room for more.

Celebrate CMHAW with Us!

Mental Health Acceptance Month Events

Moving from Awareness to Acceptance: An Intimate Conversation with

Karl and Kathy Dennis


SAMHSA presents a special event on May 10th at 1:00 p.m. ET featuring NFF Executive Director Lynda Gargan as she talks to Karl and Kathy Dennis about their journey to create acceptance for all children and families through Unconditional Care and the positive social justice implications of this approach.

Register Here

Dr. Lynda Gargan Featured on STARR Coalition's Advocacy Roundtable Open Forum Discussion


On May 10th at 3:30 p.m. ET, NFF Executive Director Lynda Gargan will join CEO and Founder of People-USA Steve Miccio and Executive Director of NAMI Texas Greg Hansch for the STARR Coalition's roundtable discussion about family advocacy in clinical mental health research. Add your voice to this open forum.

Register Here

Accept. Advocate. Act.

Parents Talk About

Children's Mental Health



Moderated by Lynda Gargan, this live webinar on May 18th at 1:00 p.m. ET will focus on why acceptance, advocacy, and action are critical tactics to improve outcomes for a child, young person, or emerging adult. Joining Dr. Gargan is a national panel of parents of children across the lifespan who experience mental health and/or substance use disorder. Hear how each parent’s acceptance of their child’s mental health challenges set the panelists on the path to become change agents—not just for their own child but for families everywhere.  

Register Here

National Federation of Families and SAMHSA Present

Supporting Family Members with Co-Occurring Diagnoses


Join us on May 24th at 2:30 p.m. ET to learn strategies to support loved ones with co-occurring diagnoses. Muriel Jones, Executive Director of the Federation of Families of Central Florida, will share her story about her son's successes and setbacks around mental health and substance use challenges. Rachael Craig-Dunn, Family Program Supervisor at South Florida Wellness Network, will share her experience of working with family members of individuals with co-occurring diagnoses to offer support and resource navigation. Dr. Mark Thomsen, Assistant Professor of Psychiatry of UMNC and Creighton University, will explain strategies that have helped clinicians work with families to offer more compassionate and holistic support.

Register Here

SAMHSA Children's Mental Health Acceptance Week Events


In addition to the event Moving from Awareness to Acceptance NFF Executive Director Lynda Gargan will present for SAMHSA on May 10th at 1 p.m., SAMHSA has partnered with a number of organizations—including three NFF affiliates—to celebrate Children's Mental Health Acceptance Week. Click each link below to register. Click the logos to the left to visit each organization's website.


National Federation of Families News & Highlights

You can now register for the 2023 NFF Annual Conference in Chicago, IL November 9-11!

Get your ticket now to take advantage of our early bird pricing! Explore our conference webpage to learn more about our theme, focus areas, tracks, and conference site!

Register for the 2023 NFF Annual Conference
Download the Value of National FPS Certification Flyer
Download the Why We Need FPS Flyer
Download the Becoming an FPS Flyer

NFF and UNC-G's

NC Youth & Family Voices Amplified Collaborate to Increase Understanding of National Family Peer Specialist Certification


NFF has been partnering with the University of North Carolina-Greensboro's Center for Youth, Family, and Community Partnerships' NC Youth & Family Voices Amplified to increase awareness of the value of a national Family Peer Specialist (FPS) certification, why our family-serving systems need FPS, and how North Carolina family members with lived experience can become nationally certified. We have created a series of flyers that you can download and share with your networks to help us expand the FPS workforce and bring the national certification to more areas.


UNC-G's Center for Youth, Family, and Community Partnerships works with individuals and systems to educate, advocate, and collaborate to promote youth and family well-being. Since 1996, they've been promoting interdisciplinary research and use of UNC-G resources to address community concerns. Their program NC Youth & Family Voices Amplified offers peer support to families of children with mental health and/or substance use challenges in North Carolina, as well as trainings and events to support families.

Watch Family Engagement Strategies for Clinicians: Natural Support Involvement in Recovery Oriented Care and Planning


On April 20th, Dr. Janis Tondora joined NFF Executive Director Dr. Lynda Gargan for a webinar for SAMHSA's 2023 Technical Assistance Coalition Webinar Series to discuss how clinicians can partner with families to create person-centered recovery plans with strengths-based goals in their own words. Drs. Tondora and Gargan also explained how clinicians can use NFF's Family Engagement Checklist for Clinicians to enhance partnerships.

Watch Webinar

Survey Results: How will you promote the importance of children's mental health acceptance in May?

In April, you let us know how you are promoting children's mental health ACCEPTANCE this month. Almost 28% of you will either be writing an opinion piece in a local or national newspaper or hosting an event or series of events. 22% percent of you will be inviting a news outlet to do a story on the topic of children's mental health acceptance or getting a proclamation from your local or state government. We are excited to see that so many of our families and partner organizations are taking steps to move from awareness to acceptance of children's mental health.

QUESTION: How will you help move others from awareness to acceptance of mental health?
Changing the language on our website, resources, and campaigns
Sharing NFF's resources about acceptance with stakeholders
Talking to our state mental health agencies about the language they use
Coaching families to advocate for mental health acceptance

Introducing TAC Talks:

My Loved One Has a Mental Health Problem and is Self-Medicating. What Should I Do?


NFSTAC has collaborated with the Partnership to End Addiction on a series of TAC Talks—short videos to introduce practical strategies to family members of loved ones with mental health and/or substance use challenges. Check out our first TAC Talk about discussing self-medicating with substances with a loved one.

Watch TAC Talk

Watch April NFSTAC Events



Office Hour: Trauma-Skilled Practices for Family-Run Organizations with Sandy Addis


Webinar: Recovery, Recurrence, and Resilience with Pam Lanhart

NFSTAC invites you to submit requests for free technical assistance from our network of partners and subject matter experts. NFSTAC is driven by the needs of families and the workforce that supports families. You'll find education, training, and family support resources tailored specifically to families, the family peer workforce, communities, healthcare systems, clinicians, and educators.

Learn More & Request TA

Family Connections:

Navigating Family Support

May 4th, 1:30 p.m. ET


Parents and caregivers are the subject matter experts when it comes to their child. Being a subject matter expert means we need to stay on top of new ideas, skills, and tools. We’ll introduce you to a new online resource created by leading mental health experts with evidence-based content—giving parents/guardians the knowledge and tools to support youth while strengthening their own mental health.

Register Here

Office Hour: Moving from Awareness to Acceptance Through Storytelling

May 9th, 3:00 p.m. ET


In our May Office Hour, Steven Jackson, a documentary filmmaker will speak about helping families share their stories of recovery and resilience. We will also learn how to sculpt a thoughtful and impactful story from Dr. Jo Tyler through a 3-step process to convey it effectively to different audiences.

Register Here

Webinar: Marijuana: What Parents, Schools, and the Healthcare Workforce Need to Know to Help Protect Children, Teens, and Young Adults

May 17th, 2:00 p.m. ET


Whether a young person has not yet tried marijuana, has begun to use it, or uses it regularly, the guidance and information provided in this webinar can help. The teen and early adult years are when children are most vulnerable to starting marijuana use and to its harmful effects. 

Register Here

Celebrating Our Affiliates & Acceptance!

To understand what real Acceptance can look like across the country, we look to our affiliates as they celebrate Children’s Mental Health Acceptance Week (CMHAW). There are proclamations for Children’s Mental Health Acceptance Week (CMHAW) in New York, Tennessee, Oregon, Texas, Georgia, Wisconsin, Delaware, Idaho, with more to come. 

 

Parents Helping Parents in Oklahoma kicked off CMHAW on 4/27 with Hopeful Horizons, followed closely by Washington State Community Connector’s Children’s Behavioral Health Summit on May 1st.  Oregon Family Support Network heads to State Capitol Park with legislative training. South Florida Wellness Network brings back their successful Acceptance Field Event. Wellness is a focus this year—including Nevada PEP’s Self-Care Sundays, Kentucky Partnership’s “Whole Person, Whole Self Day”, and Mountain State Parent-Child-Adolescent Network promotes future wellness with Community Baby Showers and a Mom Fair. FYIdaho explores why hope is an essential family ingredient at their 5/11 Parent Conference. Texas System of Care celebrates CMHAW with a music-focused event and you can access their great playlist as well.  

 

Like art? The photo above features Irving R.'s winning poster "Unique!" in the Maryland Coalition of Families poster contest. ASK Family Services Acceptance Art Show features youth donating their art with proceeds going to an organization. “It’s Okay Not to be Okay” is Federation of Families of South Carolina’s 2023 poster contest for students. 

 

Vacationing? Don’t forget to pack your tux for Federation of Families of Central Florida’s Black-Tie Gala, “Rooted in Awareness...Growing in Acceptance." Hawaii Families as Allies is going green with activities throughout the month for parents and their keikis (children in Hawaiian). If you happen to be in Rome (Georgia) on 5/20, you may want to join PINS-UP for their annual Family Mental Health Lunch


There are dozens of events, and we urge you to find your local affiliate to participate in their Acceptance events and other activities year-round. 

Interested in being a Featured Affiliate?

In June, we'd love to feature YOU! Reach out to dasby@ffcmh.org if your organization has a program, event, or great story to share!

Legislative & Advocacy News

Take May to Advocate

With legislators heading for recess, this is a great time to brush up on how to use your voice to be the most effective advocate you can be. Commit to taking the month of May to work on honing those advocacy skills daily. The 31 Days of Advocacy in May calendar will give you daily activities to help you learn more about legislative advocacy and sharing your story.

Download the Advocacy Calendar

Community Mental Wellness & Resilience Act of 2023

NFF has joined over 130 national, regional, state, and local organizations to endorse the bi-partisan Community Mental Wellness and Resilience Act of 2023.  The legislation will be reintroduced in Congress by US Representatives Paul Tonko (D-NY), Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA), Don Bacon (R-NE) and co-sponsors in the House, and Senator Ed Markey (D-MA) and co-sponsors in the US Senate. The legislation will direct the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to fund and provide technical assistance to community-based 'Resilience Coordinating Networks' that use a public health approach to strengthen the capacity of all adults, adolescents, and young children for mental wellness and resilience.


Specifically the bill will: 

  • Provide 'Planning Grants' of up to $250,000 for one year to help communities organize a broad and diverse local 'Resilience Coordinating Network' that will lead community efforts to implement a public health approach to mental wellness and resilience
  • Provide 'Program Grants' of up to $500,000 per year for up to four years to support the implementation and continual improvement of population-level mental wellness and resilience building strategies by a local 'Resilience Coordinating Network'
  • Set aside 20% of the available funds for rural communities
  • Establish a technical assistance program in the CDC to assist communities in applying for a grant and support practitioners involved with Program Grants
  • Appropriate $36,000,000 for the period of fiscal years 2024 through 2028 for the "CMWRA of 2023" 


Learn More about the CMWR Act of 2023

Keep an eye out for our new Legislation & Policy Updates Newsletter coming soon!

Keep Up with the Latest Legislative News

NFF's Legislation and Policy News for Family Advocates is the place to find the details on the bills, policies, and opportunities for input that family advocates need. Visit for the latest news and releases, proposed legislation and policies, and what's being implemented in both policy and legislation. It's updated monthly to give you the latest information in one place.

Visit Legislation and Policy Page

For the latest in Advocacy and Legislation, follow the National Federation of Families Legislation and Advocacy Facebook page. 

Mental Health Acceptance Month Resources

Help us move from Mental Health Awareness Month to Mental Health ACCEPTANCE Month. We've been raising awareness for decades; it's time for acceptance! Change the language in your campaigns to reflect this need.

Resources


Events and Resources

Upcoming Family Mental Health Events


Great Lakes MHTTC's Bringing Youth Voice into Your Work

May 3rd, 1:30 p.m. ET


Mtn Plains MHTTC's Depression and Anxiety: Mental Health Tools for Providers Working with College-aged Youth

May 11th, 2:00 p.m. ET


Northwest MHTTC's More than a DSM Code: Addressing Stigma Experienced by Families

May 19th, 12:00 p.m. ET


Flourishing Families: This is My Brave Storytelling Event

May 23rd, 6:30 p.m. ET

*In-Person & Livestream!

Book Release: Everything is Normal Until Proven Otherwise


The second edition of Everything is Normal Until Proven Otherwise Includes eight new uplifting stories from Karl Dennis, a world-renowned storyteller, about his experiences providing services for children and youth with serious emotional difficulties and their families using Unconditional Care.

Order Book

Resource: SAMHSA's 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline Toolkit

SAMHSA released a toolkit to help spread awareness, understanding, and use of the 988 crisis lifeline. Included in the toolkit are key messages, materials to print and distribute, logos and branding information, social media shareables, fact sheets, implementation playbooks, end cards to include after content about suicide and crisis, virtual meeting backgrounds, and PSA scripts.

Access Resource