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NAMI Cobb
2019 Leadership Team
President – Peter Lyons [email protected]
Secretary – Donna Hook [email protected]
Treasurer – Jim Williams [email protected] CIT/Newsletter Editor – John Avery [email protected]
Website Chair - Allen Spetnagel [email protected]
Communications - Greg Ausham [email protected] Outreach - Tiffany Welch [email protected] Education Chair— Melissa Pike [email protected] Programs Chair—Neill Blake [email protected] Hospitality Chair – Debra Howard [email protected] Publicity Chair – Tiffany Conyers
[email protected] Membership Chair – Jennifer Jacobs [email protected] Helpline Volunteer
Phone – Sylvia Oliphant [email protected]
Email – Linda Javadi [email protected] NAMI Walks Cobb Co-Captains Linda Hicks John Hicks
Website: www.namicobb.org
Email: [email protected]
Mailing address:
NAMI-Cobb
P.O. Box 999
Kennesaw, GA 30156
I N S I D E T H I S I S S U E
1 Monthly Meeting
2 President’s Newsletter
3 NAMI Cobb News & Events
4 Education Meeting
5 Crisis Intervention Team International Conference 2019
7 NAMI National Convention 2019
8 September is Suicide Prevention Awareness Month
9 Renée Zellweger Says Depression Led to Her Retreat from Acting
11 Stigma: People Are Afraid of What They Don’t Understand
14 Meeting and Membership Information
Newsletter Date
Volume 1 Issue 1 September 2019 FRESH START
NAMI Cobb Educational Meeting September 19, 2019
Featured Speaker:
Mariette Lynn Clardy-Davis M.L. Clardy Law, LLC
Mental Health Employment and Incapacity Planning Attorney
Our new location is: Tommy Nobis Center 1480 Bells Ferry Road
Marietta, GA 30066
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NAMI Cobb, September President’s Letter
October 5th and the NAMIWalk will be here soon! The NAMIWalk Cobb Stigma Busters Team, which is captained by Linda and John Hicks, continues to grow. If you have not registered yet, please do so. You will find the link on our website, NAMICobb.org. Additional information on the NAMI Walk is available on our website, and from leaders at our events. We will also have a table with information on both NAMI Cobb and on the NAMI Walk, at the following two events:
• Roadmap to Recovery Event, Tuesday, September 10th, 2019. The Marietta Police Department invites
you to a roadmap to recovery community gathering from 6:00 to 9:00 PM in the seminar room at
Marietta High School, 1171 Whitlock Ave. NW, Marietta, GA 30064. The event is free, but registration
is requested at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/roadmap-to-recovery-navigating-behavioral-health-resources-open-house-tickets-71516161765
• The Suicide Prevention Awareness Month Candlelight Vigil, Thursday, September 26th, 2019, at 7:00
PM, Glover Park (Marietta Square) 50 North Park Square, Marietta, GA 30060. Look for the big NAMI
Cobb banner.
The NAMI Cobb website, NAMICobb.org, is a wealth of information. It has details on three courses which will be starting up soon. These classes do fill up, and they have been posted on the website for a while.
• NAMI Family-to Family class starts September 11th. It is a free 12-session education program for
family, and friends of adults living with a mental health condition. Class size is limited and pre-
registration is required. The Family-to Family class will be held on Wednesdays from 6:30 to 9:00 PM
at Piedmont Church, 570 Piedmont Rd., Marietta, GA 30066.
• NAMI Home front starts Tuesday, September 17th, 2019. NAMI Homefront is a free 6-session
education program for family and friends of Military Service Members and Veterans with mental health
conditions. Space is limited to 18 participants, and pre-registration is required. NAMI Homefront
focuses on the unique needs of military and veteran communities. The course will be held on Saturdays
from 6:00 to 8:30 PM, at Atlanta VA Medical Center, in Room GB 151.
• NAMI Peer-to-Peer starts Sunday, October 6th, 2019. NAMI Peer-to Peer is a free, confidential 9-
session course for adults living with a mental health condition. Space is limited and pre-registration is
required. The course will be held on Sundays at 2:00 PM, at First Presbyterian Church of Marietta, 189
Church St., Marietta, GA 30060
NAMI Cobb has two weekly support groups. One is called Connections and it is for people with a mental health condition. The other is called Family Support and it is for family members and friends who support those with a mental health condition. Both support groups are held every Monday night from 7:00 to 8:30 PM at First Presbyterian Church of Marietta, 189 Church St, Marietta, GA 30060. The only time the meetings do not occur is on the rare days that the church is closed.
Thursday, September 19th will be our third monthly educational meeting at the new location, the Tommy Nobis Center. The first two meetings have been well attended with phenomenal speakers. The educational meeting on Thursday, September 19th, 2019 runs from 7:00 to 9:00 PM, at the Tommy Nobis Center, 1480 Bells Ferry Road, Marietta, Georgia 30066. It is free and open to the public. Our speaker is Marietta Lynn Clardy-Davis. She is the founder of M.L. Clardy Law, LLC which focuses on providing counsel and education on the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
For further details on these and other events, please see our website, NAMICobb.org. Thank you for your continued support of NAMI Cobb.
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NAMIWalks Georgia October 5, 2019
Location: Clark Atlanta University Panther Stadium Atlanta, GA
Event: 5k Route to Georgia State Capital
CHECK-IN BEGINS: 8:00 AM
WALK START TIME: 9:30 AM
NAMI Cobb TEAM STIGMA BUSTERS walk to raise funds and create awareness and change perceptions about mental illness. The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) is one of the largest fundraising events in the country. NAMI Cobb ranked as the largest Georgia team in 2017 and 2018. This year we work towards a $250,000 Goal We invite you to work with us to make this a reality. There is no registration fee for NAMIWalks. However, participants are encourage to collect donations from family members, friends & co-workers in support of their participation in the Walk. All donations support The Georgia Crisis Intervention (CIT) Program, local resources, education and state and local advocacy.
JOIN
NAMI Cobb Stigma Busters
Type this link in your browser to register: https://www.namiwalks.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=donordrive.team&teamID=28518
Contact the Walk Team Captain with questions:
Linda Hicks 847-807-9884
ALL TEAM WALKERS WILL RECEIVE A FREE NAMI COBB STIGMA BUSTER T-SHIRT Walkers raising $100 will receive an additional STATE T-Shirt and other great prizes (see website for details)
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Education Speaker Series Presents:
Mariette Lynn Clardy-Davis
M.L. Clardy Law, LLC
Mariette Lynn Clardy-Davis is the founder of M.L. Clardy Law, LLC. She focuses on providing strategic counsel and education on the Americans with Disabilities Act ("ADA"), as well as holistic mental health centered estate and incapacity planning to mental health facilities and organizations, to increase consumer empowerment and recovery for patients and
their families. Mariette uses her voice and authentic connection as a professional with bi-polar depression to educate, counsel and guide. Mariette is a graduate of Atlanta’s John Marshall Law School, after obtaining her BA in Music (with a concentration in classical voice) and her Masters in Arts Administration. Mariette went from a classical vocalist who lost her voice to bi-polar as a youth, to a speaker, trainer and legal advocate who uses her personal journey of mental illness to connect, empower and serve.
This event is a FREE community service; all are welcome! September 19, 2019 7:00-9:00 p.m.
Tommy Nobis Center 1480 BELLS FERRY ROAD,
MARIETTA, GEORGIA 30066-6014
We will be serving light refreshments and a raffle for prizes!
Meeting contact: NAMI Cobb President Peter Lyons < [email protected]>
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Crisis Intervention Team International Conference 2019 Seattle, Washington
by John Avery, NAMI Cobb Affiliate, CIT Coordinator/Advocate
Almost 1,400 police, corrections staff, mental health workers, and advocates attended the annual CIT International Conference 2019, held in Seattle, WA this year. Many of the attendees were from both state and affiliate NAMI organizations. The conference started with pre-conference workshops on Sunday Aug 25 and continued through midday Wednesday Aug 28. In addition of the keynote sessions there were 110 different workshops for attendees, a networking session with door prizes and dancing, a night at the ballpark and vendor exhibits. Georgia was represented by members of the Georgia Public Safety Training Center (GPSTC) who had a vendor table and presented two workshops. There were also some representatives from Behavioral Health Link, Georgia Crisis and Access Line (GCAL) attending as well. The Seattle Bag and Pipes played three songs in addition to the opening presentation of colors and were outstanding. Three female members of the Seattle police Department sang the national anthem and were amazing.
Seattle Bag and Pipe band playing opening music.
During the opening plenary session Keynote Speaker David Covington, CEO and President of RI International (formerly Recovery Innovations), a partner in Behavioral Health Link, co-founder of Crisis Tech 360 and leader of the international initiatives, “Zero Suicides”, “Crisis Now” and “Peer 2.0”. Mr. Covington, who resides in Phoenix, AZ recognized the Georgia Access and Crisis Line as model programs that most states do not have and should strive for.
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Networking session in the ballroom. John Avery, NAMI Cobb, Pat Strode, GPSTC Advocate
Coordinator, Andy Garner, GPSTC CIT Reginal Coordinator
Nancy Greathouse, GPSTC, CIT for 911 Training Coordinator Pat Strode, GPSTC, CIT Int’l Executive Committee
The Georgia workshops presented by the Georgia Public Safety Center were “CIT Expansion & Fidelity Under State Law Enforcement – Georgia CIT Program” and “Georgia CIT 911 Telecommunicator’s Course”.
View from the Seattle Space Needle
I attended as a NAMI Advocate and a CIT Coordinator in the First Responder program from NAMI Georgia. In addition to volunteering as the NAMI Cobb newsletter editor, I travel around the State of Georgia representing the NAMI Georgia First Responder Programs by teaching and facilitating Introduction to Behavioral Health and Addictive Diseases classes and in the Crisis Intervention Team – Youth in Crisis program.
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NAMI National Convention 2019 Seattle, Washington
by John Avery, NAMI Cobb Affiliate, CIT Coordinator/Advocate From June 19-22, 2019 representatives from NAMI state and local affiliates converged on Seattle Washington to attend the annual national convention. There were a variety of workshops and sessions to attend throughout the four days with a lot of policy, research updates and program sessions being held. A number of representatives from Georgia made the trip but was not as well attended as some past conferences. The conference seemed condensed and most sessions were overflowing with attendees, in other words standing room only with some sessions with people standing in the doorways. There were only 46 workshops over three days, 9 Flash Sessions (short workshops) in the vendor hall, 7 research update presentations and plenary sessions in the main hall each day. The choices one had seemed to be limited by space and choice of topics. There were an ample number of NAMI signature support programs to attend throughout the week.
Presentations and other materials that were covered at the conference are available for viewing on the NAMI National website. https://www.nami.org/convention
For those who are interested, the National convention is scheduled to held here in Atlanta,
at The Atlanta Marriott Marquis, July 15 - 18, 2020. NAMI Georgia will be very involved. Check with your local affiliates or NAMI Georgia to see how you can become involved
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September is Suicide Prevention Awareness Month
If you or someone you know is in an emergency, call The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-TALK (8255) or call 911 immediately.
Suicidal thoughts, much like mental health conditions, can affect anyone regardless of age, gender or background. In fact, suicide is often the result of an untreated mental health condition. Suicidal thoughts, although common, should not be considered normal and often indicate more serious issues.
In 2016 alone, nearly 45,000 individuals died by suicide, leaving behind their friends and family members to navigate the tragedy of loss. In many cases, friends and families affected by a suicide loss (often called “suicide loss survivors”) are left in the dark. Too often the feelings of shame and stigma prevent them from talking openly.
September is National Suicide Prevention Awareness Month—a time to share resources and stories in an effort to shed light on this highly taboo and stigmatized topic. We use this month to reach out to those affected by suicide, raise awareness and connect individuals with suicidal ideation to treatment services. It is also important to ensure that individuals, friends and families have access to the resources they need to discuss suicide prevention. NAMI is here to help.
Informational Resources
• Know the Warning Signs and Risk Factors of Suicide • Being Prepared for a Crisis • Need more information, referrals or support? Contact the NAMI HelpLine.
Crisis Resources
• If you or someone you know is in an emergency, call 911 immediately. • If you are in crisis or are experiencing difficult or suicidal thoughts, call the National Suicide
Hotline at 1-800-273 TALK (8255) • If you’re uncomfortable talking on the phone, you can also text NAMI to 741-741 to be
connected to a free, trained crisis counselor on the Crisis Text Line.
Awareness Resources Help promote awareness by sharing images and graphics on your website and social media accounts. Use #SuicidePrevention or #StigmaFree.
While suicide prevention is important to address year-round, Suicide Prevention Awareness Month provides a dedicated time to come together with collective passion and strength around a difficult topic. The truth is, we can all benefit from honest conversations about mental health conditions and suicide, because just one conversation can change a life.
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Renée Zellweger Says Depression Led to Her Retreat from
Acting: 'I Wasn't Taking Care of Myself' On the heels of her big-screen return, Judy star Renée Zellweger is looking back at what led
her to step away from the spotlight
By Dave Quinn
September 03, 2019
Renée Zellweger is opening up about what inspired her Hollywood hiatus.
In a wide-ranging interview with New York Magazine, the 50-year-old Oscar winner explained what was behind
her decision to step away from acting back in 2010 — revealing that she had slipped into a depression and
needed a break to regroup.
“I wasn’t healthy,” Zellweger said, calling the break crucial. “I wasn’t taking care of myself. I was the last thing
on my list of priorities.”
Realizing that sent Zellweger into therapy for the first time in her life, she revealed. There, her therapist helped
her navigate the emotions she was feeling during her retreat from the business.
“He recognized that I spent 99 percent of my life as the public persona and just a microscopic crumb of a
fraction in my real life,” she recalled. “I needed to not have something to do all the time, to not know what I’m
going to be doing for the next two years in advance. I wanted to allow for some accidents. There had to be some
quiet for the ideas to slip in.”
Around that time, Zellweger was in an airport where she bumped into pal Salma Hayek, who gave her a word of
advice.
“She shared this beautiful … metaphor? Analogy? ‘The rose doesn’t bloom all year … unless it’s plastic,’ ”
Zellweger said. “I got it. Because what does that mean? It means that you have to fake that you’re okay to go
and do this next thing. And you probably need to stop right now, but this creative opportunity is so exciting and
it’s once-in-a-lifetime and you will regret not doing it. But actually, no, you should collect yourself and, you
know … rest.”
Renée Zellweger
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Resting, for Zellweger, meant walking away from making movies, walking red carpets, and doing major
interviews.
Though she said the rough patch only lasted a year, her hiatus mostly lasted until 2016, when she eased back
into movies with Bridget Jones’s Baby.
“I had a good five-year period when I was joyful and in a new chapter that no one was even aware of,” she
told NY Mag.
“Six years. It was important, that time,” she added. “It’s a quieter life, and I love it.”
Before her big-screen return, Zellweger attended the Elle Women in Hollywood Awards in 2014 — and quickly
incited widespread chatter online with what many viewed as a new look.
The talk about her appearance led Zellweger to defend herself, first to PEOPLE in an exclusive statement and,
years later, in a first-person essay in The Huffington Post.
“I’m glad folks think I look different! I’m living a different, happy, more fulfilling life, and I’m thrilled that
perhaps it shows,” Zellweger told PEOPLE. “My friends say that I look peaceful. I am health. For a long time I
wasn’t doing such a good job with that. I took on a schedule that is not realistically sustainable and didn’t allow
for taking care of myself. Rather than stopping to recalibrate, I kept running until I was depleted and made bad
choices about how to conceal the exhaustion. I was aware of the chaos and finally chose different things.”
Looking back at it all, Zellweger told NY Mag that the conversation around her looks actually helped free her.
“Nothing like international humiliation to set your perspective right! It clarifies what’s important to you. And it
shakes off any sort of clingy superficiality … that you didn’t have time for anyway,” she said.
“One of the fears that maybe, as artists, we all share — because we have this public experience of being
criticized not just for our work but as human beings — is when it gets to be too much, when you learn that your
skin is not quite as thick as you need it to be, what is that gonna feel like? Well, now I know,” Zellweger added.
“I got the hardest kick. And it ain’t the end.”
Zellweger is back on movie screens this month, playing Judy Garland in the highly anticipated biopic Judy.
Garland’s struggles were something to which Zellweger could relate.
“There was so much that was not allowed for,” she told NY Mag. “You’re not allowed to be human. There’s no
room on the schedule for her sanity — the choices that were made for her and how she was exploited and
… robbed, basically.”
Judy hits theaters Sept. 27.
https://people.com/movies/renee-zellweger-opens-up-about-
depression/?utm_source=hootsuite&utm_medium=&utm_term=&utm_content=&utm_campaign=
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Stigma: People Are Afraid of What They Don’t Understand
BY Julie Joyce
Inaccuracies portrayed by media have distorted societies’ view on mental health challenges. Stigma starts with a label but should end with education and acceptance.
Stigma is such a hurdle in our society. Police officers respond daily to calls about people talking to themselves, acting erratic, going through the garbage or being in a place of business where the merchant wants the person removed. They didn’t do anything illegal, they just don’t fit the social norm. People are afraid of what they don’t understand and they don’t understand mental health challenges.
Misunderstandings and inaccuracies portrayed by media have distorted societies’ view on mental illness and thus created stigma. Stigma starts with a label but it should end with education and acceptance.
Since my son was young I have always felt that saying the word bipolar or mental illness was like revealing a dirty little secret. When you say those words out loud to people it is almost like hearing a record needle scratch across the record. Everyone stops talking and just looks at you. Most of them look at you with pity. Then it is followed by the words, “I am so sorry.” Sorry??? For what??? Are you sorry my kid has an illness or are you sorry that it is a “mental” illness? How can you feel sorry for me if you don’t even really know what it means other than what you have seen in the media?
We all know media portrays people with mental health challenges as the evil ones. It sickens me every time I see a person in a straitjacket or with dark circles under their eyes and their hair all crazy. My son has had bipolar for 22 years and even in his messiest hair days, I have never seen him look anything like that. The portrayal of people with mental health conditions in the media perpetuates the stigma.
My son was diagnosed at a very young age. Does a five-year-old look scary? Would the media put out a photo of a five-year-old in a straitjacket on TV? Hell no!!! So why are they allowed to put an adult in one and portray he has a mental illness? Can you imagine if they portrayed a cancer patient like that? There would be an uprising.
My son is not a monster. He has a bipolar diagnosis. When do we start talking openly about it? When will it be acceptable for him to be able to tell people at work or in his inner circle without having a fear of judgment? When will it become a normal dinner table conversation?
I refuse to hide in the shadows and worry about making people uncomfortable because my son has an illness. I refuse to “not” talk about it because it brings silence in a conversation. I refuse to worry about people judging me or looking at me with pity. I am going to be a part of ending the stigma
Julie Joyce is a Chicago Police Officer and the mother of an adult son who suffers from bipolar disorder and ADHD. Over the years Julie has been a strong advocate and volunteer with National Alliance for Mental Illness, The Balanced Mind Foundation, and has assisted with the creation and implementation of the Advanced Juvenile Crisis Intervention training (CIT) for Chicago Police officers. She is certified by the Federal Bureau of Investigation Hostage Nego tiation Team as a Crisis Negotiator, has conducted presentations on mental illness for Attorney General Lisa Madigan's Office and has had the opportunity to speak to legislatures on the need for special education funding. Julie has also conducted education al presentations for DCFS on interventions for kids with mental illness. Along with her son, she was interviewed on NPR, WBEZ, for the “Out of the Shadows” series which focused on juveniles and mental illness. Currently , Julie spends her time raising awareness and advocating for people living with mental illness.
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ATTENTION FAMILY MEMBERS AND FRIENDS OF VETERANS AND SERVICE MEMBERS
NAMI Homefront is a free education program for family, friends and significant others of military service members and veterans with mental health conditions. It focuses on the unique needs of military service members and veterans.
The course is designed to help family members understand and support their loved one while maintaining their own well-being. The trained teachers of this course are also family members who have experience with military culture and know what it is like to have a loved one living with mental illness.
WHAT: NAMI Homefront Information Classes - Free for Family Members of Veterans
WHEN: Six Weekly Sessions meet: Tuesdays 9/17/2019 - 10/22/2019, 6:00 - 8:30 pm
WHERE: Atlanta VA Medical Center, Room GB 151, Elevator Nearest Emergency Room
Preregistration Required! Family members, caregiving friends can register or learn more by contacting “Mr. NAMI” during business hours.
404-291-3908 – Leave your name and a good time to return the call. **VA Employees are not eligible for this group. **
Gain an understanding of symptoms, medications, VA services, empathy, coping, and communication
skills. Free education is available FOR Family Members!
Page 14 Fresh Start Thank you so much for your interest in joining NAMI Cobb Affiliate! Please complete the form below, and mail this with your check made out to NAMI Cobb. (If you wish to pay by credit card, go to www nami.org and click on “Join”. You will start receiving our monthly electronic newsletter within the month. You are also invited to attend our monthly education and support meetings, on the third Thursday of each month at 7:30pm (there is a time to look at resources and brochures at 7pm). You are not alone. Come join us.
NAMI Cobb September 2019
P.O. Box 999
Kennesaw, GA 30156
TO:
Yes, I would like to join NAMI Cobb of Georgia! Date:____________________ Membership is for NAMI Cobb, includes NAMI Georgia and NAMI
Annual Dues: Individual [__] $40.00 Open Door [__] $5.00
Household [__] $60.00 - List specific persons living at the same address.
(Please note there has been a slight increase in membership fees nationally).
___________Donation (I would like to give an additional donation
to support NAMI-Cobb programming and outreach)
Name(s):______________________________________
Address:______________________________________
_______________________________________
Phone: _______________________________________
Email: _______________________________________
I am interested in volunteering. My skill is ________________________.
Support Group Meetings
For families of those with a mental illness
1st Presbyterian Church
189 Church St
Marietta, GA
MONDAYS Time: 7-8:30 PM
Family Support Group Room 048
Connections Support Group Room 046
Contact Neill Blake at 770-427-5353 or
[email protected] with questions
about either support group."
Monthly NAMI Cobb
September 19, 2019
Our new location is:
Tommy Nobis Center 1480 Bells Ferry Road
Marietta, GA 30066
**Please mail this form along with your check to:
NAMI Cobb, P.O. Box 999 Kennesaw, GA 30156
Thank you for your membership!