Find Support & Education

Peer-to-Peer

Family-to-family

Schools & Communities

In Our Own Voice

Ending the Silence (ETS)

Online Resources

For adults living with mental health conditions

If you’re living with a mental health condition, we want you to know that you are not alone. At NAMI Spokane, we are creating community and classes to help you navigate, connect, and develop strategies that help you manage your mental health and live your life! Recovery is possible.

Peer-to Peer

Peer-to-Peer

NAMI Peer-to-Peer is a free, 8-session educational program for adults with mental illness who are looking to better understand their condition and journey toward recovery. This 8 week course taught by trained peers on a similar journey provides an opportunity for mutual support and growth. Experience compassion and understanding from people who relate to your experiences. This is a place to learn more about recovery in an accepting environment.

What You’ll Gain

NAMI Peer-to-Peer helps you:

Set a vision and goals for the future
Partner with health care providers
Develop confidence for making decisions
Practice relaxation and stress reduction tools
Share your story
Strengthen relationships
Enhance communication skills
Learn about mental health treatment options

With new knowledge, tools and support, you can better take charge of your life and choices.

What People Are Saying

“NAMI Peer-to-Peer has allowed me to take the focus off my illness and learn to balance it with the rest of my life. By engaging in recovery I am able to be more relaxed and productive both at work and home.”

“It made me feel I was not alone in coping with mental illness. It gave me hope that I could recover and that my life would not always be filled with chaos, and it gave me positive role models to inspire me to strive for recuperation and success in life.”

Connection Support Groups

NAMI Connection Support Group is a peer-led support group for adults who are managing mental health symptoms and conditions. Groups are led by trained peers who are on a similar journey with mental health conditions. We currently offer two group for all ages adults.

2nd

Tuesday

In-Person

4th

Tuesday

Virtual

Connection Support Groups

6:30 pm – 8:00 pm

every 2nd and 4th Tuesday of the month

NAMI Connection Support Group is a free, peer-led support group for adults living with mental health symptoms and conditions.

Learn More

You will gain insight from hearing the challenges and successes of others and the groups are led by trained leaders who’ve been there.

NAMI’s support groups are unique because they follow a structured model to ensure you and others in the group have an opportunity to be heard and to get what you need.

Registration for online groups is required; attend any group at any time. Please note: only individuals who are living with a mental health condition may attend NAMI Connection Support Groups.

For families, partners, teens and parents

NAMI’s support groups are unique because they follow a structured model, ensuring everyone has an opportunity to be heard and to get what they need.

Family-to-family

Family-to-Family

This 8 week educational course is for family, significant others and friends of people with mental health conditions. It’s designed to help you support an adult with a mental health condition while maintaining your own wellbeing, too. It meets for 2 ½ hours each week, and each class builds on the knowledge of previous classes.

NAMI Family-to-Family is taught by NAMI-trained family members who have been there, and includes presentations, discussions and interactive exercises. It is a designated evidenced-based program, which means that research shows that Family-to-Family significantly improves the coping and problem-solving abilities of the people closest to a person with a mental health condition.

What You’ll Gain

NAMI Family-to-Family not only provides information and strategies for taking care of the person you love, but you’ll also find out that you’re not alone. Recovery is a journey, and there is hope.

The group setting of NAMI Family-to-Family provides mutual support and shared positive impact—experience compassion and reinforcement from people who understand your situation. Sharing your own experience may help others in your class. In the program, you’ll learn about:

How to solve problems and communicate effectively
Taking care of yourself and managing your stress
Supporting your loved one with compassion
Finding and using local supports and services
Up-to-date information on mental health conditions and how they affect the brain
How to handle a crisis
Current treatments and therapies
The impact of mental health conditions on the entire family

What People are Saying

“The course gave me hope that it will be okay, that I am not alone and reduced a lot of shame, guilt and hopelessness.”

“I wish I’d known about this seven years ago when the problem began. I felt safe in this class. I was able to talk about things I haven’t been comfortable expressing elsewhere.”

“Before I took the course, I felt alone and overwhelmed dealing with my daughter’s mental illness. By taking this course, I have met others who are going through the same things I am and have learned about many resources that I never knew existed.”

“I thought my wife and I knew just about everything there is to know about the system and the illness. Boy, were we wrong. Without a doubt, this is the best support course I have had the privilege of taking part in, bar none.”

Family Support Groups

NAMI Family Support Group is a peer-led support group for family members, caregivers and loved ones of individuals who have experienced symptoms of a mental health condition. Gain insight from the challenges and successes of others facing similar experiences. NAMI’s support groups are unique because they follow a structured model, ensuring everyone has an opportunity to be heard and to get what they need.

3rd

Tuesday

3rd

Saturday

Virtual Family Support Groups

6:30 pm – 8:00 pm

every 3rd Tuesday of the month

Family support groups are for families who are managing mental health symptoms and conditions, led by trained peers who are on a similar journey with mental health conditions.

In-Person Family Support Groups

10:00am – 11:30am at our office located at 152 S Jefferson St Suite 100

every 3rd Saturday of the month

Family support groups are for families who are managing mental health symptoms and conditions, led by trained peers who are on a similar journey with mental health conditions.

Learn More

Registration for online groups is required; attend any group at any time. Please note: only individuals who are caregivers or loved ones of someone with a mental health condition may attend.

3rd Tuesday of the month, 6:30pm-8:00pm. 3rd Saturday of the month 10:00am-11:30am. See calendar for details.

Basics OnDemand

If you have a child or teen displaying signs of a mental health or behavioral concern, or if you already have a diagnosis, this course is a great first step.

This free 6-week class is led by a team of parents who have been through what you are facing. We offer a self-paced, online course so you can participate on your schedule – and 99% of participants say they would recommend the course to others.

NAMI Basics on Demand

What You’ll Gain

By participating in NAMI Basics, you’ll realize that you are not alone. You’ll find support and shared understanding—compassion, reinforcement and empathy from people who truly get your situation. And don’t forget: Your experiences may also help others in the course. Together, you will all learn that recovery is a journey, and there is hope.

NAMI Basics Covers:

The impact mental health conditions can have on your entire family
Different types of mental health care professionals, available treatment options and therapies
An overview of the public mental health care, school and juvenile justice systems and resources to help you navigate these systems
How to advocate for your child’s rights at school and in health care settings
How to prepare for and respond to crisis situations (self-harm, suicide attempts, etc.)
The importance of taking care of yourself
Much, much more

What People are Saying

“This is such a great step-by-step program that walks parents through every step. It’s as if they’re holding your hand through it all.”

“This class was unexpectedly wonderful! I did not expect to learn so very, very much! This program is well-written with excellent segues between topics. It covers so much more than BASICS—the title doesn’t do it justice.”

“I find it truly remarkable that this is free to those who are interested.”

“NAMI Basics OnDemand allows parents and primary caregivers to easily access information and resources available to support themselves and their family’s mental health needs.”

“The convenience of being able to do the program when I was able to find the time was invaluable.”

for community groups, schools, and businesses

NAMI offers presentations for community groups, schools, and businesses. Read below to learn more about, “In Our Own Voice” and “Ending the Silence” presentations.

Schools & Communities

Bringing Mental Health Education to You!

NAMI Spokane’s network of presenters, teachers, and facilitators with lived experience as individuals or family members impacted by mental illness are available to speak to your community! Through personal stories, up-to-date information, and evidence-based strategies, these presentations and workshops are a great way to educate and engage your community around mental health, as well as building your own skills and knowledge.

Request a Program

Tell us about your interests and how you’d like to support NAMI in Spokane.

We greatly appreciate requests submitted at least 4 weeks prior to your requested date(s). While we will make every effort to accommodate requests with a shorter turnaround, we may not be able to fill all requests. Please contact Amanda Kaplan, our Programs & Outreach Coordinator, with any questions.

In Our Own Voice

Presentation to change attitudes, assumptions, and stereotypes about people with mental health conditions.

In Our Own Voice

NAMI In Our Own Voice presentations change attitudes, assumptions and ideas about people with mental health conditions. These free, 40-, 60- or 90-minute presentations provide a personal perspective of mental health conditions, as leaders with lived experience talk openly about what it’s like to have a mental health condition.

This presentation provides:

An opportunity to hear open and honest perspectives on a highly misunderstood topic
A chance to ask leaders questions, allowing for a deeper understanding of mental health conditions and dispelling of stereotypes and misconceptions
The understanding that people with mental health conditions have lives enriched by hopes, dreams and goals
Information on how to learn more about mental health and get involved with the mental health community

What People are Saying

“Amazing presentation with amazing presenters! You 100% erased any stigma I used to associate with mental illness.”

“Several of the health staff stated that they saw recovery as a real option—for the first time ever.”

“Presenting this program is the single most effective thing I am doing to maintain my health. Time after time, I see the audience respond with curiosity and interest. I know I am changing the face of mental illness and that I have transformed my pain into the power to make a difference.”

Ending the Silence (ETS)

Ending the Silence

NAMI Ending the Silence is an engaging presentation that helps audience young people, school staff, and parents learn about the warning signs of mental health conditions and what steps to take if you or a loved one are showing symptoms of a mental health condition.

Ending the Silence presentations include two leaders: one who shares an informative presentation and a young adult with a mental health condition who shares their journey of recovery. Audience members can ask questions and gain understanding of an often-misunderstood topic. Through dialogue, we can help grow the movement to end stigma.

What Your Audience Will Get

Free of cost to schools and communities
NAMI Ending the Silence for Students: 50-minute presentation designed for middle and high school students that includes warning signs, facts and statistics and how to get help for themselves or a friend. Research has shown that NAMI Ending the Silence for Students is effective in changing middle and high school students’ knowledge and attitudes toward mental health conditions and toward seeking help
NAMI Ending the Silence for School Staff: 1-hour presentation for school staff members that includes information about warning signs, facts and statistics, how to approach students and how to work with families
NAMI Ending the Silence for Families: 1-hour presentation for adults with middle or high school aged youth that includes warning signs, facts and statistics, how to talk with your child and how to work with school staff

What People are Saying

“I’m really grateful and glad that you talked to us. I often feel very alone or weird because many kids my age don’t understand. But, now I’m sure they would be more supportive of me.”

“Thank you, Renee, for coming to my school and sharing your story. You have changed my life forever. The things you explained about your depression relate to how I feel. When I got home, I immediately talked to my parents and hopefully I will get some help.”

“It is amazing what just one day, one talk can do. You never really know what’s going on in the brain of any particular student.”

“Recently parents from two different families reached out to me after their children had seen NAMI Ending the Silence. Both were thanking me for the work we do along with being grateful to know about us as a resource. They were able to have very meaningful and open conversations with their children/students and happy they are getting this information in the school setting.”

Resources | Call, text & Online

Local Resources

These are some local resources available to you in the Greater Spokane Area.

Additional Resources & Crisis Lines

Covid-19

Behavioral Health Treatment

If you have insurance, the simplest way to find out who is covered in your network is to call your insurance and ask them for a list. If you don’t have insurance, cannot afford the co-pay, or are looking for someone with specific experience, the resources below are common suggestions.

Housing

Legal

Substance Abuse

ADAI (Addictions, Drug & Alcohol Institute) UW, Spokane County