Blog articles from NAMI Santa Clara County
By Moryt Milo When an adult child is arrested, and the underlying issue is due to a mental illness, parents are frightened and have no idea where to turn. Alone, they scramble for information. There is help, though, through NAMI and its Family Jail Support Group. This monthly group can provide the necessary tools to…
By Moryt Milo “I’ve been calling around for two years and this is the first time someone explained it to me,” the caller said to the peer navigator. The anxious resident had finally found someone who could unravel Santa Clara County’s complex behavioral health care system. A system that for most felt like a giant…
By Moryt Milo When 988 goes live on July 16, a tsunami-size sea change will be felt in the mental health community. The new three-digit number for suicide prevention and mental health crisis services will shift the country away from calling 911 and triggering a police response. The new number, which replaces the National Suicide…
By Moryt Milo When Eastern Connecticut State University Assistant Professor Dr. Isabel Logan teamed up with Willimantic Police Lt. Matthew Solak to create a police social work model, neither imagined the project would spread beyond the city’s 4.5- mile borders to become a national model. Timing and circumstances were on their side. In the aftermath…
Ellen Cookman is an attorney whose practice specializes in Estate Planning and helping families set up Special Needs Trusts. Five years ago, Cookman’s profession touched her directly when her older son, now nine, was diagnosed with autism. “I went from being an advocate to a parent,” said Cookman, who gravitated toward the field of special…
In a world bombarded by wars, pandemics and civil unrest, how do individuals dealing with traumatic experiences make it through? How do they overcome the pain? There is a way through because people are resilient, and it starts with the right strategies, one called Post-Traumatic Growth (PTG), where a positive change can occur in people…
“I think it will grow,” retired State Sen. Beall said optimistically. “My perception is throughout the mental health community we will have boots on the ground for mental health services, and an army of peer support that is trained.” For the first time in the state’s history, parents, peers, caregivers, and family members are being…
By Moryt Milo Sixteen years ago, Beth Am, a synagogue in Los Altos Hills, pioneered a mental health support group after one of its leaders, Jane Marcus, told her story about suffering from debilitating depression. Her admission shocked the congregation. On the surface, Marcus had a successful career. She had earned a Ph.D. and was…
By Moryt Milo Simple gestures of financial kindness can end up costing someone who relies solely on government subsidies for their benefits. The Achieving a Better Life Experience Act (ABLE) program is a way for those with a qualifying disability to achieve financial independence without worrying about breaching the $2,000 asset threshold. The program is…
By Moryt Milo When Dr. Manpreet Singh, associate professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Stanford University School of Medicine, talks about the future for those with bipolar disorder, she is optimistic that early intervention and prevention can change the outcome for at-risk youth. Evidence from her clinical studies shows that family-focused psychotherapy can reduce…