NAMI Family Support Group

NAMI Family Support Group is a peer-led support group for any adult with a loved one who has 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.

  • Free of cost to participants
  • Designed for adult loved ones of people with mental health conditions
  • Led by family members of people with mental health conditions
  • 60-90 minutes long and meets weekly, every other week or monthly (varies by location)
  • No specific medical therapy or treatment is endorsed
  • Confidential

What You’ll Gain

By sharing your experiences in a safe setting, you can gain hope and develop supportive relationships. This group allows your voice to be heard and provides an opportunity for your personal needs to be met. It encourages empathy, productive discussion and a sense of community. You’ll benefit from other’s experiences, discover your inner strength and empower yourself by sharing your own experiences in a non-judgmental space.

NAMI Family Support Group will help you:

  • Aim for better coping skills
  • Find strength in sharing experiences
  • Not judge anyone’s pain
  • Forgive ourselves and reject guilt
  • Embrace humor as healthy
  • Accept that we cannot solve every problem
  • Understand that mental health conditions are no one’s fault and can be traumatic experiences

What People Are Saying

“The most beneficial thing for me was that I am not alone. I found the NAMI Family Support Group at the time I really needed it!”

“The support group facilitators and attendees were respectful of other people’s experiences and were non-judgmental when there were different ways of handling things.”

“I felt I received constructive, practical and helpful information from group members.”

“Using the [NAMI] support group model is so essential to the success of our family support groups. As a group, the collective wisdom covered a lot of possibilities.”

Find A Support Group

  • Family/Friends Support Group

    This group is for adult participants who are caring for someone with a mental health condition. It is ONLY for a care-givers (Family/Friend).

  • Peer, Friends and Family

    This group is for both – Peers/Consumers living with mental health condition AND/OR their family members/friends supporting them.

  • Family Support Groups in Other Languages

    Spanish
    Korean
    Mandarin/Cantonese

* Note: NAMI does not offer support groups for people under age 18.  Normally, groups for children and adolescents must be led by a licensed professional, while NAMI groups are run by trained peers with lived experience.  You can try contacting your insurance provider to locate a mental health agency that offers therapy groups for youth. NAMI does have support groups and an education class (NAMI Basics) for parents and caretakers of children & adolescents with mental health issues.

Due to Covid Restrictions, our support groups are meeting online via Zoom. To find a group that meets your needs, click on the button below. We recommend that you attend a few groups to find the one that best suits your needs.

NAMI Family Support Groups Near You

NAMI Santa Clara County offers two types of Family Support Groups:

  1. Support Group for Family and Friends ONLY: This group is for adult participants who are caring for someone with a mental health condition.
  2. Support Group for Peers/Consumers living with mental health condition and their family members or friends supporting them.

NAMI FAMILY SUPPORT GROUPS

NAMI Family Support Group is for family members, significant others and friends of people with mental health conditions. In Santa Clara county, we hold several monthly support groups meeting from Palo Alto to Gilroy. We suggest you go to a few different meetings to find the ones that best meets for your family’s support needs. The list of support groups can be found on pages 2 & 3 of our current Resource Guide.  Click HERE to find the list of online meetings during shelter-in-place.

NAMI FAMILY AND PEER SUPPORT GROUPS

These support groups are open to both family members and for individuals living with mental health conditions. You and your family member can attend together. Hearing the perspectives and experiences of both families and individuals with mental health issues can give hope 1) to families, who see individuals living in recovery and managing their lives and 2) to individuals, who find their own voices while expressing themselves to their families. Click HERE to find the list of online meetings during shelter-in-place.

NAMI SUPPORT GROUPS IN OTHER LANGUAGES

  • Spanish:   San Jose, Last Friday of month, 7-9:30 pm; 1150 S. Bascom Ave. Suite 24, San Jose. For more information, contact Erika at 408-453-0400 x3065. Meeting every Friday during Shelter-in-place. See Famliy support group list for details
  • Korean:   Cupertino, 1st Friday of month, 12:30 – 2:30 pm. Call for location: Kyo, 408-712-1149
  • Mandarin / Cantonese:   See NAMI Chinese Support Groups (pdf) for details. During Covid restrictions, contact Jen at jenhong1947@gmail.com

*Note: Due to COVID Restrictions, some support groups may meet more often. Click HERE to find the list of current online meetings, including instructions on how to register.

OTHER LOCAL COMMUNITY SUPPORT GROUPS

Our current Resource Guide also lists meeting dates, times, locations and contact information for other local community organizations that offer free mental health support groups for Consumers, Families and Friends.

In addition, we list related support groups from the following organizations: