October is ADHD Awareness Month
We are hiring for Events Specialist position
See full requirement here
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Email: office@namisantaclara.org
We are hiring for In Our Own Voice Presenter position
See full requirement here
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Email: office@namisantaclara.org
We are hiring for Ending the Silence Presenter position
See full requirement here
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Email: office@namisantaclara.org
We are looking for Family support group facilitators
We’re looking for individuals to serve as facilitators for our Family Support Groups both in-person & online.
If you’ve completed one of our family education programs and are interested in giving back by supporting others, we’d love to hear from you!
If you are interested or would like to learn more, please contact our
Education Manager:
Adela Arce
Email: aarce@namisantaclara.org
Upcoming Mental Health 101
VIRTUAL PRESENTATIONS
Date: Thursday November 20
Time: 11: 30 AM – 1: 00 PM
Research Studies
Sensing Schizophrenia Research Study
Click to learn & join
October 2025
NAMIWalks Silicon Valley 2025
This Saturday, October 4!
The wait is almost over—NAMIWalks Silicon Valley 2025 is happening this Saturday, October 4, at History Park San Jose, and the excitement is building! This annual event, celebrating NAMI Santa Clara County’s 50th anniversary and the 10th year of NAMIWalks in Silicon Valley, brings together hundreds of community members to raise awareness, reduce stigma, and support free mental health programs for individuals and families across our region.
It’s never too late to register—find all the details and sign up online now at www.namiwalks.org/siliconvalley, or simply register in person on the morning of the walk. Whether you’re walking as part of a team or on your own, every step helps strengthen our shared commitment to mental health for all.
The day will feature live music, massage chairs presented by Trio Spa, free lunch from Lighthouse Food & Rescue Distribution, sweet treats from O’Brien’s Ice Cream Parlor, a Kid Zone, and a brand-new Teen Chill Space, plus access to History Park’s museums and historic homes. It’s a celebration of hope, connection, and advocacy for mental health that you won’t want to miss.
Join us this Saturday—bring your friends, family, coworkers, and neighbors—and walk with us for a healthier, more compassionate community. Together, we can make a difference—one step at a time.
NAMI California Conference
The 2025 NAMI California Annual Conference, taking place on October 16 and 17 in Sacramento, is packed with informational, educational, and inspiring sessions. With topics spanning diverse industries, lived experiences, and the latest in mental health research, there is opportunity for everyone to learn, connect, and be inspired.
The Keynote Speaker for Day Two is Patrick J. Kennedy, former U.S. Representative. He is a national leader in mental health and addiction advocacy. During his time in Congress, Kennedy co-authored the landmark Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act (Federal Parity Law), which requires insurers to cover treatment for mental health and substance use disorders no more restrictively than treatment for illnesses of the body, such as diabetes and cancer. In 2015, Kennedy co-authored the New York Times Bestseller, “A Common Struggle: A Personal Journey Through the Past and Future of Mental Illness and Addiction,” which details a bold plan for the future of mental health care in America.
In case you missed it in last month’s newsletter, the Keynote Speaker for Day One is former MLB player and mental health advocate Drew Robinson.
Register for the conference by October 10 at namica.org/conference.
September 9 General Meeting Recap
Hogan Shy: The Family Doctor Will See You Now
By Moryt Milo
For decades, physical health and mental health were viewed as separate conditions. Anything above the neck—an ear infection, sore throat, or common cold—meant a trip to primary care doctors. But if the patient showed symptoms of mental instability, doctors wrote referrals to psychiatrists.
The practice hasn’t disappeared, but the concept of siloing treatment appears to be turning toward a more holistic approach.
“Internal medicine traditionally focused on physical health and well-being,” Dr. Hogan Shy, who practices internal medicine, said at the Sept. 9 NAMI-SCC General Meeting. “But there is a larger shift for more holistic treatment and mental health is just so important to well-being in general.”
Shy’s passion toward holistic care is personal. The physician, who is also a NAMI-Santa Clara County board member, said his brother who has schizophrenia and his children have mental health challenges. He said it touches everyone in some way.
“Mental health is not an alone problem, it’s a global problem,” he said.
Shy has about 2,000 patients he treats annually and said primary care doctors have a significant number of patients struggling with anxiety and depression. Physicians do see patients with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia but it’s a small number, he noted.
Shy pointed out one of the biggest challenges primary care doctors face is time management. The average time spent with patients is 10 to 15 minutes, which is fine for someone with a sore throat but impractical for someone with a mental health issue.
“You would need 45 minutes to one hour to truly understand what is going on, to diagnose and treat it,” he said.
To complicate matters further, oftentimes there is a physical condition as well as a mental health problem. The challenge is to determine how the two conditions overlap and correctly diagnose the situation, he said.
Most individuals will go to a general physician first, with some doctors seeing 3,000 patients, Shy said.
“Primary care physicians deliver 60% of mental health care and write 79% of antidepressant prescriptions,” he added.
Primary care physicians will also prescribe SSRIs (medication to treat anxiety, depression, and other mood disorders) but for more severe mental illness like schizophrenia, medical doctors refer patients to psychiatrists.
Except most psychiatrists have wait times of three months or more due to high demand.
To bridge the gap, Shy said primary care doctors will prescribe medication while the patient waits for a psychiatric appointment. He said most internists and family practitioners are skilled in the treatment of depression, anxiety, and substance use like alcohol. Primary care physicians also treat attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), but it often requires a psychiatric diagnosis.
In the perfect medical world, Shy said he would have more time to spend with his patients. To achieve this, he suggested nurse practitioners and physician assistants could be trained to treat mental health patients. Leveraging their skills would help improve care.
Most importantly, he said health care needs to get away from reactive care and see the whole person.
“We need to move toward lifetime care,” he said.
To read the entire article, click here.
To listen to the entire presentation, click here.
Mental Illness Awareness Week (MIAW)
Mental health affects everyone. While one in five U.S. adults experiences a mental health condition annually, the impact extends to the friends, family, coworkers, and others who support them. Mental health is something we all experience, manage, and need support with. No one should have to face these challenges alone.
Recognizing the need to raise awareness and address mental health challenges, Congress officially established the first full week of October as Mental Illness Awareness Week (MIAW) in 1990, thanks to NAMI’s advocacy. Since then, communities across the country have come together annually to raise awareness, fight stigma, and support mental health.
Join us from October 5–11 as we celebrate community with this year’s theme, “Building Community: Supporting Mental Well-being Together,” underscoring the power of meaningful connections, grassroots advocacy, and local action to strengthen mental health support nationwide.
World Mental Health Day
October 10, NAMI invites you to be part of a global conversation to raise awareness and advocate for mental health care worldwide. This day brings our community together to break the silence around mental health. It’s our moment to share stories, advocate for change, and ensure quality mental health care reaches everyone.
National Depression Awareness Day is observed annually in the United States on October 5. This day aims to raise awareness about depression, reduce stigma, and encourage individuals to seek help if they are experiencing symptoms.
NAMI-SCC Invited to Speak at State Capitol
Our Executive Director, Rovina Nimbalkar, was invited as a guest on the Assembly Floor at the California State Capitol as Assemblymember Gail Pellerin presented ACR 70, designating September 2025 as Suicide Awareness and Prevention Month in California.
NAMI-SCC Outreach Within the Community
By Barb St. Clair
Outreach Programs Coordinator
The NAMI-SCC Outreach Team is committed to increasing public awareness as we engage with the Santa Clara County community.
Today, 1 in 5 people live with mental illness. This represents 340,000 adults and 68,000 youth in Santa Clara County. On average, it takes 11 years from onset to receive care. It is often stigma that prevents people from seeking care.
Our team’s goal is to reduce stigma through open dialog and the distribution of materials so that our community members will seek help when needed.
In the past six months, the NAMI-SCC Outreach Team has significantly increased our outreach at local clinics, corporations, civic organizations, colleges, hospitals, as well as community center and resource/wellness fairs.
In 2025, during the months of April–September, we participated in 77 events.
“NAMI has the distinction of having joined us at all four resource fairs in SCC this summer. Boundless gratitude for all the ways y’all show up in and for the community. Thank you for your unrelenting efforts in creating awareness and advocacy around mental health by sharing your stories, resources, and educational offerings. We appreciate you.”
“I want to sincerely thank you for joining us and sharing your mission of providing advocacy, education, support, and public awareness so that individuals and families affected by mental illness can build better lives. Your presence brought great value to our event, and we are so grateful for your partnership.”
Also, during this six-month period, we presented to multiple civic organizations to educate and provide resources. Recent presentations include Willow Glen Lions Club, Santa Clara Rotary, Morgan Hill Rotary, Gilroy Rotary, Los Gatos Kiwanis, and Cupertino Rotary.
“Thank you so much for speaking to our group last week. Your talk on mental health was amazing. We appreciate you taking the time to give us so much critical information. Thank you and NAMI for the incredible work that you do.”
The NAMI-SCC Outreach Team is collaborating with the county office on Older Adult Suicide Prevention (OASP). We speak at Senior Community Centers and Senior Housing throughout the county. We speak to seniors about wellness of mind, body, and spirit. We encourage them to view physical and mental health concerns equally and provide them with the resources available for mental health care.
Volunteer Spotlight: Karen Chiu
Karen Chiu is a retired palliative care Registered Nurse who found NAMI to be a great resource for mental health advocacy. Karen became a Helpline volunteer and teacher for the Provider course to be part of a team that promotes hope, knowledge, and good mental health in her community.
Karen was born in Hong Kong and grew up in San Francisco. She enjoys outdoor activities like biking, hiking, and gardening, and enjoys spending time with family and friends.
Planned Giving of Retirement Plans & Life Insurance
Please consider naming NAMI as beneficiary of your life insurance policies or unused retirement assets. These can include individual retirement accounts (IRAs), 401(k)s, 403(b)s, or pensions. These types of planned gifts are a good option for donors who have paid up policies or retirement accounts that they won’t use up. Gifting retirement accounts & life insurance policies can be tax free.
