Mission and Vision
NAMI (The National Alliance on Mental Illness) of Santa Cruz County exists to educate, advocate and support those affected by mental illness, their families, friends and our community.
Millions of Americans face the day-to-day reality of living with mental illness. We get it. We've been there. We offer help. We offer hope. NAMI embraces people living with mental illness and their families, who are often isolated. We offer understanding and support unique to those who are affected by these conditions.
We know that the path to recovery lies with individual, family and community education, peer and family support, and the promotion of public understanding. Through our free classes we educate families, providers and those living with mental illness, we educate the community through our presentations, tabling, Positive Postcards, Student Leadership Council. We offer support through our Warm Line and Support Groups. We advocate for better and increased access to services for people in our county.
Millions of Americans face the day-to-day reality of living with mental illness. We get it. We've been there. We offer help. We offer hope. NAMI embraces people living with mental illness and their families, who are often isolated. We offer understanding and support unique to those who are affected by these conditions.
We know that the path to recovery lies with individual, family and community education, peer and family support, and the promotion of public understanding. Through our free classes we educate families, providers and those living with mental illness, we educate the community through our presentations, tabling, Positive Postcards, Student Leadership Council. We offer support through our Warm Line and Support Groups. We advocate for better and increased access to services for people in our county.
- NAMI values support, education, advocacy and research. These are the “four pillars” of NAMI and have long been the foundation upon which we have built the NAMI movement.
- NAMI values the lived experiences of people affected by mental illness. We are most effective when we give voice to those experiences through our programs and in our advocacy. NAMI programs are grounded in the lived experience of consumers and families; our publications and advocacy speak with the clear voice of those who live every day with the reality of mental illness.
- NAMI values recovery and resiliency and those programs and policies that support people who live with mental illness in their paths to a fuller and more rewarding life. We recognize there are many roads to recovery.
- NAMI values confronting the profound injustices associated with mental illness. These injustices are often expressed as the deep-rooted stigma associated with mental illness, which NAMI combats on many fronts. Injustices also take the form of systemic constraints in housing, employment, access to care and self- determination. NAMI fights hard against these injustices and organizes itself to be most effective in the face of these unacceptable barriers.
- NAMI values best practices. NAMI is committed to employing best practices in our own administration and programs. We demand no less from programs and practices in the communities we serve.
- NAMI values diversity, inclusion and cultural competence. Our strength is in the rich variety among us. We celebrate both our commonalities and our differences as we pursue our shared goals.
Who We Are
Support
people with mental illnesses and their families by helping them find coping mechanisms for their daily struggle with brain disorders. NAMI-SCC offers support groups and networking opportunities where families can share experience and knowledge.
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Educate
people who have mental illness, their families, and the general public about mental illness with the goal of dispelling ignorance and stigma. NAMI-SCC offers excellent classes for family members and clients. NAMI-SCC offers referral services to community resources.
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Advocate
for more research and an improved system of mental health services across the nation, and in our own Santa Cruz County. Advocate for legislative efforts. Advocate for inclusion of families in care and treatment of their relatives. Advocate for elimination of stigma and prejudice.
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We are some of the many people in Santa Cruz County who have a relative or friend with a serious mental illness - a child, spouse, parent or sibling. We also are people who have a diagnosis of a mental illness. We have joined together to provide mutual support and information, and to work together for changes in the mental health system. YOU ARE NOT ALONE, come join us.
