AUGUST 2016 Issue VIII Vol. V 5205 Greenwood Ave. Ste 110 West Palm Beach, FL 33407 561-588-3477 www.namipbc.org The Voice When my wife and I learned of our oldest son’s mental ill- ness, we sprang into acon. We feverishly searched for a cure, only to find a treatment several years later that helped restore a life for our son. Along the way, we suffered enormously as a family. Of course, our ill son suffered the most. Having the rug pulled out from under him, while standing by helplessly watch- ing his life and his reality disappear before his eyes, causes me to tear up every me I allow myself to think about it. I’ve al- ready wrien several mes about the struggles my wife and I have had to overcome as a result of our son’s mental ill- ness. This arcle is dedicated to our other two sons, who have suffered in their own ways. Intellectually, our family understood that our ill son’s condi- on required our full aenon. It was such a “given,” that we never spoke about it, although looking back, I wish we had. We were all in this together, and no one wanted to shortchange our ill son in any way. My wife and I witnessed many selfless acts by our two well sons. We saw a bond among all three of our children that is stronger than steel. We use that memory as a reminder of how fortunate we are when our friends, rela- ves and neighbors tell us about their children’s latest job pro- moons, and show us pictures of their newest grandchildren. Our middle son is by far our most sensive child. Unfortu- nately, he’s also the most withdrawn. To this day, he finds it difficult to speak about how his brother’s illness affected him, and yet the effects are obvious. Over these past years since the onset of his brother’s illness, he has struggled with relaon- ships, commitment and sobriety. Emoonally, we’ve witnessed him check out as far as he can go, and physically, we've helped move him to the other side of the connent, in the hopes that he can find contentment and purpose in a faraway locaon. My wife and I recently visited with our middle son at his new home. We spent four days speaking with him, meeng his new friends and really listening to what he had to say. I think he needed to remove himself from the dynamic of his brothers before he could open up about his unique experience facing the challenges that mental illness presented to our family. He got to tell us what it was like to have his lifelong role model suddenly turn hosle and unrecognizable, and then watch himself disappear into the background. We told him what it was like to have the care of a mentally ill adult child sudden- ly thrust upon us, and to be faced with the responsibility of making unimaginable choices that we were completely un- prepared to make. We laughed and cried. Most of all, we had the oppor- tunity to apologize to each other, and to remember just how much we love one another. PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE By Manny Kushner In June NAMI/PBC served 620 individuals We answered 184 phone calls 14 attended the Cognitive Enhancement Therapy 9 attended the NAMI Peer-to-Peer Education 126 attended NAMI Presentations 87 participated in NAMI Peer Council and N.O.W. activities 43 attended NAMI/PBC Family Support Groups 118 attended NAMI Connection Groups 9 attended the NAMI/PBC Y oung Adults Group 21 attended the NAMI/PBC Adolescent Sup- port Groups 9 REACH for Teens mentored
Transcript
AUGUST 2016
Issue VIII Vol. V
5205 Greenwood Ave. Ste 110 West Palm Beach, FL 33407
561-588-3477 www.namipbc.org
The Voice
When my wife and I learned of our oldest son’s mental ill-
ness, we sprang into action. We feverishly searched for a cure,
only to find a treatment several years later that helped restore
a life for our son. Along the way, we suffered enormously as a
family. Of course, our ill son suffered the most. Having the rug
pulled out from under him, while standing by helplessly watch-
ing his life and his reality disappear before his eyes, causes me
to tear up every time I allow myself to think about it. I’ve al-
ready written several times about the struggles my wife and I
have had to overcome as a result of our son’s mental ill-
ness. This article is dedicated to our other two sons, who have
suffered in their own ways.
Intellectually, our family understood that our ill son’s condi-
tion required our full attention. It was such a “given,” that we
never spoke about it, although looking back, I wish we had. We
were all in this together, and no one wanted to shortchange
our ill son in any way. My wife and I witnessed many selfless
acts by our two well sons. We saw a bond among all three of
our children that is stronger than steel. We use that memory
as a reminder of how fortunate we are when our friends, rela-
tives and neighbors tell us about their children’s latest job pro-
motions, and show us pictures of their newest grandchildren.
Our middle son is by far our most sensitive child. Unfortu-
nately, he’s also the most withdrawn. To this day, he finds it
difficult to speak about how his brother’s illness affected him,
and yet the effects are obvious. Over these past years since the
onset of his brother’s illness, he has struggled with relation-
ships, commitment and sobriety. Emotionally, we’ve witnessed
him check out as far as he can go, and physically, we've helped
move him to the other side of the continent, in the hopes that
he can find contentment and purpose in a faraway location.
My wife and I recently visited with our middle son at his new
home. We spent four days speaking with him, meeting his new
friends and really listening to what he had to say. I think he
needed to remove himself from the dynamic of his brothers
before he could open up about his unique experience facing
the challenges that mental illness presented to our family. He
got to tell us what it was like to have his lifelong role model
suddenly turn hostile and unrecognizable, and then watch himself disappear into the background. We told him what it was like to have the care of a mentally ill adult child sudden-ly thrust upon us, and to be faced with the responsibility of making unimaginable choices that we were completely un-prepared to make. We laughed and cried. Most of all, we had the oppor-
tunity to apologize to each other, and to remember
just how much we love one another.
PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE
By Manny Kushner
In June NAMI/PBC served
620 individuals
We answered 184 phone calls
14 attended the Cognitive Enhancement
Therapy
9 attended the NAMI Peer-to-Peer Education
126 attended NAMI Presentations
87 participated in NAMI Peer Council and
N.O.W. activities
43 attended NAMI/PBC Family Support
Groups
118 attended NAMI Connection Groups
9 attended the NAMI/PBC Y oung Adults
Group
21 attended the NAMI/PBC Adolescent Sup-
port Groups
9 REACH for Teens mentored
WHAT’S COMING UP!
Page 2
Join us for September’s General Meeting
Diagnosis and Treatment Considera-
tions in the Use of Psychotropic Medi-
cations in Psychiatric Patients
Tuesday, September 27 , 2016
6:00 pm - 8:00 pm
NAMI of Palm Beach County, 5205 Greenwood Ave
#110, West Palm Beach, FL 33407
Presented by:
CHRISTOPHER KYE, MD
Mark your calendars
for the NAMI Young Adult Group’s
free upcoming Summer Film Series. Of Two Minds is the featured film on Fri-
day, August 19, at 6:00 pm at our Lake Worth
office. This free event is open
to all. Call Peter at 561-588-3477 for more details. We had 8 join us last
month for our featured
film Call Me Crazy.
Our August General Meeting is still in the
works.
Keep an eye out for our e-blast with
information!
NAMI’S MYSTERY DINNER
Buffet-style Dinner and a Show!
Friday, August 26, 2016, 7:00 pm
Tickets $50 - Advance Sales Only
Get your tickets soon - this event sells out! Go to namipbc.org to purchase
online or call the NAMI office at
561-588-3477
WHAT’S COMING UP
Page 3
NAMI PEER COUNCIL MEETING
THERE WILL BE NO AUGUST MEETING, BUT WE HOPE YOU WILL BE ABLE TO ATTEND OUR
MYSTERY DINNER (see page 2).
NAMI On Wednesdays (N.O.W.)
Make sure you “drop in” for Arts & Crafts, Book
Club, Games, Speakers, Computer Training, Ad-
vocacy, Movies and more at NAMI On Wednes-
days (N.O.W.), 11:00 am - 4:00 pm. NAMI PBC
Office, 1520 10th Avenue, N., Suite D., Lake
Worth, FL. For more information, call the NAMI
office at 561-588-3477.
NAMI TEEN GROUP
Next Meetings: Saturday, August 6 and August 20, 11:00 am-12:00 pm
Topic: NAMI Walks
The NAMI Teen Group is a social and recreational club open to teens ages 15-17. For more infor-mation contact Peter Davey at [email protected] Last month the Teen Group designed our Mystery Dinner welcome sign:
N.O.W. HAT PARTY
The NAMI Peer Council Invites You To:
South Florida Science Center and Aquarium
4801 Dreher Trail North, West Palm Beach, FL 33405 Sunday, August 14, 2016, 10:00 pm-3:00 pm
RSVP: $5.00 per person (NAMI group rate) By calling the NAMI office 561-588-3477
PROJECT HOMELESS CONNECT AT THE AMERICAN POLISH CLUB
On July 15 we had a successful day! NAMI PBC had a lot of activity. Many of the people who attended were very open to learning about our resources. We also had fellow vendors curious about our services. Their hope was to be able to net-work and find resources for their clients, as that is always our goal.
PLEASE NOTE THESE IMPORTANT MEETING CHANGES
The following NAMI Family Support Group Meetings will not be held in August:
- Boynton-Delray (formerly Hagen Ranch Library)
- Wellington Library
Boynton-Delray Beach (formerly Hagen Ranch Library) NEW LOCATION STARTING TUESDAY, 9/13 /16, 7:00 pm-8:30 pm: Fair Oaks Pavilion Classroom A 5440 Linton Boulevard Delray Beach, FL 33484
NAMI PBC is please to announce its first Spanish-
speaking NAMI Family-to-Family Education. This EBP program will start Saturday, August 27 from
10:00 am - 4:00 pm every Saturday for 6 weeks at our Lake Worth Office. Must be able to attend all 6
sessions. Registration is required. If you or someone you know would be interested in taking this life -
changing course, please contact the NAMI office at 561-588-3477. Seating is limited.
Peer and Family Support Groups Call 561-588-3477 for more information
NAMI/PBC Connection Recovery Support Groups
Lake Worth (NAMI Office) 1520 10th Avenue N, Suite D Lake Worth, FL 33460 Sat. 6:00-7:30pm
Delray Beach (Toole Building So. County Mental Health Center) 16158 S Military Trail, Delray Beach, FL 33484 Mon.. 1:45-2:45pm & Wed. 10:15-11:30am
Hypoluxo (Amigos Group — Jeff Industries) 111 E Coast Avenue, Hypoluxo, FL 33462 Mon. 2:30-4:00pm
Jupiter (Southeast Florida Behavioral Health Network) 140 Intracoastal Pointe Dr., Suite 208, Jupiter, FL 33477 Mon. 5:30-7:00pm
NAMI/PBC Young Adults Group 18-35 Year Olds
Lake Worth (NAMI Office) 1520 10th Avenue N, Suite D, Lake Worth, FL 33460 First 3 Fridays of the month 6:00-7:30pm
NAMI/PBC Adolescent Support Groups - Regis-
tration Required
NAMI/PBC Family Support Groups
West Boca (West Boca Raton Library) 18685 State Road 7, Boca Raton, FL 33498 1st Tuesday 6:30-8:00pm
Boynton Beach/ Delray Beach (Hagen Ranch Library) ** Fair Oaks Pavilion, Classroom A, 5440 Linton Blvd., Delray Beach, FL 33446 2nd Tuesday 7:00-8:30 pm NEW LOCATION STARTING 9/13/16
South County Mental Health Center Depression Bipolar Support Alliance 16158 S Military Trail, Delray Beach, FL 33484 1-877-858-7474 for directions ALL DISORDERS (Building E. — Toole Building) Wed. 7:00-9:00pm
Peer Place Support Center 2100 45th Street, Suite B12, West Palm Beach, FL 33407 561-712-0584 for directions and information Schizophrenics Anonymous Mon, Wed, Fri. 2:00pm-3:00pm DRA (Living in the Now) (12 Step Co-occurring) Tues,
Thurs, Sat. 10:30am-11:30am Peer Support Mon.-Fri. 9:00am-4:00pm; Sat. 9am-1pm
Fair Oaks Pavilion (Behind Delray Community Hospital) 5440 Linton Blvd, Ste 1010, Delray Beach, FL 33484 Depression Bipolar Support Alliance (DBSA) Mon. 7:00 pm 561-716-7511 Jupiter Fire Station No. 19 322 N. Central Boulevard, Jupiter, FL 33458 561-633-7525 for information Depression/Bipolar Thurs. 7:00-8:30pm
West Boca Medical Education Center 21644 State Road 7, Boca Raton, FL 33428 For directions and info: Jason Spielman 954-217-1757 OCD 1st Thurs. 7:30-8:30pm
Trauma Support Group Center for Trauma Counseling, Inc. 801 Lake Worth Road, Suite 101, Lake Worth, FL 33467 Tues. 6:30-8:00 pm, Contact Helya 561-444-3914
Support for Eating Disorders Alliance for Eating Disorder Awareness 1649 Forum Place, # 2, West Palm Beach, FL 33401 561-841-0900 Mon. 7:00-8:30pm Thurs. 7:00-8:30pm Friends and Family Support Group Weds. 7:00-8:30pm
Jupiter 50 South US Highway 1, Suite 309, Jupiter, FL 33477 Grades 7-8: Mon. 5:30-6:30pm Grades 9-12: Mon. 6:30-7:30pm
Page 5
NAMI/PBC N.O.W. (NAMI on Wednesdays)
Lake Worth (NAMI Office) 1520 10th Avenue N, Suite D, Lake Worth, FL 33460 Wed. 11:00am-4:00pm Drop-in
NEW - NAMI Teen Group — Social/recreation If interested, contact Peter Davey for more details at 561-588-3477.
**SCHEDULE CHANGE FOR BOYNTON/DELRAY BEACH (HAGEN RANCH ROAD
LIBRARY) AND WELLINGTON LIBRARY Due to early
voting, these two NAMI Family Support
Groups will be cancelled for August.
Dr. Raj Shekhat
Dr. Raj Shekhat is a Board Certified child, adolescent, and adult psy-chiatrist serving Palm Beach. Prior to starting Goldcoast Psychiatry, he practiced in Atlanta, Georgia. Dr. Shekhat trained at Emory University in Atlanta and the University of Rochester School of Medicine in Roches-ter, New York. He has traveled to Washington, D.C. as part of the Ameri-can Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP) to advocate for mental health services on Capitol Hill.
THE OLYMPIC SPIRIT By Lori Jo Baach, CRPS
The Olympics are all about winning, achieving, overcoming obstacles and be-ing in the spotlight. I’m known as, “You are the person who wrote that book.” I do have that Olympic feeling in my own way. When I wrote “The Quiet Room,” I wanted to share my story of jumping over hurdles, one at a time, and reaching that finish line a champion. I never anticipated that the book would be so success-ful as to be translated into nine languages. My true triumph was not so much in having the book published, it was the victory that unfolded inside that book. There is a difference because, in my case, the book was autobiographical. Even though I may just be that “person who wrote that book,” I am proud of what is in the lining of those pages. I once saw a bumper sticker: “No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.” I continue every day to strive to reach my goals and better myself. Ongoing, I try to prove to the world that Lori Jo Baach, in the quasi-Olympic spirit, is a true winner… Lori Jo is a NAMI Peer-to-Peer Instructor/Mentor and is a past NAMI PBC Board Member.
THINGS TO KNOW
Page 6
Flynn Bertisch
Flynn P. Bertisch is a native Floridian and former police officer who currently works as a criminal defense attorney in Palm Beach County. His work in defending individuals in both state and federal court has exposed him to a variety of unique situations and theories of defense, especially in the areas of mental health. His desire to work with NAMI stems from his commitment to ensure that people who suffer with mental ill-ness are not lost in the system and do not feel ostracized.
MEET OUR NEW BOARD MEMBERS
THINGS TO KNOW
Page 7
MARK YOUR CALENDARS FOR THE NAMIWALKS Kick-Off Event
Saturday, September 10th 10:00am – 12:00pm
5205 Greenwood Ave, West Palm Beach
Join us for brunch as we get ready to “HAVE a BALL and WALK for ALL!!” We will review team building, sponsorship opportunities, Walk Day details, and provide you with the tools you need to help the 2016 Walk be amazingly successful! For additional details and to RSVP, call Carmen at 588-3477.
Have you registered or created your team yet? To register, simply log on to www.namiwalks.org/palmbeachcounty today.
Make your purchases through smile.amazon.com and select NAMI Palm Beach County as your charity and NAMI will receive
0.5% of the purchase price with no cost to you! Remember us for holidays, birthdays and special occasions.
SUE GORDON - Receptionist
It has always been important to me to work in a field where I can help people. Offering hope, resources, and information is invaluable when someone is in need of services. As mental illness has touched my life with my own family members , NAMI is a perfect fit. I have been fortunate to have worked for, and with, many talented and inspiring people along the way. Previously, I worked for Jeff Industries as a voca-tional instructor, and at Gulfstream Goodwill as a program coordina-tor. I have volunteered with Palm Glades Girl Scouts and at the Hos-pice of Palm Beach County (summer) Teen Bereavement Camp. I am excited to be working at NAMI with a team who really knows that education, awareness and hope are needed in our community and who are all dedicated to removing the stigma associated with mental illness.
MEET OUR NEW STAFF
GIA SWEENEY - Peer Specialist
It is both an honor and a privilege to be working with NAMI PBC as a REACH teen mentor. I have been involved with NAMI for many years. Some of my experiences include volunteering as a yoga instruc-tor, joining the Peer Council for many activities, and attending the many different classes, support groups, and monthly meetings.
I hold an Associate in Arts degree from Palm Beach State College. I am both a certified Yoga Instructor and an Ayurveda Yoga Specialist.
I am so excited for this opportunity to give back in any way I am able.
CRISIS INTERVENTION TEAM By Dorothy Kelleher
If you have a loved one in crisis and need the services of a CIT officer, you should call 911
and give the necessary information to the dispatcher, making sure the dispatcher under-
stands that you do need a CIT officer sent to the scene. NAMI and CIT work closely togeth-
er in providing this service.
Non-Profit Organization
US Postage Paid
West Palm Beach, FL
Permit No. 1327
National Alliance on Mental Illness of Palm Beach County
Mollie Wilmot Center—Palm Healthcare Pavilion
5205 Greenwood Avenue, Suite 110
West Palm Beach, FL 33407
Or Current Resident
NAMI Membership exists at 3 levels: Affiliate, State & National. NAMI is a 501(c)(3) non -profit, charitable organization—contributions are tax-deductible to the fullest extent allowed by law.
Together, we can continue to fight for all those affected by mental illness. PLEASE NOTE: In
order for NAMI/PBC to receive your full donation, please send your donation to the NAMI/
PBC office. Thank you!
Contributions benefit NAMI|PBC, a not for profit tax exempt organization. A COPY OF
THE OFFICIAL REGISTRATION AND FINANCIAL INFORMATION OF NAMI|PBC
(CH 6498), MAY BE OBTAINED FROM THE DIVISION OF CONSUMER SER-
VICES AT WWW.800HELPFLA.COM OR BY CALLING TOLL FREE 1-800-435-
7352 WITHIN THE STATE OF FLORIDA. REGISTRATION DOES NOT IMPLY EN-
DORSEMENT, APPROVAL OR RECOMMENDATION BY THE STATE. NAMI|PBC
receives 100% of each contribution.
Members are NAMI/PBC’s lifeblood; your member-ship helps us continue to
provide free outreach, support & education. In bringing mental health
issues to wider attention, we advocate for better
treatment. As our mem-bership base grows, our voice becomes stronger.
Respect, Compassion & Hope … NAMI Works!
I’d like to support NAMI PBC with a donation of: __ $25 __ $50 __ $100
other: $____
5205 Greenwood Ave., Suite 110, West Palm Beach, FL 33407
