A Conversation with NAMI Vermont

[music] My name is Christina [music] Pedar. I use she her pronouns and I'm the program coordinator at NAMI Vermont [music] is the National Alliance on Mental Illness and so we are the Vermont chapter of that alliance. It is a nationwide organization. I believe um most if not all of the states have a NAMI. Um but NAMI Vermont works statewide. Um because our office is here in Willist, some people think that we're only for the Burlington area, but that's not the case. We actually have five affiliates across the state. Um and each one has an affiliate leader and we deliver programs and do events and exhibits and all sorts of stuff in each of the five affiliates across Vermont. >> Awesome. Um can you tell me about some of the events and programs you've whether that's like in the past few years or some that you do consistently just >> Absolutely. So because um NAMI is focused on mental health um all of our events and programs um have the goal of support, education and advocacy. Those are sort of the three pillars of our mission. We support, educate, and advocate so that all individuals, family members, and communities affected by mental illnesses or mental health conditions can build better lives. Um, so back to your question about events and programs, um, we offer a whole bunch of different programs. I believe we have 13 different programs at this point, um, that folks can access. All of them are free for participants. And some of our programs focus on support. So we have different support groups that are peer-led. And what that means is that the people facilitating those support groups are trained volunteers who have lived experience. So either they themselves live with a mental health condition or their family members or loved ones have a mental health condition. We have two different kinds of support groups. There's one for people who live with a mental health condition and one for family members. Um, so that's the support piece. We also do education stuff. We have several different education classes. One of our most popular ones is called familyto-f family. It's an 8-week um education course um that is for family members who ha again have a loved one living with a mental health condition. It's a great overview of different kinds of mental health conditions, treatment options, all the different services that folks can access here in Vermont. Um there's a course called basics which is um sort of more youth focused and that one is newer to us. Um NAMI National has offered it for years but NAMI Vermont just started doing it this past fall. Um as I said it's youth focused and so NAMI basics is a six-week course for parents and caregivers who have a child aged 22 or younger living with a mental health condition. Um and then advocacy is the third piece of our mission. We've got support education advocacy. So for advocacy, we do a lot of testimony at the state house when the legislature is in session. So, it's actually um become very common for legislators um or committees to reach out to NAMI Vermont and ask for our input, our expertise on matters that they are considering or that are about to hit the floor of the state house. um they want to hear from us as our um from our position as experts on mental health um and how these different uh proposed measures would impact Vermoners. >> I see the support education. >> Yes, there it is. We love a visual aid. >> Absolutely. >> Like what do you aim for people to leave those classes knowing about whether that's their loved ones or about themselves? >> Yeah. Um, great question. I think the most important thing that we want people to get out of those classes is that they're not alone. And that's something that we say very frequently. You are not alone. And it's so true. This is um in my opinion one of the best and worst things about mental health is that so many people have mental health concerns which sucks but that means there's a community there for you >> and one of our greatest battles as an organization is overcoming stigma as a barrier. So perhaps the biggest um hurdle to overcome is acknowledging that you need help. And I know that NAMI is not the organization out there saying that. And once you've made that realization that you need help or would benefit from help or from these services in some way, then we are here to connect you with those services and help folks understand that they truly aren't alone. Now in addition to that there's a whole bunch of information that we provide in the classes. Things like um okay your loved one has this specific diagnosis of mental illness be it uh schizophrenia or bipolar disorder or major depressive disorder. Unfortunately there are a lot of them. But the good news is there is information that can help families and individuals navigate those diagnoses and be able to access the services that are available to Vermoners. And there are lots of statewide programs and services. And there are also some very local and community-based services. And NAMI Vermont is um a great place to go and um sort of figure out how those network pieces fit together. So, it's a very common thing to feel um ashamed unfortunately if if you're sort of earlier in the process or earlier in your journey. And then the more you learn and the more you connect with folks say through those classes or through those support groups or finding things and resources online the more it can be normalized and I think that connection whether it's happening in person or over Zoom or by reading you know comments or a forum online whatever it might be the more you can identify with other people who are out there, the more we can work together to break down stigma. And one of the things that we try to do the most at NAMI Vermont is sort of be loud and proud. Like here we are, everybody here in the NAMI Vermont office has lived experience of some kind, either as individuals living with a mental health condition or as family members of someone who has a mental health condition. and in some cases both, but we are very upfront about that. And I think that identifying as individuals who have that experience ourselves really, this might sound a little conceited or arrogant, but be being upfront about that can really help folks feel more at ease like, "Oh, they truly do get it. I'm not alone. I don't have to mask or pretend or whatever term you might use for it. But I think I think that is probably the biggest thing that we can do to combat stigma. >> Absolutely. We've talked um or I've just talked a little bit um previously about the conversation series that's been going on. Would you mind telling me a little bit about that? >> I would be delighted. Thanks for asking. So, um, you're referring to our community conversation series, and this is something that we just started doing this year. >> We received funding from the University of Vermont Community Health Investment Fund. We got a grant from them to be able to deliver this series. Now, I was talking earlier about how NAMI Vermont is a statewide organization, and we are, and we're very proud of that. For this particular grant, it is only for Chittenden and Grand Isle counties. So, that's where this series is focused. And we've done nine so far. So, we just actually finished our first year of this grant. It's a three-year grant. So, thank you. So, we're working on the reporting piece of it now, but we will be offering more. Um, and each conversation, each sort of installment of the series has a different focus. So, and they all relate back to mental health. So, we had one about um postpartum mental health and postpartum depression. We had one focused on um Vermont authors who have a connection to mental health and um we asked them to speak about the the panelists that is we asked them to speak about how writing and creating helps them with their mental health journey. We had one focused on um mental health challenges and successes in the LGBTQIA+ community. We had one on suicide prevention. We had one that was ask the expert. And we had some um psychologists or psychiatrists come and basically field a bunch of questions from individuals um who have curiosities about mental health. So, um, lots of different things going on with this series, but, um, again, sort of the underlying theme is building connection in an accessible way and in a way that isn't intimidating. So, we've been holding them at places like libraries. Um, we had one at the Howard Center, Mental Health Urgent Care in Burlington, right there on Prospect Street. We had one earlier this week that was at um the double E performance center um right next door to the Essex experience or as part of the Essex experience. Um so they've sort of been all over just within Chittenden and Grand Isle counties. >> How do people um find out about this and who can access them? >> Excellent question. You're just so full of good questions. >> Um so NAMI Vermont is out there. We want people to find out about us and we've been using all of our channels to promote this series along with all of the other stuff we do. So I would say our website is sort of the headquarters of our information. Um and that's namivvt.org namivt.org. Um our marketing and communications coordinator Nina does a fantastic job of keeping our website up to date. So that is probably the fastest and most efficient way to find out about things. Of course, if you were to call our office, we're always happy to answer the phone and answer your questions. We're always here to talk, here to help. Um, other ways folks can find out about what's going on with NAMI Vermont is through social media. So, we are active on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn. Those are the ones that are um I think we have an account on X. Um, and so all of those places are updated as well. They have fun graphics, details, links. Um, so that's another great way to stay informed. Um, let me think. Oh, we have our monthly e newswsletter that gets delivered right to your inbox. Um, that comes out the second Thursday of every month. And if you want to subscribe, you can go to our website to do so. Lots of ways to find out. >> And this is open for anyone to go to. >> Yes. Thank you. Um, so like all of our programs, the community conversations are completely free to participants. Like I said, we received a grant through the UVMC, the community health investment fund, to be able to deliver these um this series. And with that grant, we are able to offer it offer all of these community conversations free of charge to community members. Um, registration isn't even required. It is preferred. It's encouraged that you let us know that you're going to be there so that we can make sure that we have a large enough space and providing enough refreshments. We like to provide snacks and things like that. Um, but if you don't know until last minute if you're able to come, we certainly aren't going to turn you away. We want people to come. >> What do you hope that people get out of these panels in the conversation series? Well, at risk of repeating myself, I think the most important thing would be connection and the understanding that you're not alone. And even if you're just there out of curiosity, you want to know more about the mental health sphere, I think it's really helpful to recognize that there are lots of people in our communities who are facing challenges related to mental health every single day. again whether that's their own mental health or whether it's someone in their family or a nextdoor neighbor or whatever it might be mental health affects everybody something that I am fond of saying is that we all know somebody who is affected by mental health even if it's not ourselves and if that is the case we can be grateful for that approximately one in five adults in the United States has a mental health condition and that's self-reporting. So there's statistical bias involved in that. The real number may even be higher but still one in five conservatively everybody absolutely knows somebody who is affected by mental health. >> Yeah. >> Um so speaking of awareness >> um I understand that you do a about NAMI um presentation. Yes. >> Can you tell me a little bit more about how that works? Certainly. So about NAMI Vermont is the name of the presentation and it is a relatively new addition to our program lineup. It was just formalized and approved by our board um in 2025. So we've been offering it um more intentionally for the last year plus. Um, and when I say that, what I mean is we were sort of doing it informally before, uh, on an ad hoc basis, but this is a presentation that we really like to use for outreach and building connections with other organizations. So, for example, we recently did an about NAMI Vermont combined with additional presentations at the United Way of Northwestern Vermont office. I believe that was in May. Um, so that was really just sort of a structured way of us going to them and saying, "Here's who we are. Here's what we do, here's what we offer, and how is here is how you can get involved." Um, so it's a really great um way to sort of introduce ourselves. Um, and it is structured in a way that I would say it it works best for um, offices or organizations. Having said that, if you want to have like a block party and kick it off with an about NAMI Vermont presentation for the first half hour, 45 minutes, we could do that. We'd be down for that. So, um, we have a form on our website through which people can request a program. So, one of the programs that can be requested through that form is about NAMI Vermont. There are other presentations on there as well. Um, but there are buttons all over the website saying like request a program or I want to have a program um at my location, whatever it might be. Um, so that's one way to do it. Um, you can also reach out to us via email or by phone and say, I want to have an about NAMI Vermont presentation. Help me do that. And we will absolutely make that happen. Absolutely. So, as we're wrapping up, I just wanted to ask um for you specifically, what do you think that the most rewarding or best part of being involved in this organization as well? >> I think there are several. I'm very fortunate. I often say that this is the best job I've ever had and there are definitely hard days. Um I think that's true of any job or, you know, whether you have an official or formal job or not. But I would say that working with colleagues who really get it and have sort of been in that boat is really special. We have a very um close-knit office environment here which is unique, I think. Um super supportive and that's great. But even more than that, I think what's the most rewarding is when I get to connect with a Vermonter who needs help and I can give them that help. They are in a really they might be in a really crummy place where they're feeling lost, they're feeling alone, they are feeling despair, they don't know where to turn. And I am in the very privileged position to be able to say, I have an answer for you. I have resources. I have information. I have education. I have people on our team who get it. And I can connect that person who doesn't know where to turn with an array of things that will help them. And maybe not all of those things will help that person, but in my experience, at least one will help them. And that feels really, really good. >> That's so special. Thank you. So, thank you so much for talking to me today. >> Absolutely. Thank you for being here. [music] >> [music]