2021: A Year of Resilience and Recovery

[Tallahassee, Fla] The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Florida will host the 2021: A Year of Resilience and Recovery virtual conference on September 17 & 18, from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. both days. This conference is offering a wide variety of prestigious speakers including Linda McKinnon, President and CEO of Central Florida Behavioral Health Network and Shevaun Harris, Secretary of the Florida Department of Children and Families. The speakers will discuss topics related to various treatments for mental illnesses including successful Community-Based Mental Health programs and Integrating Behavioral Health and Pediatrics. As well as important topics about Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACES), Children and Adolescent Resiliency, and Financial Literacy for the family. NAMI Florida’s program will host four main sessions, two on each day. These include NAMI FL updates, Ask the Expert - Alternatives to Hospital Admissions and A Look at Mental Health Issues in Children and Adolescents part 1 & 2. On top of these four sections, we are offering two facebook live broadcasts for the general public, a live Q & A after each session, social engagement Zumba and African Dance Troupe, and two networking luncheons. A special thank you to Sunshine Health for sponsoring Friday’s lunch and providing a $25 UberEats voucher to all attendees!

“NAMI Florida is needed now more than ever. As we continue to live under the threat of COVID-19, the mental health of our society is also at risk. Physical health and mental health are entwined.” states Dr. Carolyn Jones, NAMI Florida Board Member and 2021 Conference Co-chair.

A further dive into topics that will be discussed:

When Mental Illness Strikes; Crisis Intervention for the Financial Plan?: Join Allen Giese, as he explains financial strategies and tools to help parents/caregivers who have adult children with mental illness. He will also give information to assist in finding and evaluating a financial planner and other professionals such as: attorneys, accountants and insurance personnel.

Our Voice - NAMI Youth Speaks: Leigha Tipley, a NAMI Jacksonville Board Member will moderate this session alongside Andrea Luce, a NAMI Palm Beach volunteer and Natalie Luengas a NAMI Pinellas volunteer. They will be discussing common misconceptions about mental health, such as:
You look fine, so you must be fine and
Talking about suicide, psychosis and self-sabotage
Their experience and voice will show some ways misconceptions around mental health affected their treatment and why these misconceptions need to be left behind.

“This session on NAMI Youth Speaks will be empowering.” Says speaker and NAMI Jacksonville volunteer Leigha Tipley, “This is a chance for us to share both trials and tribulations and that we are not alone in our journeys. Our voices serve to bring a realness to these illnesses via our genuine and authentic selves.”

Breaking the Cycle - Reducing Recidivism: Dr. Caroline Griffin and Tonya Dix will briefly review hospital readmissions data and present a strategy to decrease hospital readmissions by focusing on stabilization techniques to use in acute crisis situations.

Crisis Call Hubs and the Promise of 988: Sue Ann O’Brien will provide information to help identify the core components of a Crisis Call Hub and how it can change the way crisis services are accessed and delivered. She will also discuss 988 and how it will impact crisis care.

Mobile Response Teams in Children: Christin Edwards-Salinas will discuss Devereux’s rapid responding mental health services for Central Florida residents and provide intervention techniques including de-escalation, safety planning and suicide risk assessment.

“This conference will be jam packed with information for you, your family and friends. Which includes information about current trends in mental health diagnosis, community-based programs and in particular, issues related to our children,” says Dr. Nicholas Abid, President of NAMI Florida. “Information that is helpful to you in your everyday life will be the major theme of this conference.”

Registration for NAMI Florida’s 2021: A Year of Resilience and Recovery virtual conference is currently live! We have made the registration fee as low as possible, starting at only $20, to ensure maximum attendance. Spreading awareness of Florida’s mental health services and offering further access to those who need it is very important to us.

Register here: https://whova.com/portal/registration/namif_202109

A special thank you to Humana! As our highest-level platinum sponsor, Humana played a large role in helping NAMI host this year's conference. Through their generous donation, NAMI has been able to increase communications about mental health services available in Florida.

National Alliance of Mental Illness (NAMI)

316 E Park Ave Tallahassee, FL 32301

Brenna Niziak
media@namiflorida.org

NAMI Florida is the state affiliate of the National Alliance on Mental Illness, the nation’s largest grassroots mental health organization, with its headquarters based in Tallahassee, Florida. Their mission is to improve the quality of life of individuals and their families affected by mental illness through education, support and advocacy. NAMI Florida includes four divisions that reflect this mission: Education and Support, Community Outreach, Advocacy and Public Awareness.

This release was published on openPR.