NAMI, the acronym for the National Alliance on Mental Illness is a grass roots, self help, support and advocacy organization dedicated to improving the lives of families who have relatives with a brain disorder (mental illness). This includes families and consumers diagnosed with a mental illness, relatives and friends, mental health professionals, and all who share NAMI's vision and mission.

NAMI was founded in 1979 by 254 caring people and now has grown to more than 210,000 members in over 1,200 affiliate groups in all 50 States, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico , the U.S. Virgin Islands, American Samoa and Guam. NAMI is getting stronger every day. In fact, Worth Magazine recently ranked NAMI in its "Top 100 charities most likely to change the world".

NAMI South Bay is one of the affiliates of the national and state NAMI.  All are welcome to participate and NAMI South Bay serves the general area from El Segundo in the north to Palos Verdes in the south and from the Beach cities on the west to Carson on the east.  NAMI South Bay has general speaker meetings, a caring and sharing support group, family to family classes, peer to peer classes, other services, and supports NARSAD and other programs dedicated to the service of persons with a mental illness and their families. This year NAMI South Bay will be a partner affiliate in the annual NAMI LA County Walk on October 2, 2010. Please consider joining and participating in NAMI South Bay. See below and the rest of the website for more information. 

Caring and Sharing is at 6 PM and the Speaker Meeting is at 7:30 PM on the third Monday of each month  (unless that Monday is a holiday), in which case, NAMI meets on the fourth Monday of that month. 

The Caring and Sharing Meeting is in the Fireside Room and the Speaker Meeting is in Faith Hall at the First Lutheran Church 2900 Carson in Torrance.  The First Lutheran's NAMI schedule of meetings is available at this link. 

The next regular meeting will be on Monday, September 20, 2010.   The Caring and Sharing will start at 6 PM in the Fireside Room.  The Speaker Meeting will start at 7:30 PM in Faith Hall. 

The speaker for the evening is Dr. Ellen Alkon.  Dr Alkon started her professional life as a pediatrician in California and then completed training in Public Health (MPH at UC Berkeley in Maternal and Child Health).   She worked in a variety of public health positions including in the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services for over 25 years in a succession of leadership positions.  She retired in 2006, but continues part- time in the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health as Director of Public Health Education in Medicine.  She is also the parent of three daughters, one of who had serious mental illness and died in 2008.  Dr Alkon is concerned about  premature deaths among the seriously mentally ill and wants to share what is known and what can be done.  One of the approaches is NAMI's program:  Hearts and Minds

Parking is available in the parking lot off of Carson Street and on Carson Street and Flower Ave. 

At the October 19, 2009 meeting, Dr. Dorit Saberi announced the Dialectial Behavioral Therapy Family and Friends Program.  The program is designed to help friends and family to better understand their loved ones, increase friends' and families' ability to support their loved ones through difficult times and teach friends and family to better handle difficult situations in all areas of live.  For more information, please contact Dr Dorit Saberi at 310-222-1724. 

Please see our Education tab on the left for information about out Family to Family, Peer to Peer and Connections Programs.

NAMI South Bay is participating in the NAMI WALKS in Los Angeles Walks this year.  The NAMI WALKS will be held on Saturday, October 2, 2010  at the Santa Monica Third Street Promenade.  If you couldn't make it last year, please plan now to come for a fun day and support persons with a mental illness and their families and friends.  To support the walk, become a walker or sponsor a wlaker please see  http:www.nami.org/namiwalks10/LOS/namisouthbaywalkers.  Thank you for your consideration. 

Contact:   Paul Stansbury   (310)379-2359  pstans5@aol.com
310.533.0705

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