NAMI-Finger Lakes is the Ithaca, NY affiliate of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI).
We seek to:
- Support families and friends of people diagnosed with major mental illnesses
- Educate families and the public about mental illness
- Advocate for families and their ill relative
NAMI-Finger Lakes is a non-profit organization run by unpaid volunteers. All of us have loved ones suffering from major mental illness. As a result, we are very familiar with Ithaca’s social services for people recovering from mental illnesses, and we are happy to share our knowledge and experiences with you.
This NAMI Finger Lakes brochure describes our organization and our support and education programs (this document requires the Adobe Acrobat Reader).
Our programs include:
- Confidential support groups
- Support for family members with patients in Cayuga Med’s Behavioral Services Unit
- Family-to-Family Education Course for adults
- Educational events open to the public
- Speakers who will talk with college classes and community organizations about mental illness and its impact on families and our community
- A lending library of resource materials about mental illness
- Listserv announcing relevant events and information
In addition, our Get Help, Navigating the Maze of Mental Health Care, and Local, NY State, and National Mental Health Resources pages have extensive information on:
- Psychiatric care in Ithaca and in surrounding communities
- Missing and homeless relatives
- Dual-diagnosis (diagnosed with mental illness & addicted to alcohol/drugs)
- Mental illness and the criminal justice system
- Estate planning when you have ill relatives
- Avoiding other health problems caused by mental illness
- We also suggest viewing What Is It Like to Have a Mental Illness?, which will help you understand the challenges facing your loved ones.
Please contact us – we are a safe harbor for your family’s struggle with mental illness.
