NAMI-NYC Metro is engaged in outreach to diverse racial and ethnic communities in New York City, in order to eliminate mental health disparities among racial and ethnic minority groups. According to data from the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH), African-American and Latino New Yorkers are more likely to suffer from mental illness than other New Yorkers.

We are committed to fostering collaborative relationships in these and other communities to raise awareness, combat stigma and enable better access to mental health resources.

Current multicultural programs include:
Sunrise Club - offers psychoeducation programs for the Asian-American community at Hamilton Madison House Jackson Heights Queens, which are simultaneously translated into Mandarin, Cantonese, and Korean.

Sakhi - NAMI-NYC Metro provides mental health workshops for this domestic violence organization that serves the South Asian community across all five boroughs.

Muslim Mental Health Professionals - are partnering with NAMI-NYC Metro to conduct outreach into the Muslim American community.

Spanish-language programs include:
For information in Spanish, click here. Por información en Español, haz clic aquí.

Your Child's Mental Health
Your Child's Mental Health is a series of monthly lunch-hour conference call presentations for parents and other interested individuals. Calls are held from noon to 1:00 pm. English-language calls are held on the third Wednesday of the month; Spanish-language calls are held on the first Wednesday of the month.

Every month a local expert provides a live presentation on a mental health topic or resource related to children. Topics include ADD/ADHD, depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, anxiety disorders, autism spectrum disorders, special education, summer camps, and other community resources. After the presentation, parents have the opportunity to ask questions. To participate, dial toll free 1-866-502-8312 and then enter passcode 990738#. Call the Helpline at 212-684-3264 for information on upcoming topics. Parents can access the free recording for one month after the scheduled date, and all recordings are permanently archived at the Kenneth Johnson Memorial Research Library.

Spanish-language calls are co-sponsored by NAMI-NYC Metro and the Association of Hispanic Mental Health Professionals (AHMHP). The contents of this presentation series is for informational purposes only. Neither NAMI-NYC Metro, nor AHMHP, nor the presenters are rendering medical advice. Neither NAMI-NYC Metro, nor AHMHP, nor the presenters in this series assume any liability in connection with this information. 

Family-to-Family Course
The Family-to-Family course is a twelve-week NAMI National program developed by a psychologist who is also the parent of an adult child with mental illness. The weekly classes are taught by a trained family member and provide information and practical skills in a supportive environment. Course topics include: how diagnoses are made; medication updates; developing empathy for your family member's experience; letting go of guilt; self-care; and how to communicate more effectively with your family member. For current and upcoming course schedule, click here.

Peer-to-Peer Course
The Peer-to-Peer course is a unique, experiential learning program for people with any serious mental illness who are interested in establishing and maintaining their wellness and recovery. The course was written by Kathryn Cohan McNulty, a person with a psychiatric disability who is also a former provider and manager in the mental health field and a longtime mutual support group member and facilitator. The Peer-to-Peer course is free and consists of nine two-hour sessions and is taught by a team of three trained "Mentors" who are successfully living with a mental illness. Participants come away from the course with a binder of hand-out materials, as well as many other tangible resources: an advance directive; a "relapse prevention plan" to help identify tell-tale feelings, thoughts, behavior, or events that may warn of impending relapse and to organize for intervention; mindfulness exercises to help focus and calm thinking; and survival skills for working with providers and the general public. For current and upcoming course schedule, click here.

If you or your community would like to become involved in outreach, please contact Noelina Arciniegas by e-mail.