NAMI-NYC support groups are hosted by trained volunteers who are living with a mental health condition and/or are a family member.

Zoom Hosts provide participants with attendance and other forms, resources, and technical support, on our online support groups, via Zoom. We have support groups that meet on weekday afternoons, weekday evenings, and Saturdays.

Hosts should be able to commit to at least one support group per month for two hours. Hosts need to be available for one hour debriefs. Initial training is a one hour session, followed by shadowing in at least two support group sessions. Excellent communication skills are required; multilingual a plus; also, knowledge of navigating search engines, Gmail and Google Drive tools is required.

The Host volunteer must identify as someone with lived experience of a mental health condition, or as a family member of someone with a mental health condition.

NOTE: This role is open to everyone. However, we are also looking specifically for people who identify as Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI). This includes South Asians, East Asians, Southeast Asians, North Asians, Middle East Asians, and Pacific Islanders. We strive to create an inclusive and safe environment in all of our groups, and we are starting a new Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Family & Friends group in May.

Helpline Responders provide support, information, and mental health-related referrals about services for those who struggle with mental health recovery, to individuals living with mental illness, family members, and mental health professionals.

The Helpline operates 10am to 6pm ET Monday through Friday. You must be able to dedicate at least one 4-hour shift per week. Excellent communication skills are required; multilingual a BIG plus; also, knowledge of navigating search engines, Gmail and Google Drive tools is required.

The Helpline Responder must identify as someone with lived experience of a mental health condition, or as a family member of someone with a mental health condition.

Are you a parent, sibling, partner, spouse, or daughter or son of someone with a mental illness?

You can use your experience to mentor and support another family member.

Our Family Match program provides one-on-one support from one family member to another, by phone. We match you with someone whose family member has a similar diagnosis or situation.

A Mentor is a good listener and is empathetic. They are able to share their personal experiences and help the mentee move along and through their own experience of living with someone with a mental health diagnosis.

As a Mentor, you will

• Provide emotional support.
• Share experiences.
• Share ideas.
• Listen.

You will share your story, listen and offer information and support while respecting confidentiality and individual differences. The most important goal of the Family Support Mentor is to help the person realize that she or he is not alone.

A mentor has experienced the power of peer support in their lives and has felt the difference in their ability to cope when they knew that there were other people that they could talk to who could relate to our lives with our family members.

Ending the Silence is a 50 minutes presentation for Junior High and High School students.

Presenters work in teams of two: a “lead presenter” (a family member or an individual living with a mental illness) and a “young adult presenter” (an individual 18-30 years old living in recovery).

Both roles require training provided by NAMI-NYC which include online training modules and a practice presentation. Presentations are done during school hours and after hours – anyone interested must be available sometime between 8 AM to 7 PM ET, Monday through Friday.

The Ending the Silence presenter must identify as someone with lived experience of a mental health condition, or as a family member of someone with a mental health condition.