1. No category

National Alliance on Mental Illness
555 Northgate Drive, #280
San Rafael, CA 94903
Marin’s Voice
On Mental Illness and Recovery
Office Hours: Monday-Friday 1-3 pm
415-444-0480 [email protected] www.namimarin.org
The ABC’s of CBT for Psychosis
Why you should be demanding it in Marin
Spring 2015
April/May/June
NAMI Marin Calendar
By Rick Roose
At the February 16th, 2015 NAMI Marin General Meeting,
Robert Reiser, PhD, presented an introduction to Cognitive
Behavior Therapy for Psychosis (CBT-P) to a packed room at
the San Rafael Corporate Center. “You should be demanding
evidence-based treatment such as CBT for serious mental illness,” he told the audience. Besides medications, Mental
Health & Substance Use Services (MHSUS) in Marin County
currently does not offer CBT, an established evidence-based treatment for adults with serious mental illness.
CBT
CBT is a type of psychotherapy that focuses on the interactions between thinking, feeling
and behavior. CBT helps patients with distressing symptoms that do not go away even
when they take medication. The therapist teaches people with schizophrenia how to test the
reality of their thoughts and perceptions, how to “not react” to their voices in unhelpful
ways, and how to manage their symptoms overall. CBT can help reduce the severity of
distress over symptoms and reduce the risk of relapse.
EBT
Evidence-based treatment or EBT is treatment that has been proven to be effective based
on randomized, controlled clinical trials. To ensure fidelity, the extent to which the delivery
of the therapy adheres to the program model, it should be provided by well-trained practitioners and supervised by well qualified supervisors who monitor clinical outcomes and
conduct a formal program evaluation. In the case of CBT, the UK government launched a
national initiative, Improving Access to Psychological Treatment (IAPT) for mental illness
that showed a recovery rate of around 45% for those patients treated with CBT. Because of
the initiative, 45,000 people moved off sick pay and benefits. 1
For patients with schizophrenia in the UK, research suggested that providing CBT might
yield cost savings amounting to $1,651 per person due to reduction in the rates of hospitalization. In the US, due to the much greater costs of health care, savings would be considerably greater.2
Reiser cautioned that to be really effective, CBT
needs to be delivered properly and is not intended
to replace medication. Unless therapists are carefully trained, the effectiveness of the therapy could
be compromised. The training of practitioners is
rigorous and includes measuring patient outcomes
on a session-by-session basis and weekly supervision by a well-qualified supervisor.
One UK study found that almost half of the differences between patients in how much
they improved with therapy were due to differences in the competence with which their
therapist delivered the CBT treatment.3
“What we learned from the UK initiative that promoted CBT was that it should only be
delivered by fully trained professionals on a one-to-one basis over at least 4 months, pref(Continued on page 2)
Second Monday,
Board Meeting, 6:30 pm
555 Northgate Dr., San Rafael
Third Monday, see pg 7 & 8
NAMI Marin General Meeting
Second Wednesday
FamFest, see pg 7 & 8.
Family Support Groups, see pg. 7
Second & Fourth Tuesdays
San Rafael Family Support Group
First & Third Wednesdays
Novato Family Support Group
First & Third Thursdays
Latino Family Support Group
Fourth Wednesday
Volunteer Lunch Meeting
11:30-1pm, NAMI Conf. Room
Family-to-Family 12 Week Course
Call (415) 444-0480 to sign up for
next session., see page 7.
Saturday, May 30
Inside
Marin’s Mentally Ill and
Homeless
3
President’s Letter
Election of Board Members
4
Community Resources
6
Help in a Crisis
May & June General Mtgs.
MHSUS– Family
Support Group Facilitators
7
NAMI Marin Services
7
7
Page 2
NAMI Marin Office 415-444-0480
[email protected]
(Continued from page 1)
erably followed by continuing monitoring and booster sessions,”
he said.
CBT for Schizophrenia
Cognitive Behavior Therapy for schizophrenia is recommended
in the UK by the National Institute for Health & Care Excellence
(NICE), an independent organization responsible for providing
national guidance on promoting good health and preventing and
treating ill health. NICE recommended that CBT should include:

www.namimarin.org
Spring 2015
he said. “We’re careful not to make confrontational statements
and at times would rather appear confused or slow-witted, apologizing for not understanding a client, than to ever appear confrontational or contradicting. That way, we can follow clients’ explanations and use questions to clarify the details.”
Reiser said that CBT goals involve reducing distress and having the client choose the areas of functioning that are most troublesome for them (voices, delusions, negative symptoms, etc.).
“We start with small, manageable goals and work toward larger goals, including ‘lost dreams’, where feasible,” he said.
The stages of CBT treatment include:
having patients monitor their own thoughts, feeling or
behaviors with respect to symptoms
 promoting alternative ways of coping with the target
 engaging, developing an alliance
symptom, and
 normalizing, re-moralizing, destigmatizing
 reducing distress and improving functioning.
 developing a collaborative understanding – explaining
CBT is different than ordinary talk therapy or case manageproblems in a different way
ment based on a “befriending” model. While this model is sup helping with the distressing behavior using the “ABC”
portive, accepting, empathic and non-confrontational, it doesn’t
model
have an active technique that’s taught nor does it have a formalized structure. Studies have shown that compared with
 helping with distressing beliefs, meanings of the sympbefriending, CBT continued to show improvement
toms (hallucinations, delusions).
after a 9-month follow-up that endured for 5 years
Vulnerability-Stress Model
while befriending did not show such effects.
Differences between Serious mental illness is produced by a combination
Reiser pointed out that there are ineffective
of environmental stressors, problematic responses
patients in how
therapies and services for schizophrenia that include
(distress) and innate vulnerability conferred by a
much they
psychoanalytic therapy, mega vitamin or orthoperson’s biology such as inherited genes. Things
improved with
molecular therapy, and low-level stand-alone case
like specific genetic mutations combined with
therapy were due to stress, drugs, trauma, abuse, sleep deprivation can
management. Outside of medications, MHSUS in
Marin County continues to only offer low-level case differences in the all contribute to the development of psychoses. Demanagement services for adults with serious mental
competence with compensation, family attitudes, self-esteem, loss of
illness. Kaiser Permanente mainly offers groupjob, home, family members or friends, etc., all can
which their
model therapy over individual therapy for adults
influence the condition of wellness or illness. Psytherapist delivered chosis exists on a continuum from no psychosis on
with serious mental illness.
the CBT treatment.3 one end to serious psychoses on the other. Reiser
“My practice is filled with Kaiser Permanente
patients with serious mental illness since Kaiser
said that CBT tries to impart a message to clients
And treatment
mainly offers the group-model and not sufficiently
that basically says ‘we can work on things that are
should only be
intensive or frequent individual therapy treatments
delivered on a one- bothering you in a helpful way to reduce your dismeeting NICE guidelines,” he said.
tress and the problems associated with that distress
to-one basis over at or ineffective coping skills.’
In general, CBT’s approach is structured, colleast 4 months
laborative, practical-oriented to current problems
Case History
and focuses on improving functioning. The underlyTo illustrate the ABC approach (antecedent, belief,
followed by
ing philosophy of this treatment is that people with
monitoring and consequence) of CBT, Reiser presented a fictitious
severe mental disorders can connect deeply with
booster sessions. case history. Owen is a 26 year old male who exothers and live purposeful, value-driven and comperiences distressing critical voices that tell him he
mitted lives. The purpose of CBT is to help people
is ‘no good’ and that comment on his behaviors especially in publive richer, fuller lives, as they define it, in the face of ongoing
lic and in social situations. He has had problems in the past where
symptoms. It respects limitations and fosters realistic hope.
he has made threatening gestures and screamed back at the
CBT uses “gentle engagement” by starting out where the per- voices, at least once resulting in an involuntary hospitalization
son is in terms of their own understanding of the illness and
where the police were called. In this case, one of the main goals
avoids psychiatric jargon. It uses guided discovery, a low key
of CBT would be to improve the client’s coping strategies.
conversational exploration of the distressing problems.
“We would ask ourselves, ‘Can we control any of the antecedents’ (As’) or what comes before the problem,” he said. “This
“For those of you my age, I use the analogy of the old TV
(Continued on page 5)
show Columbo to explain the CBT approach taken by therapists,”
www.namimarin.org
Page 3
NAMI Marin Office 415-444-0480
[email protected]
Marin’s Mentally Ill and Homeless
On the Streets with Matt & Harold’s CARE Team
By Rick Roose
At the January 19th, 2015, NAMI Marin General Meeting, the
audience heard from Matt Tasley and Harold Grant, peer counselors for the CARE (Community Alternative Response Evaluation)
Team and Chris Kughn, Chief of Adult and Older Adult Services
for the county’s Mental Health & Substance Use Services
(MH&SUS). Together with CARE Team I (Peter Planteen and
Kate Calvano), these two units provide intensive outreach and
engagement services to a large and diverse group of homeless
and at-risk of homelessness individuals who have a serious mental illness, a substance use issue, or both.
CARE Team I couldn’t be on hand for the meeting. They
are managed by MH&SUS and operate county-wide. You can
contact them at (415) 847-1266.
www.namimarin.org
Spring 2015
stance use issues off the streets
and eventually back into the
community again. That can be
very gratifying. But if they
have serious mental illness, this
can be very difficult to accomplish.”
“The streets will wear you out, “I used to be your neighbor”
age you and take away your hope and dignity,” said Tasley. “I
know this from my own experience. When you’re homeless,
there’s no meds, you’re exposed to the elements, malnourished
and in very poor health, often assaulted and robbed. Hopefully,
people who are not seriously mentally ill can decide that they just
don’t want to live this way anymore and take advantage of our
help,” he added.
CARE Team II operates within the downtown
district of San Rafael and is funded by CAM and the
City of San Rafael. You can reach CARE Team II at
(415) 847-6798. Tasley and Grant spoke about their
responsibilities involved with regularly canvassing
San Rafael’s downtown locations that are most often frequented by homeless individuals. These locations include Ritter House, Boyd Park (recently
closed by the city to prevent the homeless from using the park), Albert Park, St. Vincent de Paul’s and
B Street.
“There is a lot that
happens around the
world we cannot
control.
We cannot stop
earthquakes, we
cannot prevent
droughts, and we
“We often find people inebriated, passed out on
cannot prevent all
the sidewalk, some already drunk or high early in
conflict,
the morning, others beaten up, and still others with
serious mental illness. All of these individuals are
but when we know
incoherent but the mentally ill are also delusional,”
where the hungry
said Grant.
and the homeless
Tasley and Grant quickly evaluate the situation
and the sick exist,
for each person they encounter, encourage them to
get needed services, and drive them to places where then we can help.”
“There’s times when we have to call the police
because we need them to transport someone to the
hospital or even to jail,” said Grant. “If the person
is not mentally ill, we try to get them to a park,
Ritter House or St. Vincent’s, but sometimes they
just can’t or won’t go. If a person is suffering from
serious mental illness, then it’s up to the police to
ascertain the situation and call for an ambulance.”
Care Team II has working relationships with a
number of facilities and agencies including: Enterprise Resource Center, Helen Vine Detox, the Ritter
Center, skilled nursing facilities, Mill Street Shelter,
St. Vincent de Paul’s, New Beginnings, the San
Rafael Police Department Home Team and the
city’s Fire Department Paramedics.
New Mental Health Crisis Service Teams
Chris Kughn, Chief of Adult and Older Adult Mental Health Services, said that the county recently
received grant funding from the State for two
Mobile Crisis Support Teams. Each team will
have a bilingual mental health practitioner and a
they may be able to get shelter, ID’s, food or clothJan Schakowsky,
peer provider. The teams will operate from 1 pm to
ing, and necessary emergency or medical care. The
US Rep for Illinois
9 pm, 7 days a week and each have a vehicle at their
police are notified of those with serious mental illdisposal. The teams will serve West and Central
ness so that they can be taken to Psychiatric EmerMarin and be available to respond with police to
gency Services (PES) or the ER at Marin General.
situations where seriously mentally ill people are involved. The
“We have been able to establish trust and a relationship with hours of service were determined based on Psychiatric Emermany of the homeless people in San Rafael,” said Tasley. “After gency Services (PES) usage data and data from various police
all, we were once in their shoes and know what’s it’s like. If any- departments in Marin.
one can get them to come in off the streets, we can.”
Kughn also stated that MH&SUS was awarded a State grant
Both Tasley and Grant try to link the people they meet with
services such as those offered at Ritter House, St. Vincent’s and
the Helen Vine Detox Center and the Marin Health Clinics. However, they don’t have a county budget like CARE Team I does
and so are limited in what they can co.
to implement a Crisis Triage Team consisting of three staff including a licensed clinician, family partner and peer provider.
The clinician will be a county employee and a request for proposal will be released this month to fill the remaining two positions. Triage workers will be assigned to work with the Housing
Authority, persons experiencing homelessness, and families with
minor children. These workers will be providing support services
and linkage to on-going mental and substance use services.
“We’ve seen some people out on the street for two or three
years and every day we try to get them to want help and to seek
help,” said Grant. “We feel that it’s the community’s moral obligation to help these very unfortunate people. And thankfully
Finally, Kughn announced that the county will also staff an
there have been times when we were able to get people with sub- Outreach and Engagement Team consisting of a mental health
(Continued on page 5)
www.namimarin.org
Page 4
NAMI Marin Office 415-444-0480
[email protected]
President’s Letter
As in life, things change and evolve, and life goes on. One of
the big changes involves the newsletter. Members will receive a
seasonal newsletter: Spring (April, May, June); Fall (September,
October, November); and Winter (January, February, March) in the
mail. It will then be distributed throughout Marin County. Sue
Roberts has stepped up to produce a beautiful e-newsletter that will
also keep you informed Check out our namimarin.org website
where you will find up-to-date details about NAMI Marin events and
programs.
We need to fill the volunteer Newsletter Editor position for the
printed newsletter. It is an interesting and rewarding job that is
supported by a talented newsletter team. Penny, our current editor,
will stay on to help. If you are interested or know someone who is,
please email [email protected], NAMI Editor, in the subject line.
The thing that has not changed is our annual NAMI Walk in
Lindley Meadow, Golden Gate Park on Saturday, May 30th. Walk
donations support one-third of needed income for programs and services we offer free of charge, see page 7 of this newsletter.
You can participate by sending a check to NAMI Walks Marin,
1150 S. Bascom Ave., Suite 24, San Jose, CA 95128. Please write
NAMI Marin/team name on the memo line! If you prefer to donate
online, visit http://namimarin.org, and click on a direct link. Credit
or debit card payments are accepted.
Support a NAMI Marin by becoming a team captain; joining a
team (see below); supporting a team or individual walker; and/or
becoming a Team Sponsor.
The Morgan Clan, Team Captain Carrie Morgan
http://namiwalks.nami.org/carriemorgan2015
The Dream Team, Team Captain Becky Placek
http://namiwalks.nami.org/thedreamteam
Marin Hikers
http://namiwalks.nami.org/marinhikers2015
Marin Star Team, Team Captain Roberta English
http://namiwalks.nami.org/MarinSTAR
Mind Matters 2015, Team Captain Art Arle
http://namiwalks.nami.org/MindMatters2015
Give Hope, End Stigma, Team Captain Jen Dyer
http://namiwalks.nami.org/jenwalks2015
Rodef Sholem Walking for Mental Health, Team Captain
Jeff Greendorfer
http://namiwalks.nami.org/teamrodefsholom
Marin Striders 2015, Team Captain Peg Super
http://namiwalks.nami.org/MarinStriders2015
Sunshine Team 2015, Team Captain Gloria McCallister
http://namiwalks.nami.org/SunshineTeam2015
Super Walkers 2015, Team Captain Rik Super
http://namiwalks.nami.org/SuperWalkers2015
Walkin’ Robins 2015, Team Captain Sue Roberts
http://namiwalks.nami.org/WalkinRobins2015
www.namimarin.org
Spring 2015
Election of Board Members
Board members who will be up for election
at the April 2015 General Meeting are:
Peg Super
President
Debra Belaga
John Polivka
Bus transportation will be provided leaving from the
Civic Center Jury parking lot and Whistelstop in San Rafael.
Thank you for your support,
Peg Super
www.namimarin.org
Rick Roose
Vice-President
Sue Roberts
Secretary
Matt Tasley
Beverlee Kell
Treasurer
Robert Reiser
Maggie Baker
NAMI Walk on May 30, 2015
Lindley Meadow,
Golden Gate Park
Connecting—be with people
who ‘get’ you.
Meaning—be part of something
bigger than yourself.
Positivity—brush negative
thoughts away gently.
Exercise—take a daily walk
outdoors.
Exploring—try new things.
Accept—love yourself for who
you are.
Gratitude—express thanks for
all that is good in your life.
Giving—give of your time and
resources to others.
Page 5
NAMI Marin Office 415-444-0480
[email protected]
www.namimarin.org
Spring 2015
(Continued from page 2) The ABCs of CBT for Psychosis
(Continued from page 3) Marin’s Mentally Ill & Homelessness
could be lack of sleep, discontinuation of meds, stressors, improving awareness of mood states or feelings. Then we would ask
if we could change any of the consequences (C’s), what comes
after, e.g., feeling angry, yelling, shaking a fist or slapping one’s
head. We would then suggest using attentional distraction techniques (headphones, refocusing, getting engaged in an activity) to
aid the client with their responses. We would also suggest alternate responses like talking back silently or postponing a response.
Finally, we would work to change the belief (B’s) structures that
tend to validate the voice or self-critical thoughts that lead to the
negative consequences.”
Why CBT Isn’t Used More
Over the last decade, a consensus has emerged regarding a set of
evidence-based practices for schizophrenia like CBT that address
symptom management and psychosocial functioning. Yet, surveys suggest that the great majority of the population of individuals with schizophrenia do not receive evidence-based care. The
question is, ‘Why is there such a gap in implementing evidencebased practices?’
One reason is that current services delivered by counties like
Marin are not routinely evaluated for evidence of effectiveness.
“The system is married to providing services based on the
status quo,” said Reiser. “We tend to find attitudes within mental
health departments that in effect say, ‘we’ve always done it this
way’. Then again, there’s difficulty in implementing new practices because it’s a threat to the status quo and because it requires
upfront investments in proper training and monitoring of clinical
outcomes. It’s like the ‘sunk costs of bad investments’ principle
where an individual remains committed to a certain business or
stock even after it’s apparent that it won’t be profitable. However, we are hopeful that with the new leadership in Marin
County, we will be able to move ahead and make meaningful
progress in implementing more effective treatments for individual
with serious mental illnesses and their families. This will take
innovative leadership and vision at the top. Several other counties including San Francisco, San Mateo, Monterey, San Joaquin/
Stockton and Alameda have taken the lead here”.
Reiser told the audience that we need to change system priorities at both the high administrative level (mental and behavioral
health department heads and county supervisors) and at the service level of mental health providers and practitioners.
“It can be done,” he said. “Even with the costs of retraining
staff, CBT can save money. The VA is now offering CBT &
other EBT-based treatments and they have made a big commitment to train providers to offer it. That’s because they know it
works and it’s cost effective.”
For more information on CBT-P, the research behind its effectiveness and implementation in the UK, you can read the book,
Thrive: The Power of Evidence-Based Psychological Therapies
by Richard Layard and David M. Clark. You can also watch a
video of an interview with the authors on YouTube at: https://
www.youtube.com/watch?v=a9eHyZmcLCk
clinician and a peer provider. The Team will operate Monday
through Friday. This team will work with individuals in the community who have not been willing or able to engage with our
mental health services and who do not typically present to PES,
ED’s or jail.
Rising Tide of Discontent
At the end of the presentation, there were a number of questions
and much concern from the audience about the lack of county
services for residents with serious mental illness, especially residential and transitional housing and the insufficient treatment
rendered to date by PES, Marin General Hospital’s Unit A and
county agency programs.
Individuals in the audience told of family members living on
the street having been turned away from county agencies, not
being able to get help for: children with serious mental illness,
spousal abuse, older persons with episodes of violence due to
Alzheimer’s or senility, and teenagers with dual diagnoses.
One member observed that the way MHSUS runs their confusing hodgepodge of Full Service Partnerships (FSPs) makes it
extremely difficult for families to know where to go for help and
how to contact the right people. He asked when the county would
put up a website that people could actually use to find the information they need and the phone numbers and emails of the employees or contractors they need to contact. Others asked when
Laura’s Law will be implemented in Marin.
Cynthia Jackson reiterated many people’s frustration with
MGH and PES when she stated that, “It’s a huge concern. In
2014, a neighbor, who was clearly suicidal, was turned away for
assistance. In July of 2014, my son walked into PES on his own
volition asking to speak to someone because he was suffering
from paranoia. He waited for a half hour and after no one offered
to help, he left. Who will be supervising these team staff persons
to make sure that PES is doing its job?”
Others asked about the county’s plan for housing the huge
homeless and mentally ill population in Marin. It was pointed out
that New Orleans just housed 227 homeless veterans in a year,
yet Marin can’t seem to do anything of any significant scale after
15 years of ‘10-Year Plans’ that only offer analysis with no real
solutions. Another audience member observed that the homeless
problem gets worse every year in Marin while the supervisors
and county officials can’t seem to be bothered with any proactive
programs.
Peg Super, President of NAMI Marin, acknowledged the
audience’s concerns but said that Chris Kughn only represented
one part of MHSUS, not all of Health & Human Services, let
alone county supervisors and the Housing Authority of Marin.
She thanked Kughn, Tasley and Grant for their presentation and
for their willingness to face the audience’s frustrations about
problems that were much larger than what was on the agenda for
the meeting.
1. Layard & Clark, Thrive: The Power of Evidence-Based Psychological Therapies, Penguin Books Ltd. Kindle Edition, p. 3
2. NICE Guidelines, 2014 revision
3. Layard & Clark, Thrive
www.namimarin.org
Page 6
NAMI Marin Office 415-444-0480
Buckelew Programs (new address)
555 Northgate Dr.,#200, San Rafael, Administration Office: 457-6964 www.buckelew.org



Work Independence Network (WIN)
Vocational Rehabilitation Program,
980 Lincoln Ave. #250, San Rafael
Contact: Catrina Walker, 456-9350 X117
[email protected]
Buckelew Housing is available only to
individuals who are currently clients of
MHSUS (or can meet the criteria to receive
services) and secondly meet MHSUS’s criteria for supportive housing. Contact
CMHSUS Intake and Referral 473-2767
The Helen Vine Recovery Center (detox)
492-0818. A 26 bed co-ed residential program. Provides recovery services for individuals with alcohol and drug addiction issues and co-occurring psychiatric problems.
Mental Health & Substance Use
Services (MHSUS)
 Marin Community Mental Health Services
24/7 Access Line 1-888-818-1115. Talk to
somebody who can help you find mental
health services.
 Adult Medication Intake Clinic
 Marin Mental Health Plan authorizes
Medi-Cal services for MHSUS and other
services in the community.
 Adult Case Management Intake

Community Action Marin (CAM )
C.A.R.E. Team #I & Team #2 Mobile
outreach teams for people who are homeless
or at risk of being homeless. See page 7.

Prevention & Early Intervention Crisis
Planning Program Seth Friedrich 306-3289,
[email protected];

Enterprise Resource Center (ERC) Offers
mental health programs. Located at the
Wellness Center, 3270 Kerner Blvd.,
Suite C, San Rafael 457-4554. For class
schedule visit: www.camentalhealth.net

Warmline Peer Counseling over the phone
459-6330
Catholic Charities 507-4262
Offers counseling, psychiatric services to
individuals, couples, families, and groups.
Bi-Lingual, San Rafael Medi-Cal/sliding scale
Community Institute for
Psychotherapy (CIP)
Provides individual, family and couples counseling. call 459-5999 and leave a message,
San Rafael Medi-Cal/sliding scale.
www.cipmarin.org
Family Service Agency
Individual and group counseling services.
Medi-Cal/sliding scale, 491-5700 (491-5720
en espanol) Sausalito office, 332-3129
Marin Community Clinics
In Larkspur, Novato & San Rafael.
www.marinclinic.org Medi-Cal/sliding scale.
Medical Appointments 448-1500
Behavioral Health Provider 526-8555
Marin General Hospital-Behavioral
Health Outpatient Services Most In-
www.namimarin.org
Community Resources
415 Area Code
www.camentalhealth.net

[email protected]
Family Partnership Program
www.camarin.org/mental-health/
Family-Partnership.html Director473-7814
 Adult Linsey Maldonado-Sciutti, 473-4382
 Youth Michelle Kemp, 368-5221
Leticia McCoy 473-3649
 Youth Bilingual Spanish Rosa Lopez
240-6920, Maria Garcia 473-4169
 Adult Bilingual Spanish
Gloria McCallister, 473-2261
Mon thru Thurs, 10-3pm
 Psychiatric Emergency Services (PES)
Anne Lauver 473-4182

Family Support Group facilitated by
MHSUS staff, see page 7 for details.

HOPE Program for seniors over age 60 who
suffer from mental illness 473-4306.

Marin County Jail Mental Health Team
473-2127, after August 4th 473-3441.

Marin County Prisoner Services provides
assistance in visiting inmate 473-7218

Odyssey Team- Homeless Outreach
Program, Janice Wells 473-3240

Alliance in Recovery (AIR) for individuals
with co-existing substance use and mental
illness, Janice Wells 473-3240


Public Guardian 473-6186

West Marin Human Services Center
100 6th Street, Pt. Reyes 94956 473-3800
STAR After Release From Jail Program
Ziya Dikman 473-2725
Online Help

www.StrengthofUs.org A social networking
website for young adults, or call 800-273-8255

www.ReachOut.com A safe, anonymous,
peer-to-peer community for teens & young
adults to discuss a range of social, health &
mental health issues, or call 800-448-3000

www.schizophrenia24x7.ca Provides anyone
affected by schizophrenia helpful resources,
information and interactive tools.
surances & Medicare/Medi-Cal combination
Larry Cunniffe 925-7674, Greenbrae
 Partial Hospitalization Services & Inten- Other Community Resources
sive Outpatient Services DBT, CBT, Life  AD/HD (attention disorders) parent and
Skills, Case Mgt, Psychotherapy & Planning
adult support/education groups by CHADD
Groups.
789-9464 www.chaddnorcal.org
www.namimarin.org
Spring 2015
 Apple Family Works Therapy and Life Skills
Center. Adjustable fees 492-0720

Beyond Hunger Program for Eating Disorders
459-2270 www.beyondhunger.org

College of Marin Disabled Students Program
Supportive services for students recovering
from mental health issues in the Learning
Center, Room 115 485-9406

Integrated Community Services 455-8481
Offers employment, independent living skills training, recreational and referral services for disabled.
www.connectICS.org

Kaiser Psychiatric Services Advice and
education, San Rafael 491-3000

Managing Voices and Negative Thoughts
2nd Tuesday, Noon to 1 pm, meeting at the
Enterprise Resource Center, 3270 Kerner Blvd,
San Rafael, [email protected] or 497-0651

Matrix Parent Network & Resource Center
Provides information and support groups for
families of children with disabilities. Visit
www.matrixparents.org or 1-800-578-2592

Marin County Veterans Service Office,
10 North San Pedro Rd, #1010, San Rafael
Sean Stephens, Veterans Service Officer,
499-6193 [email protected]

Marin Recovery Connection Center
Screening & Assessment for alcohol, tobacco,
other drug problems and mental health issues in
San Rafael 755-2345

NAMI Marin Help Line provides additional
nonprofit and private service providers,
444-0480 Monday-Friday, 1 to 3 pm.

Ritter Center, 16 Ritter, San Rafael will assist
application for Medi-Cal, accepts Medi-Cal, &
provides drop-in psychiatric assessment & medication management, 457-8182
Social Security Disability Benefits, Fastract
(RISE) Charlotte Stanton, 457-8182, X103
Housing First, for those who have been living
homeless in Marin for more than 5 years,
Colin McDonnell, 457-8182, Ext. 105

Tobacco Prevention Services www.nobutts.org
1-800-642-8887 (English)
1-800-844-2439 (Chewing Tobacco)
1-800-456-6386 (Spanish)

Sunny Hills Transitional Age Youth (TAY)
615 B Street, Suite1A, San Rafael (drop-in)
870-9298 www.sunnyhillsservices.org
UCSF Programs—Dept. of Psychiatry
Call 476-7278 or email [email protected] .
Waiting list required for Marin County residents.

PART Program www.partprogram.ucsf.edu,
research studies, for ages 12-35 years old who are
at risk for early onset psychosis. All insurance
providers accepted, including MediCal.

Early Psychosis Clinic @UCSF, a specialized
clinic for 12-35 years old. MediCal not accepted.
(The list of services does not represent an
endorsement of NAMI Marin)
Page 7
NAMI Marin Office 415-444-0480
[email protected]
Mental Health & Substance Use Services
Family Support Group Facilitators
Free drop-in group held Thursdays, 7-8:30pm
250 Bon Air, Greenbrae, 1st Floor Conference Room
lst Thursday: Janice Wells, Mental Health Program Manager
Jessy Wennik, Nurse Practitioner
2nd Thursday: Maggie Dann, Nurse Practitioner
Todd Paler, PES Unit Supervisor
Anne Lauver, Family Partner
3rd Thursday: Kathy Chestnut, Adult Case Management Supervisor
Linsey Maldonado-Sciutti, Family Partner
4th Thursday: Larry Lanes, MD, Mental Health Medical Director.
Kristine Kwok, LCSW Unit Supervisor
5th Thursday Ziya Dikman, STAR Program
Jennifer Echo, Nurse Practitioner
Due to their schedules the order of the facilitators may shift from time to time.
Questions? Call Access Line 1-888-818-1115 (Chris Kughn, MFT, Coordinator).
www.namimarin.org
Spring 2015
NAMI Marin Services
Help in a Crisis (415 Area Code)
24 Hour Crisis Lines
 Psychiatric Emergency Services (PES) 473-6666
 Suicide Prevention & Community Counseling 499-1100
 National Suicide Prevention Lifeline 1-800-273-TALK (8255)
 Grief Counseling 499-1195
 Marin General Emergency Room 925-7200
 Novato Community Hospital Emergency Room 209-1350
 Kaiser Medical Center Emergency Room 444-2400
 Center for Domestic Peace—Call: English 924-6616;
Spanish; 924-3456; Men 924-1070 www.centerfordomesticpeace.org
 Veterans Crisis Line 1-800-273-8255 Press 1, or online chat at
http://veteranscrisisline.net/
Urgent Care
 C.A.R.E. Team I, 847-1266 Mobile outreach program for mentally ill
people who are homeless or at risk of being homeless.
 C.A.R.E. Team II, 847-6798 Central San Rafael Area
 Family Partner Adult System of Care 473-4382
 Family Partner Children’s System of Care 473-7814
 NAMI Marin Helpline 444-0480, 1-3 pm. Monday-Friday
 NAMI (National) Helpline 1 (800) 950-6264 between 10am to 6 pm, ET,
Monday through Friday
 Warm Line 459-6330 Phone support for peers. Operated by peers through
the Enterprise Resource Center.
 Phone number of your local police department. Ask for a Crisis Intervention Team Officer (CIT) and request a 5150 evaluation. Stay Calm and
Be Prepared.
Prepare for a Crisis Crisis Planning is offered by Seth Friedrich 306-3289.
Please call for an appointment.
Also visit www.namimarin.org and download and prepare the following
documents:
 Guidelines for Effective Communication with 911 Dispatch, study scripts
 Authorization/Release Forms
 Inmate Mental Health Information Form
 If you need assistance visiting an inmate at the Marin County Jail, who has
a mental illness, please call prisoner services at 473-7268.
www.namimarin.org
(415 Area Code)
NAMI Marin Services are free. Our office is open
Monday through Friday, 1-3pm and is located at
555 Northgate Dr. #280, San Rafael, 415-444-0480.
[email protected], www.namimarin.org
 General Meeting, open to the public. See page 8



Family-to-Family Course, Twelve week class
structured to help caregivers understand and
support individuals with serious mental illness
while maintaining their own well being. Open to
family members, caregivers, partners and friends.
The class meets in San Rafael every Tuesday for
twelve weeks. Call 415-444-0480 to sign up.
San Rafael Family Support Group
2nd and 4th Tuesdays, 6-8pm, Enterprise
Resource Center (see page 6 for address)
Kay Browne, MD (drop-in)
Novato Family Support Group
1st & 3rd Wednesdays, 7-8:30 pm,
Novato United Methodist Church,
1473 South Novato Blvd., Novato, with
Kay Blackwill & Martina Badar (drop-in).

Latino Family Support Group,
1st & 3rd Thursday, 7-8:30pm, ERC, Gloria
McCallister, 473-2261 in collaboration with
Community Action Marin (drop-in).

FamFest Dinners are for clients, family, friends,
and support staff, all welcome. No Host. Walk-ins
are welcome. For those who have difficulty
paying the usual $10 NAMI offers partial
assistance. See page 8 for schedule.

HelpLine, Call 444-0480, press 0, 1-3 pm
weekdays for support/resource info.

Library, located in our office. Members may
borrow from an extensive collection of resources

Speakers Bureau family and consumer speakers
available for events free of charge 444-0480, Ext.
242. In Our Own Voice (IOOV) is a unique public
education program in which trained speakers share
compelling personal stories about living with
mental illness and achieving recovery. IOOV
presentations are given free of charge. Call the
office to book a date.
May and June General Meetings
Monday, May 18th, Bipolar Update,
Guest Speaker: Sheri L. Johnson, Ph.D.
Professor of Psychology, UCB
Location: Health and Wellness Center,
Connection Center, Room 110, San Rafael

Monday, June 15th, Psychiatric Emergency
Services (PES) & New Crisis Mobile Team
Guest Speaker: Chris Kughn, MFT & Crisis Team
Location: To Be Announced.
Non-Profit Org.
U.S. Postage Paid
San Rafael, CA
Permit No. 641
National Alliance on Mental Illness
555 Northgate Drive, #280
San Rafael, CA 94903
ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED
THIS MATERIAL IS TIME RELATED
Spring 2015
April/May/June
NAMI Marin
Board of Directors
President
Peg Super
Vice–President
Rick Roose
Secretary
Sue Roberts
Treasurer
Beverlee Kell
Directors
Maggie Baker
Debra Belaga
John Polivka
Robert Reiser, PhD
Matt Tasley
Time to Renew Your NAMI Membership?
NAMI Marin General Meeting
Monday, April 20, 7:00-8:30pm
Having a Mentally Ill Family Member
Chronic Grief and Chronic Uncertainty
Guest Speaker: Alexandra Matthews, Ph.D
Mental illness brings with it alternations in mood, thought,
energy, executive function, and reality testing, as well as varying levels of cooperation with treaters and family members.
Chronic mental illness brings with it chronic uncertainty.
What state will your loved one be in today? Will they be
lucid? Combative? Depressed? Cooperative?
In addition, having a mentally ill family member means
living with chronic grief—grief for the person your loved one
could have been, grief for the relationship you wish you had,
and so much more. http://amattewsphd.com/home
San Rafael Corporate Center
750 Lindaro Street. San Rafael
(Between 2nd St. & Anderson Dr. building nearest Andersen Dr.)
Free parking lot (after 6pm) on west side of street.
Our NAMI Marin programs are free and open to the public.
For more information call NAMI Marin 415-444-0480
Your membership expiration date is on the label of this
newsletter. To join/renew online visit www.namimarin.org/
join/ . Dues include membership benefits of NAMI Marin,
NAMI CA, and NAMI National.
 Newsletter Editor/Designer: Penny Labourdette
 Newsletter Team: Rick Roose, Sue Roberts, Beverlee Kell
 Circulation: Karen & David Illich, Sue & Leslie Roberts
FamFest
Every 2nd Wednesday of the Month, 6-7:30pm
Schedule of Restaurants:
April 8
The Crepevine
908 Fourth Street, SanRafael
May 13 Celia’s Mexican Restaurant
1 Vivian Way, San Rafael
June 10 Bangkok Thai Express
857 Fourth Street, San Rafael
July 15 San Rafael Joes
931 Fourth Street, San Rafael
Kay Blackwill, FamFest Coordinator
Call 415-444-0480 if you have any ques-