The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Lowcountry gave a presentation to the Beaufort County Community Services and Public Safety Committee to highlight resources available to help Beaufort County families cope with the mental illnesses of a loved one.

“Although there are a lot of different agencies that provide services to the mentally ill, NAMI provides services to the family and caretakers of people with mental illnesses,” said Phil Foot, Assistant County Administrator of Public Safety. “They are a supporting role that is very important in the community.”

You can watch the entire presentation on the County Channel YouTube page.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T8lpBgJritU

NAMI Lowcountry currently offers 14 free programs, including support groups and education programs to help families through their journey with mental illness. Some programs include family sessions, church outreach, crisis intervention training, Veteran support, and bilingual meetings. The volunteers may not be doctors, but they have received training from doctors and are excellent resources. These programs are evidence-based and written by experts in the field of mental health.

“NAMI is much like AA, and Al-Anon is for alcohol recovery; we are for mental health. We do not have clinicians. We do not have doctors or psychotherapists. What we are is education, support, and empowerment,” said Michelle Casey, Executive Director of NAMI Lowcountry. “We have 14 different programs, and our support is not linear in the community.”

As a volunteer-driven organization, NAMI Lowcountry has started to train more volunteers and facilitators after being slowed down by Covid. With about 25 volunteers, NAMI Lowcountry hopes to encourage more people to get involved and make a difference in the lives of those with mental health conditions.

NAMI Lowcountry hopes to reduce the cost of medicine, increase resources and volunteers and focus on prevention by educating people before crisis moments. There are many ways to support NAMI, including tax-deductible donations, becoming a member, and inspiring events such as NAMIWalks.