Author: Jason Hopcus, CLC, MSLC

Recently, I was blindsided with an experience I could not have possibly been prepared for.  I want to share it with you because of my shock and horror in realizing that stigma lives among us, not just from those unaware and uneducated.  Rather people among us who claim passion for our cause. I have spent the better part of 5 years healing and recovering from an incredibly painful past.  Throughout that journey, there have been peaks and valleys, but mostly it feels like it was all meant for my greater good.  I have worked tirelessly to support an organization thatRead More

What led me to NAMI was a desire for knowledge and comfort in a very dark time.  From the beginning, I found solace among peers who understood where I was.  Their open hearts and kind faces made it feel safe to settle into a new and unfamiliar place, while I grieved a full life that had now come and gone.  Listening to their own richly detailed stories offered hope and better prepared me for the potential challenges ahead.  While no one story resonated exactly, the theme that resounded was EVERYONE STRUGGLES WITH SOMETHING.  All of us!  No one is immune. Read More

Last Saturday, NAMI Colorado and Sandstone Care hosted an Affiliate Development Workshop. This collaborative event connected our Affiliates by allowing us to share ideas and information about our success and struggles.   Elsa and Kendra from NAMI Colorado did an excellent job at planning the event and ensuring every detail was met in perfect timing.  Their well developed agenda flowed smoothly and gave everyone a chance to have their community voice heard. A common theme emerged, each of us seem to have similar needs for development/improvement.  A few examples of those are: Board member engagement/attraction Volunteer attraction/retention Fundraising opportunities Community marketingRead More

Collaboration is so important these days, especially when trying to meet the changing mental health needs of our Community.  As always, NAMI Arapahoe/Douglas Counties is committed to offering quality programming to families, loved ones and individuals living with mental illness.  Through our education, support and outreach we are able to steadily build awareness and reduce stigma, but one area requiring an immediate need still remains, youth programming.  At this time,  NAMI national is working toward meeting this need.  Until then, NAMI Arapahoe/Douglas Counties has joined with local partners whose programming already meets many of the area family and youth needs.Read More

It is a great time at NAMI Arapahoe/Douglas Counties.   Three of our dedicated board members, Gina Moore, Jean Miller and Donna Parisi are involved in a noteworthy Community Outreach program that I would like to share with you here. Wednesday, February 10th, we again collaborated with Healing Our Youth: Get Educated to present an inspiring stigma busting and awareness program.  The power of  this 90 minute program seems to be catching on at a swift pace, over 150 people attended to learn more about: Learn important facts and statistics about mental disorders and the basic biology of mental disordersRead More

As many of you know, the NAMI National Convention is going to be held in Denver this year, July 6-9.  This is an amazing opportunity for NAMI Colorado and the State affiliates.  I was fortunate to attend the National convention last year in San Francisco, which was an incredible learning and networking opportunity.  NAMI National is finally on the forefront of what is happening within the mental health field.  The exposure that they are receiving seems to be having a positive impact and shaping the future of mental health. It is my sincere hope that we can show the restRead More

Happy New Year each of you!  I sincerely hope that the holiday season was a success.  After a needed break, NAMI Arapahoe/Douglas Counties is back for 2016 and hitting the ground running.  There are several new initiatives this year that I will be sharing with you in the coming months.  First, the 2016 start of our NAMI Signature programs.  In the next couple of weeks, we will begin a new Family to Family class, as well as a NAMI Basics.  Both require pre-registration, but there is still space available.  Don’t delay, register today by clicking one of the links above.Read More

Dear Friends, I hope this finds everyone well and in the Holiday spirit.  This is the time of year where we all seem to be rushing around finalizing last minute plans focused on the never-ending list of things to-do.  Taking a minute to celebrate the simpler things, I would like to share some good news with all of you. As I mentioned in our previous blog post A Thanksgiving to Remember, NAMI Arapahoe Douglas Counties sponsored a Thanksgiving dinner that fed over 170 clients, community partners and staff  at the Center Point, an Arapahoe Douglas Mental Health Network program.  AsRead More

Last week, the NAMI Arapahoe/Douglas Counties Board of Directors got together for a holiday dinner and gift exchange. It was a great event that allowed us to spend some time catching up with one another. 2015 has been an incredible year for us at NAMI ADCO with new, improved and expanded programming. Those initiatives left little time for socialization among us. It also was the perfect opportunity to fully welcome our newest board members Julie Corbett and Jean Miller to the group. We all spent some time enjoying each other’s company before the evenings festivities began.  What a good time.Read More