Speaker/educational meetings are held on 4th Wednesdays monthly on Zoom. We strive to invite experts in many areas involving mental illness (research, housing, alternative interventions, medications, county system and agency services). Please contact us if you are interested in speaking.
Check out “What’s New” on NAMI East Bay’s website for Zoom meeting links and post-event videos from speaker meetings. Summaries will be available in newsletters.
Isabel Zaror, PhD, is the recently-retired Executive Director at Novartis Biomedical Research in Emeryville. Her presentation will review the basics of genetics and explore the current scientific evidence of how genes play a role in mental illness. We will discus’s how the environment and upbringing influence the onset of these diseases. Dr. Zaror presented to us ten years ago and it will be interesting to hear how things have changed.
We are pleased to have local psychiatrist Alice Feller discuss her book American Madness. This book is a must-read since Dr. Feller writes not only about Serious Mental Illness and difficulties around diagnosis but also shares about her personal experiences with clients and the varying contexts in which she has had these experiences. She gives the history of legislation and pinpoints the issues which she feels are detrimental to the process of providing good care and support to our ill relatives.
Stephen Dale, Attorney, will present on Special Needs Trusts. His website at www.dalelawfirm.com is a rich one and contains several educational videos which will be helpful as you consider and/or initiate this process, so crucial in planning for the future of your ill relative.
The Supportive Housing Community Alliance (SHCLA) is a new collaborative organization that uses the community land trust model to create and steward affordable supportive housing and home ownership opportunities for and with people living with serious mental health conditions and extremely low income. The land trust acquires homes and master leases them to adult residential facility operators. The model is is one of community ownership, long term affordable availability and a resident-centered emphasis. Website is www.shcla.land).
Join us as Abby Ingber, Executive Director of the National Education Alliance for Borderline Personality Disorder, along with a parent and individual with lived experience, present to us. The website www.NEABPD.org is a wealth of information.
Gain a greater understanding BPD including diagnosis, stigma and treatment methods. Hear from people diagnosed with BPD and family members about their journey and ways to find treatment and support. Presentation will be videotaped and posted here, along with a writeup.
Most of us family members know John George only in a time of crisis when we’re experiencing a state of worry, exhaustion, confusion, fear, anxiety, sadness – you name it…every emotion in the book. What really goes on there?
Join us for a conversation with Patty Espeseth, Chief Administrative Officer: Francesca Tenenbaum, Director Patients’ Rights and Advocacy Training; and Beverly Bergman, Family Caregiver Advocacy Specialist. These friends of NAMI are highly experienced and know the territory well.
Been There, Done That. Our 4th Wednesday (April 24) educational presentation will be a casual zoom discussion with five panelists who self define as consumers but who have gotten through the bad parts, made some peace with it all and are now working in the mental health/illness arena. Jesse Marsh, Lee Davis, Jeffrey Caiola, Viveca Bradley and Ian Morgan will share their stories and insights and discuss the perspective they developed. Link for the 7:30-9:00 pm event is
Integrative Approaches to Mental Health, Dr. Eric Arnold, March 17, 1:00 pm on Zoom
Dr. Eric Arnold is the Vice President of Bay Psychiatric Associates and Director of ECT, Inpatient Partial Hospitalization Program, Alta Bates/Summit. Trained in psycho-pharmacy, psychotherapy and incorporation of psychodynamic and cognitive behavioral approaches, he uses integrative approaches to mental health such as Ketamine, TMS (Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation), ECT (Electroconvulsive Therapy) and psychotherapy for diverse psychiatric conditions. These non-medication interventions will be the topic of his presentation.
This month, we have a date other than our regular 4th Wednesday presentation. Because of time issues, we will be taping his talk on Sunday, March 17 at 1:00 PM (link below), videotape it and post it for viewing on our website under What’s New. Join us for the live presentation if you have questions and would like to interact with our speaker.
Stephanie Criteser, Registered Dietician and Nutritional Therapist, will be our 4th Wednesday educational speaker on February 28, 7:30 pm – zoom link below. Our speaker has had 12 years experience in inpatient and outpatient settings. At Children’s Hospital Colorado, she helped patients with neurological and metabolic disorders implement and sustain diet care plans, offering clinical services that support the use of Ketogenic Metabolic Therapies for management of mental health conditions. Some personal testimonials to the diet’s effectiveness will be shared.
Powers of Attorney and Conservatorships – how to obtain authority to assist loved ones with Baron Miller, J.D. , author of Laws We Need to Know….Understanding Rules and Programs for Persons with Mental Illness.
