Major budget cuts are underway in the state with each county determining Proposition 1 priorities for funding in fiscal year starting July 2026. We have devastating news that our beloved Family Educational Resource Center (FERC) is on the cut list, among other programs of note. The loss of FERC is particularly relevant to the county’s NAMI affiliates since it was a variation on the theme of being a resource of support and information for families with loved ones who have diagnoses of mental illness. FERC was well funded and well staffed – NAMI affiliates are not, depending heavily on volunteer help. We cannot replace FERC but we want to help our families.
You have two options here:
1. Alameda County residents are invited to contribute public comment for the Behavioral Health Services Act Integrated Plan for Fiscal Years 2026-2029. Help shape and impact Alameda County’s behavioral health system. The opportunity to leave Public Comment is available now through April 20, 2026.
Click here to read: BHSA Integrated Plan FY2026-2029 (DRAFT)Click here to leave a Public Comment: Public Comment form For additional details about the Behavioral Health Services Act, please visit: BHSA – Mental Health Services Act – Alameda County Behavioral Health Care Services
For questions, please email: bhsa@acgov.org
2. Join us on the April 22nd for a panel and group discussion around the issue of meeting families’ needs. We will have some local experts and experienced volunteers present and ask for your input regarding what has helped you in terms of services you will miss most. What can we offer that the system does not? This will be your chance to impact the services we offer and will consider developing.
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87876740105
Meeting ID: 878 7674 0105
Join instructions
https://us02web.zoom.us/meetings/87876740105/invitations?signature=Exoryt_l5ai3N745rPWJ7X5N1c2VJCyFN95Fcfh58Y8
Category: What’s New
A Unique Perspective on Mental Illness, Wednesday, March 25, 7:30 – 9:00 pm, zoom
Every journey through a mental health diagnosis is uniquely personal, yet many shared themes emerge – and above all, Hope. Join us to hear from George Lausten, a young man whose story offers a powerful and unique perspective.
George is a medical student at Baptist Health Sciences in Memphis, Tennessee. He grew up in a small town in Minnesota before moving to California for college, where he was diagnosed with Bipolar I during his freshman year.
In the years that followed, he experienced multiple psychiatric hospitalizations. With ongoing treatment and support from loved ones, he has been free of a manic episode for over five years. In addition, he graduated from Stanford with an honors degree in psychology and is pursuing a career in psychiatry to help those without access to medical or social support systems.
Wednesday, March 25, 7:30-9:00
Recording can be found here
Passcode: WR@ZnZz8
Speaker Notes can be found below
Wednesday, Feb 25, 7:30-9:00, Zoom
As we age, we have a great deal of worry about our ill relative when we’re no longer available to love, support and protect. There are absolutely no simple answers but it may help to brainstorm, discuss the options and maybe get a new idea or two. At the least, it will help to know we share the same concerns.
Join us for an interactive loose agenda session as we discover what we know and don’t know about the resources out there. We’ll round up some local folks who are familiar with specific resources and options.
Link to watch recording here
Passcode: **956QV#
Speaker Notes down below.
see details under What We Offer
Dr. Vedantham’s interest and work in how trauma affects the brain will be his main focus, but he will also address issues around Attention Deficit Disorder. He has been the PTSD psychiatrist at the VA Oakland Behavioral Health Clinic since 2000, is a Clinical Associate Professor at UCSf and has a local private practice which includes serving those with chronic serious mental illness. His website is www.sciencewithkindness.com.
Time: Jan 28, 2026 07:30 PM Pacific Time (US and Canada)
Recording can be found below.
https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/share/3DrfpqRrtwR5J5C4w5dvdWac1GDfxLLDi_8T6tMflrisVnk-v7nl-UF_1G5eZI1J.n0UhHc1L5fIv1aOe
Passcode: 9.0kXm.Y
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Join instructions
https://us02web.zoom.us/meetings/87169527817/invitations?signature=HXsSCSg4I_ym783SwiNH8mbbjwuQl91hOZKEB9y2kME
Wednesday, November 19, 7:30-9:00 zoom
“The world of mental illness involves so many different areas of need for family members, such as financial/legal, housing, levels of care and providers. Join us as our friend Ryan Gardner, LCSW, and CEO/President of Peninsula Counseling and Consulting (www.peninsulacounselingandconsulting.com) takes on the ambitious role of giving us a practical overview and an understanding of options. “
The above was the introduction to our July presentation, which is posted on our website www.namieasrbay.org under What’s New. Ryan’s talk was so informative and helpful that it’s hard to imagine he has more to share, but we’re thrilled to announce Part B as our November 19 educational event. (Because of the holiday, we’re moving our November and December presentations to the 3rd rather than 4th Wednesdays).
Some of the topics to be covered will include local nonprofits, fiduciaries, representative payees, MediCal, MediCare, Enhanced Case Management, conservatorships, power of attorney etc. Again, Ryan know the territory backwards and forwards and we’re so grateful that he’ll share his expertise. Zoom link below:
Zoom Meeting Recording can be found: https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/share/q-HGAxy46epe-g3KgIIibjwrcYexxDrGufMmOlVXjmJmkm9GxmXe5gmrAHM-4fAY.RSxJyRoM1DgYUqWB
Passcode: h8Vi!qYw
Speaker Notes can be found below.
Join us for an important overview of the world of psychopharmacology from a professional whose perspective and expertise have been praised as informative and accessible. MacKenzie Stuart (she/they) is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist who works with adults, couples, partners, and families. She is a member of core faculty at The Wright Institute in Berkeley, CA and leads a group psychotherapy practice in Alameda, CA. She has lived experiences of mental health challenges and loves connecting with the peer community and their loved ones. MacKenzie is a doctoral student in counselor education and supervision at Palo Alto University. There will be time built-in for Q and A.
Zoom Meeting Recording
https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/share/xU84BHoPE9Y2bIrbkCePevj5W_Q7v1ls8Yd9XVBnJy85KOx7vLP4rKSljiY7RJ3I.KdowS18RxY8_ghBT
Passcode: ?@hkm0N2
Speaker Notes
September 24, 7:30-9:00 – Zoom
Our 4th Wednesday educational speaker on zoom will be Stephen Hinshaw, PhD, Distinguished Professor of Psychology at UC Berkeley. He will talk on Progress in Mental Health: Fighting Stigma, New Models and the Need for Communication. He will expand on the changes in the field over the last several decades–neurodiversity, blending biology and context, more equality in doctor/patient communication, etc. etc. Link is below
To recount his biography would take multiple pages. In short, at UC Berkeley he was Department Chair 2004-2011, Director of Clinical Training, and Professor in Residence at the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral sciences at UC San Francisco/UCSF Weil Institute for Neurosciences. He also wrote “Another Kind of Madness: A Journey through the Stigma and Hope of Mental Illness” which was a Best Book Winner as an Autobiography/Memoir in the American Book Fest.
Recording of the Zoom Meeting can be found here:
Speaker Notes can be found below.
Zoom link below.
Life is hard these days. Our NAMI families are loving, grieving, and coping with relatives who have mental illness, all within the context of a world in various kinds of chaos and upset. So we’re going to host a 90 minute session of sharing about what makes us smile or grin or chuckle…anything that brings the stress level down and is a distraction. There will be no “formal” presentation, just an opportunity to listen to and/or share what and where we find small bits of fun. Participation is open to all so feel free to invite non-NAMI folks to join- we all need to put some time into taking care of ourselves. And bring paper and pencil to jot down some new ideas.
Meeting ID: 817 6402 5473
Watch the recording here:
Wednesday, July 13, 7:30-9:00 – zoom link below
The world of mental illness involves so many different areas of need for family members, such as financial/legal, housing, levels of care and providers. Join us as our friend Ryan Gardner, LCSW, and CEO/President of Peninsula Counseling and Consulting (www.peninsulacounselingandconsulting.com) takes on the ambitious role of giving us a practical overview and an understanding of options.
He will cover Housing (independent, room and board, board and care, assisted living), Financial and Legal (estate planning, special needs trust, living will, benefits), Levels of Care (outpatient, intensive outpatient, partial hospitalization, crisis stabilization, acute inpatient, locked facilities) and Providers (therapists, case managers, psychiatric prescribers, assertive community treatment teams, full service partnerships).
This is a full agenda – crucial for newcomers to this world and a useful revisit for those who are already ensconced in it.
Zoom Meeting Recording at the link, Speaker Notes down below.
https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/share/RS7gosko_o2msrtR21esjdro4jEKVqFT_B5FhnOhRUD9yO7-N3pQrpPtSSfzqUWv.3ASwMBeJe4SiTZBW
Passcode: *r7cRBag
Meeting ID: 878 8716 2461