NAMI Basics Program

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NAMI Basics Program

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The NAMI Basics Program is about letting parents know that they have a child who is experiencing mental illness, there is a resource for them. There is a place to go where there are others like them. They are not alone in this world. Where they can feed off of other parents, see what other parents are going through; which is probably not too dissimilar to what they are going through, find resources, learn how to navigate through the school system, which is really important. They'll get a sense of medications that are available, what they are about, how they work, how the brain works, how the brain functions. When you are dealing with mental illness, it's not like, "Oh, you have a boo-boo. I see that. Here is a bandaid." It's invisible. A lot of people don't realize that it is an illness and the brain is part of the body. It is a physical thing. No one wants to realize that. It will help them deal with the stigma because others around you will say, "What's wrong with your kid? Why can't you control your own child? What is wrong with you?" It's really hard for parents to deal with while they are going through the turmoil that's going on in their own home. NAMI helps you navigate that.

View Jay Gaylen's video on NAMI Basics Program...

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Jay Gaylen

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Jay Gaylen is the dad of a now 22-year old daughter who was diagnosed as a teen with Reactive Attachment Disorder (RAD), Bi-Polar II and ADHD. Jay and his wife, Renu, adopted Joslyn from Thailand. The process started when Joslyn was just nine months old. It took nearly two years to complete the adoption process — a good reason why Joslyn is a RAD kid. They sought help from numerous resources before discovering NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness). Jay began lecturing for NAMI’s Parents and Teachers as Allies program while being trained to teach the Family to Family and Basics courses.

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