Skip to main content

NAMI Efforts

Let me give a recap as to what happening: last month I received an award from NAMI Georgia, "Mentor of the Year" for my role in NAMI's Peer-to-Peer Recovery Education Course. I feel really good about it, honored to be recognized for the effort and very excited about it.

Now, I am leading another NAMI Peer-to-Peer class. It is going very well, participants are very engaged and willing to share. I feel really good about the group, many of us can relate to each other and that is awesome.

If you are interested in learning more about schizophrenia visit NAMI or Schizophrenia Society of Nova Scotia (Canada).

Comments

helenasmole said…
Congrats! Bigtime! I am so proud of you. Keep doing all these wonderful classes.

Helena
June 14, 2010 at 5:10 AM
Manda said…
Yeah! Ashely way to go. I think peer groups are wonderful. And it's awesome that your work is being recongized. I go to a clinic run by the county because I have Medicaid and Medicare so I go to groups through there. They are runned by liscensed professionals, but they let us do a lot of the work. My Mom has bipolar and is under my Dad's private work insurance. So she doesn't have the lexury of clinics with groups. However, she goes to a peer group called DBSA! My Mom loves it and they asked her to train to be a peer leader. I really hope she follows through with it. Again, Congrats on the award.

Blessings and hugs,
Amanda
June 14, 2010 at 10:31 PM
Ashley Smith said…
Thank you for your blessings, ya'll!

Ashley
June 15, 2010 at 11:19 AM
Nishant said…
hello, my name is nishant. i am from india. i am suffering from catatonic schizophrenia. i need to speak to you . could you help me?
June 17, 2010 at 11:40 AM
Ashley Smith said…
Hello Nishant,

I am not a professional health care provider and can not give medical advice. However, you may email me with any comments at info@embracingmymind.org.

Thank you,

Ashley
June 18, 2010 at 10:25 AM
Feminist Voice with Disabilities said…
Hi Ashley,
I noticed you had not posted in a long time. I was wondering how things were going with your advocacy efforts in Georgia. I am involved with NAMI in Florida, and have taken the Peer-to-Peer course here. I am part of our local consumer council and speak to police officers for Crisis Intervention Team Training here. I'm glad you are still working for advocacy in Georgia, and congratulations on your award!
June 19, 2010 at 12:02 AM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

by A Guest Blogger: For Addicts, Recovery Means Creating a New Life

If you’re struggling to maintain your sobriety, you aren’t alone. There are millions of fighters just like you working toward reclaiming their lives from drugs and alcohol. There are a few common traits that many successful recovering addicts share. Keep reading to find out what they are and how you can follow in their footsteps. They establish new patterns You can’t continue to live your life the same was you did when you were using. You must change and adapt to your newfound sobriety. Consider a career change; many recovering addicts find they have more success by starting their own business. One career that is easy to enter is dog walking. As a dog walker , you’ll reap many rewards including getting to spend time with dogs, which can actually boost your recovery efforts and stave off depression. Dogs have been used as part of a treatment plan for users as young as 11 and come with the added benefit of helping you stay physically active. Plus, being with ...
2 comments
Read more

What Is Remission?

Remission is the absence of symptoms for at least six months with the support of medication. In other words, a doctor who has never seen you before may not diagnose you as a person with schizophrenia anymore. Remission is also high functioning in several aspects of life, living independently, goinig to school or to work, and socializing with other people. However, this does not mean the patient is cured or the illness has went away, the illness is still present, however, under control. Remission is achieved with the assistance of medication. "Published studies suggest that 10% to 20% of people with schizophrenia have remission of their illness as they get older, 20% get worse, but in a large majority (60% to 70%), the course of illness remains relatively unchanged." To reach remission it is recommended that you aim for a stress-free environment. Therefore, do things to relieve stress such as journaling, exercising, talking to friends, listening to or creating music, making a...
9 comments
Read more

Religious Preoccupation

After a talk, a woman asked me if my faith contributed to my recovery because she noticed that I mentioned it throughout my speech. In addition to that, she told me that she observed people with faith as having a better outcome in their mental health recovery. First, I came from a family with Christian values. My faith in God started to get intense during the latter years of high school, which in my opinion, is when I started having symptoms. In my experience religion plays a major role in my mental health- its delusions, its coping skills, and in my recovery. In medical terms they call my religious rituals and delusions "religious preoccupation." Before I was diagnosed I was highly religious. In fact, I wanted to be an evangelist and to go to a Christian college. I would read my Bible for several hours a day throughout the day, listen to hymns, and meditate. Sometimes I would ignore people if they wanted my attention while I was meditating I was in such deep thought. Also, I...
15 comments
Read more