Support in College and Current NAMI Projects

Recently, I brought my health concern to the Office of Disability at my college and it worked in my favor- I received the support that I needed and I did not feel belittled, misunderstood, or stupid. There were counselors that took my health concerns seriously and wanted to help me succeed. They offered additional tutoring, classroom accommodations, and a separate testing area, which I did utilize.

I am not sure if all colleges have a disability office, however, it is worth looking into for additional support. For those that are interested, there is usually a process such as getting a letter from your doctor. The letter has a lot information about the individual with the mental illness, including diagnosis, special accommodations, etc. Therefore, if you would like to receive more support from your college look into the guidelines of the disability center.

Finally, college is going okay for me. I am still adjusting to school and participating in groups. In fact, I performed my first NAMI In Our Own Voice presentation and I am leading a new NAMI Peer-to-Peer Recovery Education Course. In short, the In Our Own Voice presentation is about 1-1.5 hours on a person's experience with mental illness. I did this presentation for a Crisis Intervention Team training for police officers. I had a wonderful experience and they really enjoyed learning about my story.

While, Peer-to-Peer is a 10-session class about mental health information, coping skills, and relapse prevention planning. Orientation was yesterday and everybody seems very enthusiastic about the class, which makes me feel even more excited about mentoring the group.

If you would like to learn more about schizophrenia visit Embracing My Mind, Inc., NAMI, or Schizophrenia Society of Nova Scotia (Canada).