Mental Health Advocacy Team
The Mental Health Advocacy Team at Holy Trinity advocates for those who are directly impacted by mental health issue personally or through close personal relationships. Additionally, our intent is to support individuals who want to understand how to respond to friends, neighbors, or acquaintances who are experiencing mental health issues. The team does not provide mental health services, such as treatments, therapy, or counseling.
Join our team on April 27 and participate in the Holy Trinity Walk & Talk to support Johnson County's local NAMIWalk. It will be will be a 3-mile loop from church, followed by an opportunity to chat on the patio. Our walk begins at 9:00 a.m. and lasts about an hour. Those who wish to talk without walking can drop by the church any time after 9:00 am. If you are unable to join us on April 27--or even if you are!--consider participating in the Iowa City walk on May 4.
What is Mental Health?
As opposed to physical health, mental health relates to the well being of an individual in terms of their ability to think, express their emotions, and relate to others interpersonally in satisfying ways. When a person has a physical health problem, there are usually observable symptoms, such as coughing and wheezing or having a leg with a cast. Most often, those with a mental health problem don’t have any observable sign that something is causing their body to respond in ways that are different from how they may have responded in the past.
Learn more about mental health from National Alliance on Mental Illness.
All of the NAMI programs and support groups listed below are free. For more details regarding these opportunities, please visit the websites for NAMI Johnson County https://namijc.org or NAMI Linn County https://namilinncounty.org.
For those living with a mental illness:
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NAMI Peer-to-Peer: 8-week class led by trained peers
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NAMI Connection Support Group: Weekly support group for adults living with mental illness
For families and friends:
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NAMI Family-to-Family: 8-week class for family members—
experience a sense of belonging and improve coping skills
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NAMI Family Support Group: Weekly support group designed for adults with loved ones living with mental health conditions. The support group is confidential and individuals can share their concerns and gain support from others about dealing with issues surrounding their loved one.
Spotlights on Mental Health are periodic messages intended to increase awareness about mental health issues, provide information about available resources for help, and to increase understanding about how to respond to mental health challenges we might face.
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Click below to read Spotlights on Mental Health.
Finding Assistance
Dial or Text 988
Chat online https://988lifeline.org
988 is the new three-digit dialing code connecting people to the existing National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (now the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline). Compassionate, accessible care and support is available for anyone experiencing mental health-related distress —thoughts of suicide, mental illness or substance-use crisis, or any other kind of emotional distress. People can also dial 988 if they are worried about a loved one who may need crisis support.
The goal of the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline is to provide immediate crisis intervention and support. When someone calls 988, a trained crisis counselor will answer the phone, listen to the caller, understand how their problem is affecting them, provide support and share resources, as needed. Crisis counselors are trained to help in a variety of crisis situations, and no caller is required to disclose any personal information.
Iowa 211is a free information and referral system linking Iowa residents to health and human service programs. 211 can assist you by helping to clarify your personal situation and help determine the best resource(s) for you.
Direct: 2-1-1, or 515-246-6555
Toll Free: 2-1-1; or 800-244-7431
Text: Text your zip code to 898211