The National Alliance on Mental Illness of Mercer is set to host presentations throughout the county in honor of Mental Illness Awareness Week.
The week kicks off with NAMI Mercer’s fifth annual Harvest of Hope Wellness conference and continues with In Our Own Voice presentations.
Harvest of Hope is scheduled for 8:30 a.m. to 3:15 p.m. at the Presbyterian Church of Lawrenceville, 2688 Main Street, Lawrenceville.
This annual education event is open to individuals and families affected by mental illness as well as the general public. The focus this year is Getting Better Together.
Dr. Mark Komrad is set to deliver the keynote address, The Tough First Step: How to Convince Someone to Get Psychiatric Help. He is a Distinguished Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association and this year’s winner of a NAMI Exemplary Psychiatrist Award. The former host of a nationally syndicated radio show, Dr. Komrad has appeared widely on TV and radio.
The conference then will offer attendees a choice of concurrent wellness workshops, with one session in the morning and another during the afternoon.
Workshops will provide a variety of interactive and hands-on wellness experiences. Topics include a medication update, art therapy, physical fitness, poetry writing, inter-family communications, food and mood, tapping therapy, animal-assisted therapy, faith and wellness, aging and the brain, caregiving, and stress reduction through the heart.
The after-lunch activity is an energizing group drumming experience led by Ange Chianese and Lesley Tao Mowat. Jim Gaven will lead a motivating group sing-along to conclude the conference.
Registration is $10 registration and includes breakfast and lunch.
Throughout the week, NAMI Mercer is set to will host several In Our Own Voice presentations in the Mercer County Library System libraries.
IOOV is a unique public education program, developed by NAMI, in which two trained volunteers share compelling personal stories about living with mental illness and achieving recovery. The presentation is an informative and inside view of mental illness and recovery, offering hope and combating the stigma that is so often associated with mental illness.
Presentations are scheduled to being 7 p.m.
Oct. 7 at the Hickory Corner Branch Library, 138 Hickory Corner Road, East Windsor.
Oct. 8 at the Robbinsville Branch Library, 42 Robbinsville-Allentown Road, Robbinsville.
Oct. 10 at the Hopewell Branch Library, 245 Pennington-Titusville Rd., Pennington.
Oct. 29 at the West Windsor Library Branch, 333 N. Post Road, Princeton Junction.
Mental Illness Awareness Week concludes with an Open House and Creative Arts Festival at 1 to 4 p.m. on Oct. 11 at Trenton Psychiatric Hospital, Sullivan Way, Trenton. The public is welcome, but registration is required. Contact Michelle Senni at (609) 633-1586.
In 1990, Congress designated the first full week of October as Mental Illness Awareness Week. Since then, all levels of NAMI have intensified their outreach efforts during this time. This year in Mercer County, more than 85 churches and synagogues will observe MIAW by offering special prayers for persons affected by mental illness.
Mental Illness Awareness Week is scheduled for Oct. 6 to 12.
More information is online at namimercer.org.
