NAMI South King County

NAMI South King County has been in existence since 1985. We offer a variety of programs and services to people with mental illness and their families. We are proud members of The Alliance Center, a consortium of local non-profits working together to provide related human services programs in the community. Other Alliance members include the Kent Food Bank, Multi-Service Center (MSC), Washington Women’s Education and Employment (WWEE), Wayfind, and Renton Technical College.

Our mission is to improve the quality of life of those persons affected by acute and chronic brain disorders through support, education, and advocacy.

Our vision is to be the voice for mental illness in South King County, Washington. We look forward to the day when no one will know the stigma of mental illness.

We are affiliated with the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) and with NAMI Washington State.

Support Groups

• Meet several times each month
• Network of people who understand/empathize
• Information and referral to mental health agencies/providers
• Recognition of mental illness symptoms
• “How to” guides for navigating the complex system of mental healthcare and its bureaucracy
• Where to go/what to do when treatment has been turned down, delayed, or is inappropriate
• Housing/transportation issues
• Crisis intervention information

Connection

NAMI Connection is a weekly recovery support group for people living with mental illness in which people learn from each other’s experiences, share coping strategies, and offer each other encouragement and understanding.

Family Support Group

NAMI Family Support Group is for family members, partners and friends of individuals living with a mental illness that meets every second and fourth Tuesday of the month.

Education

NAMI South King County provides numerous educational programs for people with mental illness, their families and friends, social services groups, school administrators, clinicians, religious groups, police and members of the community.

Each class is taught by NAMI South King County members who have undergone special training. All programs are FREE. Each brings a better understanding of mental illnesses; each provides a message of hope that treatment works and recovery is possible. They include:

NAMI Connection

NAMI Family Support Group

NAMI Family-to-Family

NAMI Peer-to-Peer

NAMIWalks

NAMI In Our Own Voice: Living with Mental Illness

Monthly Speaker Forums

Monthly Newsletter

Advocacy

NAMI is active in reporting about and supporting legislative efforts that concern people living with mental illness. In Washington state, we support and participate in an annual NAMI Day in Olympia to visit our legislators and share our stories.