Important Update: Rest Up Week Closure
NAMI Westside Los Angeles’ office and programming will be closed from July 1 to July 5 for Rest Up Week. Inspired by NAMI National, NAMI WLA will pause programming during the first week of July to allow time for rest and renewal.
During this closure, there will be no NAMI WLA support groups held online via Zoom or in person. Regular programming will resume on Saturday, July 6.
Homefront Class
NAMI Homefront is a free, 6-session educational program for families, caregivers and friends of military service members and veterans with mental health conditions. Based on the nationally recognized NAMI Family-to-Family program, NAMI Homefront is designed to address the unique needs of family, caregivers and friends of those who have served or are currently serving our country. It is designed to help family members understand and support their service member/veteran while maintaining their own well-being.
There’s no doubt about how much we need to support the mental health of our veterans and military service members. An estimated one in five of the men and women deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan since 2004 live with severe depression or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Since the beginning of the invasion of Afghanistan, more service members have died as a result of suicide than combat.
Thankfully, there is hope for them at home. When we learn more about what our loved ones are experiencing, we can provide them with the support they need to thrive. We know that family support is a critical component in the treatment and recovery of those living with mental health conditions. The Homefront program helps families understand what the service member/veteran is experiencing related to trauma, combat stress, civilian life transition, PTSD and other mental health conditions.
The program is taught by trained family members of service members/veterans with mental health conditions and is designed to address the unique needs of family, caregivers and friends of military service members and veterans experiencing post-traumatic stress (PTSD), traumatic brain injury (TBI), and other mental health conditions.
Homefront’s Impact
A study on the program saw improvements in empowerment, coping, psychological distress, family functioning, experience of caregiving, and knowledge of mental illness for both in-person as well as online participants.
“This training has been really helpful for me to process much of my own emotions. I am at a point now that being able to stop and look back at exactly how far we’ve come and being reminded of the painful past but positive changes was very empowering. Sometimes when we get stuck in the routine of moving on we lose sight of how far we’ve come.”
“I realized I saw signs and symptoms of PTSD but did not know how to handle my loved one — I know better how to handle situations.”
“You realize that he will never be the same having been through war. I learned how to treat him more as an adult than as a hurt child.”
“We are still friends with everyone that was in the class. There’s always and open ear and an open heart and a shoulder to cry on if you need it.”
What the Class Offers
Recovery is a journey and there is hope for all people affected by mental health conditions.
NAMI Homefront teaches you how to:
- Learn to care for yourself, including managing your stress
- Support your family member with compassion
- Identify and access federal, state and local services
- Stay informed on the latest research and information on mental health, including post-traumatic stress disorder, traumatic brain injury, anxiety, depression and substance use
- Understand current treatments and evidence-based therapies
- Navigate the challenges and impact of mental health conditions on the entire family
- Manage a crisis, solve problems and communicate effectively
NAMI Homefront Class Registration
Please Note: We will be in touch shortly for more details about our class, including class material, dates, times, and the Zoom link.
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