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Bringing Family Lived Experience To You
Accept, Advocate, Act
October 2, 2023 | Volume 2, Issue 2
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Note from the Executive Director
Social Justice for Families
Our annual conference is just over one month away! In this newsletter, we're bringing you resources and events to prepare you for discussions about family peer support as social justice during the Advancing Social Justice, Equity, and Inclusion for Families and Their Children themed conference. We introduced the Accept, Advocate, Act campaign for the 2023 Children's Mental Health Acceptance Week. Join us in Chicago as we discuss the importance of each of these steps to realize family-driven support, programs, communities, and systems.
In this edition of the newsletter, learn more about our conference keynote speakers, download a picture frame for your social media accounts to spread the #SocialJusticeForFamilies movement, and register for events that will get you excited to connect with other advocates at the conference!
We're so excited to see many of you at our 34th National Conference! Register in the next two weeks to get the regular price. Help us spread the word about reaching families, the family peer workforce, and other stakeholders through sponsorship and exhibiting at our conference!
With hope,
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Lynda Gargan, PhD
Executive Director, National Federation of Families
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Advancing Social Justice for Families and Youth | | | |
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Key Conference Information:
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Promote Your Social Justice Work
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Use our free social media frame template to promote your social justice work. You can use it for your own LinkedIn, Facebook, and e-mail profiles to highlight the importance of acceptance, advocacy, and action. #AcceptAdvocateAct
Step 1: Login to Canva or create a free account.
Step 2: Select or upload the photo you want to use.
Step 3: Add your photo to the design and center it in the frame.
Step 4: Click "Share" (top right), then "Download" (in the dropdown), to get your personalized frame for use on social media and e-mail profiles.
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NARCAN OTC Announcement
The first shipments of over-the-counter naloxone— NARCAN® Nasal Spray—are on their way to local pharmacies, grocery stores, and online retailers.
Naloxone is a life-saving drug that reverses the effects of an opioid overdose. Over-the-counter availability is a crucial next step in making naloxone even more accessible, and thus saving more lives.
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Welcome Home
We're excited to share that our previous team members Leann Sherman and Kelsey Engelbracht are back with us at the national office!
Leann rejoins the team as Administrative Coordinator and a terrific support to us all. She is a great touchpoint for our partners and affiliates who have questions or need assistance.
Kelsey has stepped into a new role heading up our Social Justice and Acceptance Campaigns, including CMHAW in May, and will lead the charge with partner and affiliate membership development, among other roles, in support of NFF's work moving forward.
Welcome home, Leann and Kelsey!
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| QUESTION: How will you enhance your social justice toolkit at the conference? | | | |
Responses from September Poll: Which conference track are you most interested in learning more about?
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In September, you shared which conference tracks you are most excited about attending. More than a quarter of you are gearing up to attend Workforce Development sessions. Just under 17% of you can't wait for the JEDI or Lessons from the Field track sessions. The Emerging Youth and Young Adult Leaders / Youth Workforce Development track is the most appealing to just over 15% of you. About 13% of NFF newsletter readers can't wait to learn about Supporting Families with Co-Occurring Concerns and about 12% are ready to learn more about Supporting Families and Their Children Through the Lifespan. | |
NFSTAC News and Highlights | | |
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Family Engagement: Families and Schools Working Together
This toolkit offers resources and a roadmap from NFSTAC, the Mental Health Technology Transfer Center, and the National Center for School Mental Health to move schools from the tokenism that often comes with family involvement to authentic family engagement. Learn how incorporating Family Peer Specialists on school-based mental health teams can move schools towards family-driven partnership and support for youth experiencing mental health and/or substance use challenges.
| NFSTAC invites you to submit requests for free technical assistance from our network of partners and subject matter experts. NFSTAC is driven by the needs of families and the workforce that supports families. You'll find education, training, and family support resources tailored specifically to families, the family peer workforce, communities, healthcare systems, clinicians, and educators. | |
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Family Connections:
Bullying Behavior 101
October 5, 1:30 p.m. ET
Join our next Family Connections on October 5th when we dig into “Bullying Behavior 101." We’ll discuss the dynamics of bullying whether your child is the witness, the target, or the student exhibiting bullying behavior. We’ll also learn how children's experiences in school, neighborhood, and home can be a contributing factor.
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Webinar Recording: Family Engagement in School Mental Health
Learn from parent Lachelle Freeman, former teacher Dana Asby, and school mental health trainers Jessica Gonzalez and Samantha Reaves about best practices for partnering with families around school mental health support. This webinar is a great companion to our new Family Engagement toolkit for schools!
| NFSTAC Webinars are on hiatus for October and November, and Family Connections will be taking a break in November as we prepare for and run our annual conference! Join us in December for Family Connections, Office Hours, and a Webinar! Subscribe to NFSTAC's Eventbrite page to receive alerts about new registration pages. | |
Register Now for 2023-2024 Office Hours | |
Join us for our first session with subject matter expert Wanda Douglas,
President of the North Carolina Foster and Adoptive Parent Association!
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Supporting Organizational Well-Being and Leader Success Through Mentorship:
A Guide to Sustainability
Whether you attended one, all, or none of the Office Hour sessions from 2022-2023, you can use our new program guide to enhance your leadership skills through a tailor-made mentorship—supported by our series of videos from subject matter experts in organizational well-being and sustainability.
In this guide, you'll find tools to guide you and a mentor/mentee along a journey of co-learning:
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Links to 8 videos to introduce the series' topics and share strategies to improve skills
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An action plan for each topic to assist you in developing your goals and breaking them into actionable steps
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A discussion guide for each topic to spark conversation in your mentorship
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Resources aligned with each video
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Join the Pre-Conference Training Wait List
NFSTAC's pre-conference training Cutting-Edge Practice Skills for the Family Peer Workforce is sold out! If you would like to join the waitlist, e-mail us at gcormier@ffcmh.org and let us know your name, e-mail address, phone number, and arrival date/time!
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Celebrating Our Affiliates! | | |
F.A.C.T. provides a range of services for families that include children who have a developmental disability, a behavioral or mental health challenge, or both. Their programs are designed to support, empower, and provide information and guidance to parents, grandparents, guardians, or caregivers to help their children thrive. At F.A.C.T., they understand what families are going through because everyone who works there has a family member with a disability. They know what it's like to feel frustrated, isolated, and unsure where to turn for help.
F.A.C.T. programs include:
Special thanks to F.A.C.T. for their Emerald sponsorship of next month's conference! They understand the importance of family peer support in social justice!
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Interested in being a Featured Affiliate?
In December, we'd love to feature YOU! Reach out to dasby@ffcmh.org if your organization has a program, event, or great story to share!
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Legislative and Advocacy News | | |
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What’s Happening?
The Biden Administration proposed new rules to advance parity—the basic idea that mental health and substance use support are covered at the same level as physical health conditions. Strengthening the existing regulations is critical to holding health plans accountable, helping Americans get needed support, and decreasing the enormous health care and social costs of under-supported mental health and substance use challenges.
How You Can Take Action?
Now, the public has a chance to comment on the proposal. The number of comments MATTER. Please help us tell the federal government how important it is to ensure equal treatment for mental health and substance use support by insurance plans by submitting a comment on the proposed updates to the enforcement rules. The comment period is open until October the 17th.
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The National Federation of Families and its key parity partners (listed above) have created a template for you to submit your support. If you have a story to share, consider adding a few sentences to describe the challenges you have experienced.
Make your voice heard today! #AcceptAdvocateAct
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Keep Up with the Latest Legislative News
NFF's Legislation and Policy News for Family Advocates is the place to find the details on the bills, policies, and opportunities for input that family advocates need. Visit for the latest news and releases, proposed legislation and policies, and what's being implemented in both policy and legislation. It's updated monthly to give you the latest information in one place.
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Domestic Violence Awareness Month Resources | | |
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Domestic violence is best understood as a pattern of abusive behaviors—including physical, sexual, and psychological attacks as well as economic coercion—used by one intimate partner against another (adult or adolescent) to gain, maintain, or regain power and control in the relationship. Abuse tactics aim to frighten, terrorize, manipulate, hurt, humiliate, blame, often injure, and sometimes kill a current or former intimate partner.
Domestic violence, also known as intimate partner violence, is a serious and widespread problem. In the United States, 1 in 4 women and 1 in 9 men experience sexual violence, physical violence, and/or stalking by an intimate partner in their lifetime and report negative impacts such as injury, fear, concern for safety, and needing services (CDC, 2017). Domestic violence can happen to anyone regardless of employment or educational level, race or ethnicity, religion, marital status, physical ability, age, sex, gender identity, or sexual orientation.
As a mental health advocate, what action will you take this October?
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In October, these additional awareness events are celebrated:
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SAMHSA 2023-2026 Strategic Plan
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) published their Strategic Plan for the next three years. Their four core principles prioritized throughout all activities are 1) equity, 2) trauma-informed approaches, 3) recovery, and 4) commitment to data and evidence. Throughout the plan, family members of loved ones with mental health and/or substance use challenges are included alongside individuals with lived experience when SAMHSA discusses recovery resources and support.
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September was National Suicide Prevention Month. Access resources to prevent suicide all year long from the Suicide Prevention Resource Center, including:
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