Bringing Family Lived Experience To You



July 1st, 2025 | Volume 3, Issue 9

Join us virtually for the National Federation of Families' 36th Annual Conference on November 3rd, 5th, and 7th! If you’ve never experienced our conference before, this is the year to join us!

The NFF Annual Conference is a one-of-a-kind event that brings together families, caregivers, family peers, community leaders, providers, advocates, and policymakers from across the country. Together, we explore the most pressing issues impacting families and the mental health and well-being of their loved ones—all through the lens of a family-driven approach.

Now more than ever, we need to enhance and grow family leaders to navigate a rapidly changing landscape. This virtual conference offers a powerful platform to connect, learn, and grow alongside a national network of passionate and dedicated individuals. Reserve your spot by registering as a virtual attendee below. Show your support for the family peer workforce while spreading the word about the work your organization does by sponsoring our virtual conference!

Register for the NFF and NFSTAC Pre-Innovation Institutes Training:

Family Peer Specialist Through the Lifespan

Celebrating the Life of Karl Dennis

The family movement recently lost one of its founding members and most passionate champions for family-driven, compassionate mental health support systems, Karl Dennis. Known as the "Father of Wraparound," Karl was a pioneer and international expert in supporting the "hardest to serve" children and families by providing Unconditional Care, his signature philosophy. NFF gained so much from our partnership with Karl throughout his impressive life, from his time as a Board Member to the many presentations and panel discussions where he shared his wisdom, mentorship, and guidance to our leadership and members. We are grateful that we were able to honor Karl and his wife Kathy—who worked tirelessly alongside him throughout his career—with a Lifetime Achievement Award at our 2023 Annual Conference in Chicago, IL, where he also joined us to present the Karl Dennis Unconditional Care Award to that year's recipient. We named this award in his honor, because during the 27 years he spent as the Executive Director of Kaleidoscope, a nationally-recognized top five child-serving agency in the country, Karl transformed the way the mental health system thought about what it means to truly support youth and families by listening to their lived expertise and providing the supports that each individual family desired—no matter that family's challenges.

We have Karl Dennis to thank for inspiring countless family advocates, family peers, providers, and other family support stakeholders who will continue to hold Wraparound and other child-serving systems accountable for delivering family-driven support. As Karl once said during an interview with NFF Executive Director Lynda Gargan for a SAMHSA event, "Under no circumstances do we throw anyone out of our system; there is no one we won't accept. And if we don't have a service for them, we need to plan one. Our commitment is that we will not ever give up, regardless of what occurs." Thank you, Karl and Kathy, for everything that you have taught us about what it means to practice acceptance!

National Center of Excellence for Tobacco-Free Recovery Cohort 2 Opening Session

Through the National Center of Excellence for Tobacco-Free Recovery (CoE-TFR), CAI is engaging behavioral health providers, state agencies, people who use commercial tobacco products, and other stakeholders in efforts to reduce the high rate of commercial tobacco use among people with mental health and substance use conditions.

On June 12, 2025, NFSTAC’s Lachelle Freeman participated in the 2nd cohort opening session on a panel that included an individual on their journey to quit using tobacco, two former tobacco users, and Lachelle sharing the experiences of a family member of a tobacco user.

People with behavioral health conditions consume 40% of the cigarettes manufactured in this country and smoke at disproportionate rates (CDC, 2024). CAI is challenging myths about tobacco and addressing these environmental conditions through the CoE-TFR, a five-year initiative to engage a wide set of experts who will serve as a national planning committee, provide training and technical assistance to staff working in behavioral health care settings on effective evidence-based tobacco cessation interventions, and create and maintain an online hub for accessing quality resources and materials.

Office Hour: Finding Families that Would Benefit from Support

July 15th, 2:00 p.m. ET

NOTE WEEK CHANGE

This event will explore effective strategies for identifying families who would benefit from support when navigating the challenges of a child's mental health and/or substance use challenges. Attendees will learn practical approaches to outreach, ways to engage parents empathetically, and how to leverage education and shared experiences to foster meaningful connections.

NFSTAC June Event Recordings

Office Hour: The Family Peer Career Ladder & Grant Writing Tips with Rikki Harris and Carla Pretto

Webinar: Effective Strategies to Show Off Your Work with the SW Plains Mental Health Implementation Support Hub

National Policy News

Supreme Court Protects Rights of Students with Disabilities

On June 12, 2025, the Supreme Court unanimously ruled that families suing schools under the Americans with Disabilities Act for discrimination against students with disabilities, including mental health and behavioral challenges, do not need to prove “bad faith or gross misjudgment” on part of the school. This will allow families whose children do not receive legally-required support to continue to use the court system to hold schools accountable.

Report to Congress on Medicaid and CHIP for Transition-Aged Youth

The Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission released a report on June 11, 2025 that includes recommendations on transitions from pediatric to adult care for Medicaid-covered children and youth with special health care needs, including mental health and substance use challenges. This report was sent to Vice President JD Vance and House Speaker Mike Johnson to inform policy.

National Legislation

Mental Health Excellence in Schools Program Act (H.R. 3534, S.1895)

The Mental Health Excellence in Schools Program Act was reintroduced in the House and Senate on May 21, 2025. The bill would create a partnership between the Department of Education and universities to create tuition grants for students who complete a training program that leads to a credential as a school mental health professional. NFF endorsed this legislation.

Follow our Legislative and Advocacy Facebook page and use the data and facts shared there in concert with your advocacy skills to represent the voice of families where you live. Some highlights shared this month include:

• PBS's article about the effect of Medicaid cuts on family caregivers
• A powerful success story about one family's advocacy
• World Eating Disorder advocacy materials
• APA's advisory on AI's impact on children's mental health
• Active Minds call for Student Advisory Committee Members
• Tons of briefs, articles, and action alerts to advocate against Medicaid cuts

Disability Pride Month

Disability Pride Month recognizes the importance of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) which was signed into law 35 years ago July 26th. This is the month to celebrate disability culture, history, and community pride. Disability pride is about accepting and honoring each person’s uniqueness.

As family members and caregivers know, disability is not something to hide or fix—it’s part of who we are and who our children are. Disability pride has often been described as "accepting and honoring each person’s uniqueness" so they can thrive.

The Center for Disease Control (CDC) offers a range of resources for people with disabilities, caregivers, and providers. Be sure to check out how to be a Disability A.L.L.Y. and access CDC's free social media designs and messaging! Get inspired by Real Stories and learn more about Disability and Health.

Upcoming Family Mental Health Events

NASEM's 2-Day Virtual Workshop: Enhancing Care and Services for Mental Health and Substance Use Disorders

July 1st & July 2nd, 11:00 a.m.- 4:00 p.m. ET

Social Current's Following Advocacy Amplified: Strengthening Your Advocacy

July 8th, 2:00 p.m. ET

NASMHPD's Weekly 988 Crisis Jam

July 2nd, 9th, 16th, & 23rd, 12:00 p.m. ET

The National Council for Mental Wellbeing's Act With Hope: Engagement Anywhere

July 15th, 3:00 p.m. ET

SMI TTAC's Peer Support for SMI During Care Transitions

July 17th, 1:00 p.m. ET

CARS' Peer Support for Pregnant Women - Supporting Women with CPS Involvement

July 30th, 2:00 p.m. ET

HHS Youth Mental Health and Well-being in Faith and Community Settings: Practicing Connectedness

In a new toolkit, the Health and Human Services Center for Faith reports more than 40% of teenagers say they struggle with persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness, while more than half of parents and caregivers express concern over their children’s mental well-being. Youth Mental Health and Well-being in Faith and Community Settings: Practicing Connectedness outlines how faith communities can support youth who are experiencing challenges related to their mental health.

Created in 2001, the HHS Center for Faith assists and partners nationally with faith-based groups, houses of worship, and community organizations. This toolkit outlines how faith-based and community organizations can educate congregations and their communities about mental health issues through education forums and fostering connections with youth and their families.

CDC Suicide Prevention Communication Playbook and and Brainstorm Book

Death by suicide is a serious public health problem with long-lasting effects on families and communities. It’s also a difficult topic to discuss. If your organization or community wants to create a prevention strategy, the CDC just released two connected resources to help develop campaigns that fit your community's needs. It also creates a nonjudgmental space for candid conversations.

CDC’s Suicide Prevention Communication Campaign Playbook and Brainstorm Book work together. The Playbook includes data sources, actionable steps, and exercises to help your organization develop effective campaigns. The Brainstorm Book has step-by-step exercises for organizers to understand their community, address possible barriers, and craft calls to action. Both align with the 2024 National Strategy for Suicide Prevention and CDC’s Suicide Prevention Resource for Action.

NTTAC Report:

Navigating Mental Health in a Digital World

Earlier this year, the National Training & Technical Assistance Center (NTTAC) convened a Technology Roundtable to explore how social media is shaping mental health, generational experiences, and the way we connect with one another.

The voices of those at the roundtable inspired a rich community discussion that was grounded in research. This report highlights both the positive aspects and challenges of social media's impact on mental health, as well as generational perspectives on how social media is perceived. Read about the themes and insights that can help inform program development, policy efforts, and foster better understanding across generations.