If you need assistance regarding the crisis in the LA Area please visit: Trauma Resources | | |
National Alliance on Mental Illness
Pomona Valley Affiliate
September Newsletter 2025
Helpline: (909) 399-0305
Available 9am to 9pm
| | |
Family Support Group is here to connect you with families and friends who also have a loved one in their life that is suffering from a mental illness.
We are here to support you!
We are in this together!
-
El Grupo de Apoyo familiar esta aquí para conectarte con familias y amistades de personas que sufren de una enfermedad de salud mental.
Estamos aquí para apoyarte!
Juntos se puede!
| | |
Every 1st Tuesday of the Month
Cada primer martes del mes
| | |
ENGLISH GROUP
WHEN:
September 2, 2025
6:15pm - 7:30pm
WHERE:
Claremont United Church
of Christ
233 Harrison Ave
Claremont CA, 91711
Upper Room - Upstairs
| |  | |
GRUPO EN ESPANOL
CUANDO:
2 de Septiembre de 2025
6:15pm - 7:30pm
DONDE:
Claremont United Church
of Christ
233 Harrison Ave
Claremont CA, 91711
En el "Library"
| | |
|
3rd Tuesdays of the every month
September 16, 2025
6:15pm - 7:30pm
Claremont United Church of Christ
233 Harrison Ave
Claremont CA, 91711
Room 205 - Upstairs
| | |
3rd Wednesdays of every month
Cada tercer miércoles del mes
Este grupo también se ofrece en español
September 17, 2025
7pm- 8:30pm
Location:
Holy Name of Mary Catholic Church
724 E Bonita Ave,
San Dimas, CA 91773
Faith Formation (FF) Room 204-205
Here are the dates for 2025:
September 17, 2025
October 15, 2025
November 19, 2025
| | |
PEER SUPPORT
GROUPS - CONNECTION
| | |
NAMI Connection is a recovery support group program that offers respect, understanding, encouragement and hope. This group is a confidential and safe support group for adults living with mental health issues.
NAMI Connection groups are:
- Free and confidential
- Held weekly for 90 minutes
- Designed to connect, encourage, and support participants using a structured support group model
- Led by trained facilitators living in recovery themselves
| | |
IN PERSON
WHEN:
1st and 3rd Friday of every month
6:30pm – 8:00pm
WHERE:
United Church of Christ
233 Harrison Ave, corner of Harvard – 2nd floor in the
Upper Room
| | | |
VIRTUAL
WHEN:
2nd and 4th or 5th Friday of every month
6:30pm – 8:00pm
WHERE:
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/628987619
| | |
|
NAMI education classes and training programs are held throughout the year. Class seating is limited and fill quickly. Training programs are offered upon availability. Please fill out this contact form to be notified when registration for classes become available or for training program availability.
Sign-up on namipv.org for class notifications!
| |
"Do you have a loved one living with a mental health condition? Do you have questions about how to support, communicate with and advocate for them? Are you looking for connection with other family members like you? Join us for our next Family to Family class at NAMI Pomona Valley!
For more info and registration contact Kyoni
kyoni@namipv.org or call/text (909) 258-9864
An 8 week course for family members and caregivers of individuals afflicted with severe mental illness, such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and major depression. Teachers are trained family members guided by a curriculum prepared and regularly updated by the national offices of NAMI. The course covers research to date on causes of mental illness, plus treatment and recovery programs as well as communication and coping skills.
Other classes
| Annual State Conference in Sacramento, California | |
NAMI California invites you to our 2025 in-person Annual Conference! This year, join us and hundreds of family members, educators, mental health professionals and advocates in Sacramento, California at the Sheraton Grand Hotel on October 16 and 17. Listen, learn, network and be united under our goal of reducing the stigma of mental illness.
| | |
!!Volunteers Needed!!
Volunteers are integral to the success of NAMI Pomona Valley.
We are currently looking for:
Helpline Volunteers
In person/ Info Table/ Community Volunteers
Peer presenter Volunteers
More details about peer presenters click here
Please fill out this form if you are interested: VOLUNTEER FORM
You may also contact the office for more details.
Phone: (909) 625-2383
Email: admin@namipv.org
| | |
Looking for a Job? Contact Pomona Jobs project!
FREE 4-week program
- One on one Sessions
- Professional resumes
- Tips and mock interviews
- Learn about worker's rights
- Job recommendations
Heidi Carranza *Bilingual: English/Spanish
hcarranza@latinolatinaroundtable.org
909-542-5080
| | |
September Art and Recovery Classes
We invite individuals experiencing mental illness, PTSD, or suicidal thoughts to join us for free art classes. Come create, connect, and heal through the power of art in a supportive and understanding community.
Dates: September 9th and 23rd
Time: 6:00 - 7:30 PM
Location: Alliance Community Cultural Center 406 W. 2nd St. Pomona, CA. 91766
| |
ADVOCACY
Let’s work together to advocate for Californians living with mental illness.
By signing up for our advocacy center, you’ll have direct access to key resources to advocate on behalf of critical issues impacting mental illness.
Your voice matters. Join NAMI California’s cause by https://namica.org/advocacy/
Go to link above to find more Petitions to sign and get Advocacy alerts!!
| |
How Not to Be Owned by Your
Emotions and Thoughts
| | |
All day long, we're swept along by inner weather. Emotions such as joy, irritation, craving, anxiety, fear, and boredom rise and fall like waves. Alongside them, our minds spin out an endless flow of thoughts: judgments, plans, fantasies, regrets. While emotions and thoughts are different processes, they feed into one another. An anxious thought sparks a racing heart; a restless body gives rise to catastrophic thinking. The two entwine until we can no longer tell which came first.
As meditation teacher Joseph Goldstein observes, "It's like being a bee in a jar, pinging from one thought to the next." We ricochet between inner states without much awareness, pulled in every direction.
In Buddhist psychology, this restless cycle is described as being caught or identified with whatever emotion or thought happens to appear.
But here's the key: Neither emotions nor thoughts is the real problem. They are natural, inevitable features of being human. The deeper difficulty lies in our relationship to them. For example, when we cling to joy, fight against fear, or mistake an anxious thought for truth. When we collapse into this identification, we become owned by our inner states rather than relating to them with compassion and wisdom.
Buddhist practice offers another way. By learning to recognize and relate to thoughts and emotions differently, we loosen their grip. A simple, portable method for achieving this comes from meditation teacher Caverly Morgan, who developed the SNAP practice: a modern expression of ancient wisdom that helps us return to presence without denying our feelings or thoughts.
A Simple Practice: SNAP
Meditation teacher Caverly Morgan (2022) developed a method called SNAP, which translates Buddhist principles into a simple, portable framework:
-
S — See it. Mindfulness begins with recognition. The Buddha used the word sati to mean "remember" or "notice." When we "see" a thought or emotion, we step out of automatic pilot.
-
N — Name it. Early Buddhist teachings recommend noting: "Anger is present," "fear is present." Naming creates space, reminding us that we are not the emotion itself but the awareness that notices
- A — Allow it. Instead of resisting what's unpleasant or clinging to what's pleasant, we allow. This echoes upekkha (equanimity): neither suppress nor indulge, but let the experience be. Importantly, allowing does not mean liking; it means letting the experience exist without extra struggle.
- P — Presence. Awareness itself is already free. Returning to presence means remembering that awareness does not need to be manufactured. It's always here.
Psychology Today - Full Article
| | |
Podcasts & Webinars
NAMI Podcasts and Webinars are for people interested in learning more about mental health. Listen in to learn more about personal stories of hope and recovery, expert advice and research, and strategies for ending stigma and living well.
You can find additional episodes of this NAMI podcast and others
Podcast & Webinar Link
Hope Starts With Us : Back to School Tips for
Parents & Caregivers
Episode 83
Going back to school can be tough for kids – and their parents. In this episode, Barb Solish, from NAMI’s Office of Innovation, guest hosts for a conversation with child and adolescent psychiatrist Dr. Christine Crawford. Hear from Dr. Crawford about what parents are worried about, how to address screen time for children, and modeling behavior at home. Plus, hear about what mental health warning signs parents can watch for and when to escalate concerns.
You can find additional episodes of this NAMI podcast and others at nami.org/podcast.
Podcast Link Link
| | |
Medicare Trends & Tactics in California
Medicare Trends and Tactics in California
As California’s aging population grows and diversifies, the state’s Medicare system is facing major transformation. From the rising popularity of Medicare Advantage to urgent workforce shortages and new value-based care models, stakeholders across the state are reimagining how to deliver high-quality, accessible care to over six million Medicare beneficiaries.
Here are the top Medicare trends shaping California in 2025, and what they mean for providers, policymakers, and older adults alike.
1. The Aging Population is Booming—and Diversifying
By 2030, nearly one in five Californians will be 65 or older. That’s more than 7.6 million older adults, most of whom will be Medicare beneficiaries with complex medical and social needs. This growth is accompanied by significant racial, ethnic, and linguistic diversification. As of 2019, 15% of California’s Medicare beneficiaries had limited English proficiency, the highest rate in the nation.
What this means: Health systems must prioritize culturally and linguistically competent care delivery to meet this population's needs, including building a workforce that reflects California’s diversity.
2. Medicare Advantage is on the Rise—But Access Isn’t Equal
As of 2024, 56% of California’s Medicare beneficiaries are enrolled in Medicare Advantage (MA) plans, compared to 42% in 2014. MA enrollment is especially high among Black, Hispanic, and Asian beneficiaries. Yet, regional disparities persist: rural counties often offer far fewer MA plan options, with some counties providing fewer than 10 choices compared to 60+ in Southern California counties like Orange.
What this means: While MA offers attractive benefits, California’s highly delegated insurance market has created inconsistencies in access, plan quality, and administrative burden for providers. Some have even stopped accepting MA plans altogether.
3. Chronic Illness and Care Coordination are Critical Challenges
More than half of Californians with Original Medicare had four or more chronic conditions in 2021, yet only 22% had a care manager or individualized care plan. The California Medicare Collaborative recommends investing in Advanced Primary Care (APC) models and value-based payment reforms to improve care coordination and outcomes.
What this means: There’s a growing need to fund team-based care, remote patient monitoring, and care managers, especially for beneficiaries managing multiple chronic illnesses.
Article Link - Blooming Health
| | |
Real Risk to Youth Mental Health is
"Addictive Use, " not Screen Time Alone
As Americans scramble to respond to rising rates of suicidal behavior among youth, many policymakers have locked in on an alarming metric: the number of hours a day that American children spend glued to a glowing screen.
But a study published on Wednesday in the medical journal JAMA, which followed more than 4,000 children across the country, arrived at a surprising conclusion: Longer screen time at age 10 was not associated with higher rates of suicidal behavior four years later.
Instead, the authors found, the children at higher risk for suicidal behaviors were those who told researchers their use of technology had become “addictive” — that they had trouble putting it down, or felt the need to use it more and more. Some children exhibited addictive behavior even if their screen time was relatively low, they said.
The researchers found addictive behavior to be very common among children — especially in their use of mobile phones, where nearly half had high addictive use. By age 14, children with high or increasing addictive behavior were two to three times as likely as other children to have thoughts of suicide or to harm themselves, the study found.
“This is the first study to identify that addictive use is important, and is actually the root cause, instead of time,” said Yunyu Xiao, an assistant professor of psychiatry and population health sciences at Weill Cornell Medical College and the study’s lead author.
Addictive behavior may be more difficult to control during childhood, before the prefrontal cortex, which acts as a brake on impulsivity, is fully developed.
Dr. Xiao said interventions should focus on the child’s addictive behavior, which is typically treated with cognitive behavioral psychotherapy, rather than simply limiting access to screens.
“If there are early warnings, then for parents, it’s important to seek professional help for children with such addictions,” she said. “We do not know if just taking away their phone will help. Sometimes it can create some conflict in the family, and that is even worse.”
The study analyzed changes in screen use among 4,285 children beginning at around age 10, regularly screening them for compulsive use, difficulty disengaging and distress when not given access.
At 14, when the subjects were assessed for suicidal behavior and mental health status, 5.1 percent of the participants had showed suicidal behavior, such as attempted suicide or preparation for an attempt, and 17.9 percent had experienced suicidal ideation.
Because of its design, the study did not establish that addictive use caused suicidal behaviors at age 14, but it was able to show that a prolonged trajectory of addictive use preceded the mental health problems, Dr. Xiao said.
The focus on addictive behavior has important policy implications, shifting more responsibility onto the technology companies who design devices and social media platforms, said Mitch Prinstein, chief science officer at the American Psychological Association.
Article Link - New York Times
| | |
Become a Member and Help fight Stigma!
NAMI Membership Dues:
Are you Current? Donations and membership are actually tax deductible!
Household Membership $60.00
Individual Membership $40.00
Open Doors Membership $ 5.00
Membership benefits include:
- Our flagship magazine, The NAMI Advocate
- Membership with NAMI National, NAMI California, and our Pomona Valley Affiliate
- Voting privileges
-
Discounts at the NAMI Store and on registration at the NAMI National Convention
- Access to all the information and features on the NAMI.org website and more
CLICK HERE - Become a member or gift a membership today!
NAMI National is a 501(c)3 tax-exempt organization and your donation is tax-deductible within the guidelines of U.S. law. To claim a donation as a deduction on your U.S. taxes, please keep your email donation receipt as your official record. We'll send it to you upon successful
completion of your donation.
| | |
Hope Starts with You : Hope Warmline
If you are going through a tough time, looking for support and resources, or just want someone to talk to, the Connect with Hope Warmline team is here for you!
Call us at (818) 208-1801 Monday through Friday
from 10AM to 8PM PST to receive free and confidential support.
This small but mighty team of three--Ligaya, Patria, and Dawnel--are all certified Peer Support Specialists. Each has knowledge of many resources to support you, as well as connections throughout Los Angeles County to help in addressing your particular mental health challenge.
Learn more and Connect with Hope by visiting NAMIGLAC.org/Warmline
| |
If you have any questions please feel free
to call the NAMI Pomona Valley Helpline: (909) 399-0305
Available 9am to 9pm
| | |
If you Need Help Reach out
| | | | |
