This evening, I visited NAMI Lexington at their "Participation Station" off of Versailles Road. I found out about this organization from Marcie Zimmerman, who stumbled upon my blog and then reached out to me, wanting to bring NAMI into the project. I said, "absolutely!" Once again, I didn't know this existed here in Lexington and I wanted to know more about it.
A fact that I actually just learned on the Today Show as I'm writing this article: it is National Health Month. Did you know that 1 in every 5 people has a mental illness. Over 40% of these people do not even get treatment, mostly because of the social stigma of getting treatment. This was the perfect organization to get involved with to learn more about this and the suffering individuals.
A fact that I actually just learned on the Today Show as I'm writing this article: it is National Health Month. Did you know that 1 in every 5 people has a mental illness. Over 40% of these people do not even get treatment, mostly because of the social stigma of getting treatment. This was the perfect organization to get involved with to learn more about this and the suffering individuals.
The Participation Station is a part of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) and a separate building from the rest of the organization. It is located off Sparta Court downtown and holds a number of activities for the community and those who may be suffering from mental illness or substance abuse. (More on PS and NAMI can be found below.)
After going through an orientation a few weeks ago, I signed up for this evening's shift to run the Warm Line. Those with a mental illness or substance abuse problem are able to call this line when they are lonely and need someone to talk to, could use advice or suggestions on where they can go to get help or simply about community activities, and essentially have a nonjudgemental ear that will listen to them.
I wasn't really sure what to expect with the specific phone calls and was admittedly nervous. Was I really trained to be able to talk to these people? What If I had someone that needed to be referred to the hot line or someone who was in a crisis? What if they were upset with me because I didn't know the right thing to say?
I was paired with Valerie today, who actually is not a volunteer but in fact the director of the Participation Station. We hung out in this cozy living room area, watching Friends and The Voice while waiting between calls. She let me know that sometimes there were calls constantly, and sometimes no calls came in at all.
We were highly entertained at one point by this fat little groundhog staring at us from the yard.
We were highly entertained at one point by this fat little groundhog staring at us from the yard.
She also gave me a little tour between calls, and explained to me stories behind some things on the walls. Below was a poem by "Penny", a PS participant. Sadly, she ended her life after this was written....
Not everything was sad here though! Most of the pieces were bright artwork, poetry, and inspirational messages. I particularly liked this one:
But then, we did get calls!
I listened to Valerie while she took the first call so that I could "learn the ropes" and how to chat with someone calling in. She was an expert!
My first call was from a girl probably close to my age that let me know she "felt lonely in a house full of people." She was torn between staying in Lexington and moving closer to her family in Morehead, but her family in Morehead is moving out of state soon to be with her siblings who had young children. She felt a little left behind, having no children herself, but is working on finishing up an art degree. A beautifully artistic person, she let me know she likes to write and is currently working on a children's book. "It's about a horse," she told me, "this black horse. Everyone has given up on it, but this one girl doesn't. It's a good message. It should be a good book for kids. We chatted about her school, how difficult she found her anatomy class to be, and how she really wanted to do more in the community but didn't know what.
I got excited at this point, because I actually knew what to tell her. Whaddya know, I just volunteered last week at the perfect place! "Have you tried the Carnegie Center? They have a lot of great classes, and NAMI provides one for free right here at the Participation Station." She perked right up when I told her about a "Writing for Recovery" class that was being offered between June and August. In much higher spirits after writing down this information, she let me go so we could free up the line for more calls.
My first call was from a girl probably close to my age that let me know she "felt lonely in a house full of people." She was torn between staying in Lexington and moving closer to her family in Morehead, but her family in Morehead is moving out of state soon to be with her siblings who had young children. She felt a little left behind, having no children herself, but is working on finishing up an art degree. A beautifully artistic person, she let me know she likes to write and is currently working on a children's book. "It's about a horse," she told me, "this black horse. Everyone has given up on it, but this one girl doesn't. It's a good message. It should be a good book for kids. We chatted about her school, how difficult she found her anatomy class to be, and how she really wanted to do more in the community but didn't know what.
I got excited at this point, because I actually knew what to tell her. Whaddya know, I just volunteered last week at the perfect place! "Have you tried the Carnegie Center? They have a lot of great classes, and NAMI provides one for free right here at the Participation Station." She perked right up when I told her about a "Writing for Recovery" class that was being offered between June and August. In much higher spirits after writing down this information, she let me go so we could free up the line for more calls.
I smiled at the thought that I may have really helped this girl, even if not just for one fleeting moment.
My next call came from a "regular". He suffers from Asberger's and actually calls Warm Lines across the country on a schedule to talk to people--yes, it is this much of a struggle in some of these peoples' lives when they do not have anyone else to listen. Now, most people assume that those suffering with mental illness are "stupid", which is an absolutely terrible assumption which this call proved. This man was an intricate wood carver, and he gave me a full-blown lesson on every type of wood that I have never heard of, the trees that they come from, and even knew the count of the fibers in each type. It was a discussion full of fine details about his art, which was mostly African tribal wood sculptures. His vocabulary was expansive and he was quite well-spoken. He didn't ask many questions and really just wanted someone to listen to him ramble. I was also surprised by his on-point sense of humor, making this an easy and entertaining call. All I had to do was validate what he was saying, listen to him talk about his hobbies, and then laugh when he cracked jokes.
My next call came from a "regular". He suffers from Asberger's and actually calls Warm Lines across the country on a schedule to talk to people--yes, it is this much of a struggle in some of these peoples' lives when they do not have anyone else to listen. Now, most people assume that those suffering with mental illness are "stupid", which is an absolutely terrible assumption which this call proved. This man was an intricate wood carver, and he gave me a full-blown lesson on every type of wood that I have never heard of, the trees that they come from, and even knew the count of the fibers in each type. It was a discussion full of fine details about his art, which was mostly African tribal wood sculptures. His vocabulary was expansive and he was quite well-spoken. He didn't ask many questions and really just wanted someone to listen to him ramble. I was also surprised by his on-point sense of humor, making this an easy and entertaining call. All I had to do was validate what he was saying, listen to him talk about his hobbies, and then laugh when he cracked jokes.
After a four hour shift and these two long calls, we called it a night. I had a great experience talking to these two people just to learn a bit more about what the needs are with some that may be suffering from a mental illness. It does not mean they are totally unstable, unable to speak to people, unintelligent... but that they, like all of us, get lonely and need someone to talk to. Without knowing the warm line peers personally, it is much easier for them to talk to someone that will ultimately always listen and not judge them while they talk. They may very well not have this support in their own lives.
Thank you to Marcie for reaching out to me and Valerie for hanging out with me while we answered calls, and for telling me more about NAMI!
Thank you to Marcie for reaching out to me and Valerie for hanging out with me while we answered calls, and for telling me more about NAMI!
Tell Me More about the NAMI Participation Station
Mission:
NAMI Lexington is a 501c3 non-profit organization that provides assistance to Families, Caregivers and Individuals whose life experience includes living with a serious and persistent mental illness. NAMI Lexington directly serves central Kentucky and partners to serve communities across the Commonwealth of Kentucky. We offer free advocacy, education, outreach and support programs and special events designed to raise community awareness and reduce stigma around mental health issues. Our guests encounter passionate “lived experience” wisdom in a welcoming environment.
NAMI Lexington is a 501c3 non-profit organization that provides assistance to Families, Caregivers and Individuals whose life experience includes living with a serious and persistent mental illness. NAMI Lexington directly serves central Kentucky and partners to serve communities across the Commonwealth of Kentucky. We offer free advocacy, education, outreach and support programs and special events designed to raise community awareness and reduce stigma around mental health issues. Our guests encounter passionate “lived experience” wisdom in a welcoming environment.
The Warm Line
This is a non-crisis hotline (there is a separate line for this if there is a threat that the individual is in a traumatic situation or may hurt them self/someone else) that men and women can call if they are struggling with mental health or substance abuse issues. The flyer below sums up what the Warm Line does.
This is a non-crisis hotline (there is a separate line for this if there is a threat that the individual is in a traumatic situation or may hurt them self/someone else) that men and women can call if they are struggling with mental health or substance abuse issues. The flyer below sums up what the Warm Line does.
What is the Participation Station? (from the website)
Participation Station was launched on December 7, 2009. Our program is run by Consumers of Mental Health Services (people with mental illnesses). for Consumers. All decisions on what tracks to be taught, day-to-day operations, maintenance and administration are done by Consumers of mental health services! There are no professionals on staff. We offer 2-3 "tracks" (groups) per day led by Consumer Track Leaders. Most of our Track Leaders are trained Kentucky Peer Specialists We offer peer support to those, like ourselves, who have had similar experiences in dealing with a diagnosis of mental illness. We do know that although there is no cure for mental illness, that people do recover and have fully productive lives. We believe that recovery is possible for everyone! Being able to talk to someone who has "been there, done that," is so powerful. At Participation Station we share our lived experience and strive for mental wellness. When you decide to attend Participation Station, there is no pressure to "have to" go to a group. We like for peers to participate in our tracks, but it is only one of many things we offer here. We have a library/meditation room that people can go read, listen to music or just "be." We have a big screen TV, but it rarely gets turned on, because most everyone wants to be engaged in some sort of peer interaction. We have a full kitchen that Consumers can utilize to attend cooking classes or bring and prepare their own meals from home. We have a designated smoking area as well.
We have seen Consumers grow from just coming to visit for a cup of coffee, to leading a weekly track. Others are happy with their cup of coffee, but come back everyday just for that reason. Everyone's journey to recovery is different!
We play host to a number of different programs such as Double Trouble in Recovery (a support group for people with mental illness and substance abuse), GED classes for the Latino community and other community activities. We have several events throughout the year such as a Valentine's Day party, Derby Day party, 4th of July party, Halloween party and our Annual Christmas party.
Are you interested in more? NAMI provides a TON more resources, classes, advocacy, training, and so much more. I'll direct you to the website for this!
How Can I Get Involved?
Become a Member
Your membership will support education, outreach, and advocacy efforts here in the Bluegrass Region.
Donate to NAMILex
Volunteer
Volunteer for Visitation Assistance at Eastern Hospital, to help run the Warm Line, or to help run the table at the Woodland Arts Fair later this summer.
Kroger Card Rewards Program
You can choose "NAMI" as your selected charity so that a portion of your purchases goes back to the cause.
Your membership will support education, outreach, and advocacy efforts here in the Bluegrass Region.
Donate to NAMILex
Volunteer
Volunteer for Visitation Assistance at Eastern Hospital, to help run the Warm Line, or to help run the table at the Woodland Arts Fair later this summer.
Kroger Card Rewards Program
You can choose "NAMI" as your selected charity so that a portion of your purchases goes back to the cause.
Contact Information
NAMI Lexington
498 Georgetown Street Suite 201
Lexington, KY 40508
Office Hours: Mon-Fri 10:00am — 4:00pm
Phone: (859) 272‑7891
Fax: (866) 538‑9971
498 Georgetown Street Suite 201
Lexington, KY 40508
Office Hours: Mon-Fri 10:00am — 4:00pm
Phone: (859) 272‑7891
Fax: (866) 538‑9971