Lean On Me

The National Alliance on Mental Illness of Palm Beach County (NAMI PBC) seemingly does the impossible: It helps fill a huge gap in services with few resources at its disposal. 

The West Palm Beach nonprofit provides support, education and advocacy for people with mental illness and their families. In 2019, it served more than 7,300 people in the area, including 2,000 who attended support groups and nearly 2,300 who called the HelpLine looking for information and resources.

“What we really do is empower people,” says program director Katherine Murphy, who notes that the organization does not offer clinical services. “Many individuals feel isolated when dealing with their mental health. NAMI helps people feel like they are not alone – that there are people who can relate to them and who will be there for them.”

The organization, founded in 1983 as part of a national network of NAMI state and local affiliates, is unique in that its services – which are free and confidential – are delivered by people who have experienced mental illness themselves or through a loved one. 

There’s no better testament to the good work the organization does than the experiences of people involved with it. NAMI PBC board member Scott Fine says it’s been a lifeline for his family. 

“My NAMI training and volunteer work have helped me participate in my son’s long-term recovery,” Fine writes in the group’s newsletter. “All of that knowledge helped me to teach my son to embrace his disease, understand it and tackle it. My awareness and acceptance continue to pay me back, and I pay it forward. … I became a voice for my son’s treatment course.”  

NAMI PBC, which relies on funding from private donors, corporations and grants, has a staff of only 15, and all but five are part-timers. One full-time family-support specialist takes all HelpLine calls.

The recent closing of the Jerome Golden Center for Behavioral Health in West Palm Beach, which served the indigent for 50 years, has made NAMI’s mission even more challenging – and crucial. That’s one less mental health resource in the community to recommend to people who need it. 

“It definitely has disrupted family services, so it was a big loss in the community,” Murphy says. “We’re really trying to help people figure out what to do now.” O

For more information, call 561-588-3477 or visit namipbc.org.