There are two mental health advocacy organizations that target family members of adults in the state of Michigan. One is the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI Michigan) and another is the Mental Health Association of Michigan (MHAM). They often collaborate on lobbying efforts and attend advocacy meetings together. NAMI MI and MHAM also support each others’ fund raising campaigns.

Both organizations have people with a mental illness/psychiatric diagnosis as members as well.

NAMI Michigan is affiliated with NAMI (the National Alliance on Mental Illness) and lists the following as their mission:

NAMI Michigan and its affiliates are dedicated to the improvement of the quality of life for persons, families and others, who are affected by mental illness, including children with serious emotional disorders, through support, education, advocacy and research.

The Family Resource Guide that NAMI produces regularly is helpful for everyone.

NAMI Michigan Education Programs have been around for about 15 years. The NAMI MI program, Families in Action (FIA), was developed in Michigan for people in Michigan by family members, people who have a mental illness and professionals. FIA has been offered to many people in Michigan and Canada. The way they approach helping someone to alleviate signs and symptoms is unique to the Families In Action Program, and is no longer duplicated anywhere else within the NAMI Organization. The process has helped many people, not just family members.

People with a mental illness/psychiatric diagnosis have both taken FIA and taught FIA in many areas. It has been a crucial component in people's recovery journeys, as well as helping family members become better informed about the signs and symptoms of various mental illnesses.

NAMI Michigan also offers the NAMI National Program’s Family to Family and NAMI Basics. Family to Family is a 12-week course for family members who have an adult who happens to have a mental illness/psychiatric diagnosis. Consumers are not allowed to participate into the Family-to-Family course. NAMI Basics is a course for family members who have people, including adolescents under the age of 18, who happen to have a mental illness or severe emotional disturbance. 

NAMI Michigan has specific education, anti-stigma and support programs for consumers (people with a mental illness/psychiatric diagnosis). The programs are there for both members of NAMI and non-members of NAMI. The three programs offered by NAMI that are specific to consumers are:

Connection is the NAMI support group format designed by people who happen to have a mental illness/psychiatric diagnosis for people who have a mental illness psychiatric diagnosis). Connection was renamed in 2007 and NAMI Michigan was a rollout state for the new revamped support group program. Prior to that time the support group program was called NAMICARE (NAMI Consumers Advocating Recovery through Empowerment). It has been used in Michigan since 1995. In Our Own Voice (IOOV) is an anti-stigma and education program to be given to the general public, to people in clubhouses and drop-in centers, at NAMI meetings, Rotary clubs, state hospitals, etc. It is the longest running consumer program in the NAMI stable, and Michigan has used In Our Own Voice in-state since 1997. Two people who happen to have a mental illness/psychiatric diagnosis go out and share their recovery stories to an audience. These stories have been shared with both large and small audiences. Hearts and Minds is available totally online. You can go to the NAMI website and easily start there. There are DVDs and booklets you can order; but there is no need to do that. The videos are available online at YouTube. This ensures that everyone can play the videos. The books are available as an easily downloadable PDF document.

For more information about NAMI MI Consumer programs you can call the NAMI Michigan state office (1-800-331-4264) or go to the NAMI MI website. Look for the tab that says Programs.

Mental health advocacy organizations, NAMI MI and MHAM, are also involved in children's mental health, but there are two other advocacy organizations that cover children's mental health in the state of Michigan. Because children are, well, kids, the advocacy organizations address the needs of the families that surround the children as well as the children themselves. These organizations are the Association for Children's Mental Health (ACMH) and the Michigan Association of Children with Emotional Disorders (MACED).

NAMI MI is also a coalition member of “Partners for Parity.”