NAMI’s Homefront class is a 6-session educational program for families, caregivers and friends of military service members and vets with mental health conditions. Based on the nationally recognized NAMI Family-to-Family program, NAMI Homefront is designed to address the unique needs of family, caregivers and friends of those who have served or are currently serving our country.
In order to lead this program in your community, you will be required to become a member of your local NAMI Affiliate. Memberships start at $5/yr and are frequently covered by the Affiliate if needed. We hope this is not seen as a barrier as it is not meant to be one.
NAMI Homefront Leader
State Training Application
Training Date(s) | Application Deadline |
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9/23/2023 - 9/24/2023 | 09/05/2023 |
Next Steps:
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Your local affiliate will reach out to interview you over the phone or on Zoom.
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You will complete a 6-8 hour online training by NAMI (national).
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You will then be interviewed by the trainer.
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If you are accepted for training, you will be sent a binder of training materials.
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On the day of, you will log into your Zoom training!
If the form disappears and says something went wrong, refresh your screen. However, your answers will not be saved, so write out written answers in a separate document in order to take your time and save your work!
Thanks!
NAMIWA Staff
What will I learn from the training?
- What will I learn from the training?
Participants will learn the necessary skills to conduct a rigorous and effective 6-week course in your community. Topics covered in the training include critical information and strategies related to care giving, incorporating presentations, discussions, and exercises. This helps provide the necessary tools for a better understanding of the individual living with mental illness. This class uses a guided group process to help families gain practical insight, obtain important information about research and resiliency along with increasing their emotional learning skills.
Homefront Teacher Requirements
To be a successful NAMI Homefront teacher, you need to respond to others in a non-judgmental way, you need to be a good listener with an empathetic ear, you need to be willing to talk about your experience as a family member of someone living with a mental illness, and you will need to be a family member of a service member/veteran living with mental illness.
Trainees agree to attend the entire class. Trainees must demonstrate the qualifications needed to become a good NAMI teacher by the end of training. Trainees may be asked to improve their skills in particular key areas and repeat the training before they may become certified. All applicants will participate in a phone screening interview with the class leaders prior to being accepted into the class. Minimum age to become a Homefront teacher is 18 years old.
What is required of me after I take the training?
By taking this teacher training you are committed to co-teaching the Homefront class, consisting of 6 weeks of material, at least twice in a 24-month period in cooperation with your local NAMI affiliate.
You will need to register and interview all prospective students before the class. Each weekly class requires a lot of pre-class preparation. In some affiliates, the teacher also needs to find a location for the classes and take care of advertising and publicity. You will be required to send periodic reports to State and National for their recordkeeping and upload data into the National NAMI Education Data tracking program. The classes involve reading aloud from NAMI course materials so applicants need to be comfortable with this.
Criteria for taking the Homefront Leader Training:
Who can lead?
Any family member, partner or caregiver of a Service Member or Veteran experiencing mental health symptoms may apply to become a NAMI Homefront program leader. All potential leaders are screened to determine whether the opportunity is a good fit for the individual and for the organization. NAMI Homefront program leaders attend an intensive training to become certified and must be members of NAMI.
Registration Information
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NAMI Washington will pay for meals, snacks, lodging and all training materials. Your NAMI affiliate is asked to cover your travel and other expenses that you may incur to attend this training. Lodging will be at a nearby hotel, and is double occupancy. If you require single occupancy, arrangements will need to be made prior to attendance by the attendee and there will be additional costs which will be the responsibility of the attendee. In order to reserve a space a $50 refundable registration deposit from your affiliate is required at the time of registration.
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If you need to cancel after being accepted, notify the NAMI Washington staff, no later than a week before the training so we can fill your spot, or your affiliate will lose its $50 registration deposit. Cancelled spots are filled with applications from the waiting list for the class, not by sending another affiliate member.