National Federation of Families

02/27/2026

NFF is adopting The Urgency of Now – Ending Isolation by Creating Effective Community Ecosystems as our strategic platform for the year. This theme will be the cornerstone of our work throughout the year including a 5-part webinar series (coming soon!), discussion groups and our Annual Conference in October all centering around this theme.

Learn more: https://conta.cc/4s79Lgm

02/27/2026

"The justice system lacks coordination and informed response when serious mental illness intersects with the legal system. Both families and communities shoulder extraordinary strain."

Schizophrenia & Psychosis Action Alliance, in partnership with Treatment Advocacy Center, is issuing a national call to action: join us at the table to be among the first to define a structure and national framework for the National Mental Illness Justice Center—an all-access national hub to reform the legal response to people living with serious mental illness when they become involved in the justice system by delivering the tools, standards, and resources communities need, all within one national infrastructure.

S&PAA and TAC convene cross sector leaders April 23 in DC to shape founding principles for a National Mental Illness Justice Center.

02/26/2026

Judi’s Room: “What About Olmstead? The Fight Against Re-Institutionalization”

On March 4, 2026, at 6 p.m. ET (3 p.m. PT), MindFreedom International (MFI) and I Love You, Lead On will present a session featuring the Ohio Olmstead Task Force (OOTF), a trailblazing statewide coalition formed in 2002. “As we witness a growing national push toward returning to institutional settings, understanding and leveraging our legal rights has never been more vital,” MFI writes. “This session focuses on the ‘integration mandate’ as the ultimate tool for systemic change” and “how to use the law to push for the right to live, work, and participate in local communities rather than restrictive settings.” Register below.

https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZYucOytrzMrEt0MB4FSNRIqMdJQwyyjwJ0i?_x_zm_rtaid=UKxEtZHNSdGQX0VMPp1ijA.1772132875656.acf840527406e7045f8806ae25cac7cb&_x_zm_rhtaid=24 #/registration

02/25/2026

Calling the Peer Support Workforce: We know you have stories, strategies and successes to share! Highlight your work and/or your organization by participating.

Behavioral Health News writes: “We are seeking articles from peer specialists, individuals with lived experience, and others who work closely with peer services for the Spring 2026 issue of Behavioral Health News, themed ‘Supporting Peer Services in Behavioral Health.’ This issue will highlight the growing role of peers in mental health and substance use care, featuring personal experiences, program models, success stories, and practical guidance for strengthening recovery-oriented care.

Suggested topics include, but are not limited to peer-led advocacy, youth and young adult peer support, peer involvement in systems change, family peer support, workforce development, and integrating peers into clinical and community programs. We also welcome your own ideas.

If you're interested, email David at dminot@mhnews.org with a brief description of your proposed topic for approval, and he will provide submission guidelines. The March 12th deadline is approaching. A short extension is available if needed.

02/24/2026

"It’s a system where people with lived experience of mental health or substance use challenges offer support to others going through the same thing."

Organizations in Maine are using peer support to tackle mental health and economic challenges.

02/23/2026

"This ownership positively impacts a community’s resilience because residents move from the sidelines into roles of shared agency — no longer passive recipients of policy, but co-creators of the places they live."

People with deep ties to their community often find ways to improve it. They lead movements, run for office, teach or start a business. Some do it by contributing to local news and information, which is a powerful and sometimes underutilized means of shaping civic life. At API, we believe local jour...

02/22/2026

People say it takes a village to do difficult things: raise a child, sustain a community, build a barn.

But we don't often talk a lot about what it takes to be a villager. What does it mean to not just be in a community, but to help create one?

If you've always dreamed of having a village but feel disconnected from your community, try these five tips. Plus: We want to hear from you. Tell us how you cultivate community where you live.

02/20/2026

When young people feel connected to their communities, they are more likely to remain engaged, resilient, and motivated, even when circumstances become uncertain.

Christopher Halstedt explains that community belonging, while harder to measure than academic or behavioral metrics, consistently shapes how young people engage with opportunity and carry that engagement into adulthood.

02/20/2026

The nation’s mental health care system is currently focused almost exclusively on preventing and treating mental illness — conditions like depression, anxiety, and personality disorder that adversely affect a person’s mood and behavior. Although these are critical factors in mental health, so too are the components of life that are associated with feeling good, finding happiness and meaning, connecting with others, and feeling engaged — qualities that can be collectively described as positive mental health, or mental wellness.

Opinion | In research and in the clinic, the question of what makes a patient feel happy often gets short shrift.

02/19/2026

“Caregivers are often so focused on meeting everyone else’s needs that their own mental health falls to the bottom of the list,” said Dr. Jon Kole, Medical Director at Headspace and child and adolescent psychiatrist.

Learn more:

Ahead of National Caregivers Day on Feb. 20, Care.com, one of the largest online marketplaces for finding family care and care jobs, today announced a partne...

02/17/2026

Join The CAFE TA Center this Thursday for "Mending Family Bonds: Healing Relationships During Recovery." Building on the first three webinars, this fourth webinar offers heartfelt stories, practical tools, and compassionate guidance for parents and caregivers supporting an emerging adult through complex challenges. Learn more and register below.

Join us for the fourth webinar in our Empowering Your Emerging Adult Series: Mending Family Bonds: Healing Relationships During Recovery. Facilitators Charlotte Armstrong and Kirsten Drybrough, Family Peer Support Specialists and leaders of the Emerging Adult Series, invite you to continue this five...