Well-Being Matters is an on-going series highlighting different members of our community, their strategies for well-being, and how they impact the well-being of those around them. Texas Health Community Hope engages in a broad range of innovative programs, investments, and collaborations outside hospital walls to promote a lifetime of holistic health and well-being. This month, in recognition of Mental Health Awareness Month, we meet Angela Smith, Executive Director of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Tarrant County. Smith grew up northeast of here in Montague County and attended UTA. She joined NAMI as a fundraising walk manager in 2023, becoming the Executive Director in January 2024.
Q: What did you study at UTA?
A: I was a marketing and advertising major, working with businesses to rebuild, brand and grow, with emphasis on social media, marketing and graphic design. I had been using the NAMI website to help educate a family member and was looking for a career transition. My experience with mental health is truly a lived experience.
Q: That’s something that sets NAMI apart from other non-profit organizations serving people with mental health challenges.
A: We value the lived experience almost as much as a degree, in the sense of being able to relate with others. Obviously certain degrees are valuable for certain aspects of any business. However, since we’re here to provide support, advocacy and resources for families, experience is extremely valued. We refer people to those with degrees for medical and legal help.
Q: NAMI’s service area includes Wise, Johnson and Parker counties, in addition to Tarrant, and the NAMI Walk in the fall is the agency’s largest fundraiser.
A: Last year we had 405 participants. It’s October 4 in Trinity Park at the Pavillion beside the Police and Firefighter Memorial. The walk is a great way to show the community you care about those who are struggling with mental health issues, on both a personal and corporate level. We are always interested in partnerships in our community.
Q: According to NAMI’s national website, an estimated one in five adults have a mental illness.
A: Yes, and one in six children have a mental illness. Suicide is the second leading cause of death for youth ages 10-14 in the U.S. If you think about it, that’s shocking. At this age, they should be having fun, just being kids.
Q: NAMI’s three pillars are education, support, and advocacy. Talk about each of these.
A: NAMI offers free support groups and education classes, including Peer to Peer, Family to Family and Homefront. These are signature programs coming from the national affiliate; the facilitators participate in an extensive training program.
Q: The classes sound like they’re really about destigmatizing mental illness.
A: We teach that mental illnesses are no different than any other medical condition; it is the same as if you were diagnosed with cancer and need treatment. It’s not a choice. Nobody is free of the possibility of having a mental health challenge. Trauma, like a car accident, can bring on a cascade of things, like PTSD.
Q: Talk about the Mindful Moments yoga events that NAMI offers.
A: They’re new this year. We have a psychiatry student who is a certified yoga instructor offering a 15-minute education presentation about a topic (anxiety, mental health information, the mind-body connection) then 45 minutes of yoga. We just had our first two classes in March and hope to extend it.
Q: Movement and outdoor activity are good for mental health. Talk about the support arm of your work.
A: Support is the primary thing that we offer. Connections Recovery Peer Support Group and Family Support Group currently happen once a month on the third Thursday in Fort Worth, but we are expecting to expand that soon. Support groups are completely free and come with extensive training by facilitators with lived experience. This, along with specific group guidelines, helps others get support without feeling stigma, hopeless or alone.
Q: How do you recruit support group leaders?
A: Facilitators must have some experience or family experience with mental health issues. Because. how can you tell someone how to cope if you’ve never coped? We’ve struggled since COVID with staffing and volunteers. Facilitators have 16 hours of classwork, presented by a state trainer. Last August, we had the first in-person Family Support Group Facilitator Training in Texas since COVID.
Q: In-person support for people with mental challenges is so important, and COVID made things more difficult.
A: Yes, it did, and it has been hard to bounce back. When I started a year ago, we only had two Family Support Group and three Peer Support Group leaders. Today we have 14 trained facilitators for Family Support Group and six trained facilitators for Connections Recovery Support Group. But there are challenges because of locations, travel, schedules and burn-out. We are always looking for individuals with lived experience willing to volunteer and be trained.
Q: What about the advocacy arm of your organization?
A: We rotate what we advocate for, and it’s driven by state and national factors. This year, per NAMITexas, our main initiatives include expanding the 988-crisis response system, improving access to early interventions, ensuring broader access to medications and mental health coverage, and increasing the availability of essential services, such as housing. Locally, we work to help advocate for families on the jail and hospital side of things. Many times, adults are calling about their children (who may be adults) and need to know to help. Privacy laws apply – hospitals won’t release personal information, even to families, without consent. And people in crisis often don’t give consent initially. The one thing we tell people is this: you may not be able to get information, but that doesn’t mean you can’t GIVE information. You can always tell the staff the unusual behaviors, pre-existing conditions, medications, and more that you have seen. But understand that they will not be able to give you information in return.
Q: What advocacy items is NAMI working on now?
A: On the state level, the top priorities include establishing a 988 Trust Fund for sustainable crisis services funding, expanding access to Coordinate Specialty Care for First Episode Psychosis, and ensuring that our most vulnerable population are diverted from involvement with the criminal legal system. Additionally, the platform emphasizes the need to address the mental health needs of underserved populations, such as veterans, LGBTQIA+ youth, and rural communities. Locally, we work with JPS Foundation because they’re doing research on proper diagnosis, treatment and effective medications. MHMR, one of our biggest community partners, gives us the ability to reach more people with resources and care, regardless of income. And I recently met with Texas Health to establish a good relationship for referrals as we work to give the community every possible option for help in our community. One major bill for Tarrant County, waiting for approval in legislature, includes funding for a new mental health hospital in Tarrant County, with adult and adolescent wings. Access to care is critical.
Q: Absolutely. But can’t funding for mental health be spotty?
A: Someone in crisis will struggle with getting help immediately, so they may go to the county hospitals, which are often full. MHMR, JPS and low-income agencies have waiting lists. Private insurers only cover about 70% of the burden. Even a partial inpatient/outpatient hospital program costs thousands of dollars. Unfortunately, people struggle and wait and don’t get the care they need.
Q: May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and there’s no better time to talk about Mental Health First Aid. The free training, offered through Texas Health Community Hope, can help non-healthcare professionals assist people in crisis.
A: This is so important. A lot of times people really aren’t sure what to do or say. You’re afraid you might make things worse. Sometimes it’s as simple as saying “You look down, how long have you felt this way?” Just having someone there helps. When you don’t know what to do, sit in the darkness with them and listen until the light shines again. As a friend or a loved one, you also must remember to take care of yourself. Follow the oxygen-mask theory: put on your oxygen mask first or you can’t breathe to help others.
Learn more about Mental Health First Aid by visiting TexasHealth.org/CommunityHope.