Mental Health America affiliates bring together mental health consumers, parents, advocates, and service providers for collaboration and action. As their national association, Mental Health America provides training and technical assistance to these affiliates on issues like managed care, mental health parity advocacy, depression, and anxiety disorders education, and children’s mental health issues. The National office offers local and state affiliates vital assistance in board development, fundraising plans, and program implementation.
Mental Health America affiliates provide public education, information, and referral, support groups, rehabilitation services, socialization, and housing services to those confronting mental health problems and their loved ones. Many also provide family advocate services to parents and children with serious emotional disturbances, mentoring relationships for adults recovering from mental illnesses, and professional education to those working in the mental health field. They serve as local leaders in the support and development of consumer-run initiatives and primary prevention programs. Finally, affiliates strive to influence public policy at the local, state, and national levels to assure fair and effective treatment to the millions of Americans suffering from mental disorders.
Mental Health America of South Carolina affiliates work to make a difference and to fulfill the needs in their local communities. All can be counted on to write a letter to an elected representative, or call on behalf of someone suffering from a mental illness. Most offer public educational speakers who would love to address your organization about mental health topics and many affiliate offices provide direct services such as housing, representative payee, support groups, psycho-social rehabilitative programs, and much more. From the upstate to the midlands to the low country of South Carolina, Mental Health America of South Carolina and all its affiliates work to advocate, educate and serve.