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The Mental Health Association of Middle Tennessee (MHAMT) is now in its 61st year of service to the Middle Tennessee community. Since its founding, our mission has been to promote mental health for all people through education, advocacy, and service. Over the years, the Association has worked diligently to educate all members of our community about how to attain good mental health. Last year alone we were able to share our message of hope for mental wellness to over 100,000 individuals.
By being a frontline resource for the community, the MHAMT is in a position to identify important mental health needs in Middle Tennessee, and then often facilitates the development of programs to meet those needs or enhance resources to address service gaps. Several programs that began with the MHAMT have now evolved into independent agencies, such as Park Center, Tennessee Voices for Children and the Crisis Center.
Current Services
J. Speed Thomas Mental Health Assistance Center provides consultations, information, and referrals about mental illness and community resources to consumers, family members, and mental health professionals. The assistance center helps over 1,500 clients with mental health concerns each year. Additionally, the MHAC provides mental health training to interpreters and health care providers across the state. For more information about these serves, please contact Noel Riley-Philpo, Clinical Director, at nrphilpo@mhamt.org
The Aging Services Program assists caregivers of loved ones with Alzheimer’s disease through educational classes, in-home consultations, and support groups. Services include:
- The Concerned Caregiver serves the needs of caregivers through a support group for family members of Alzheimer’s patients. Educational classes or series of classes are conducted for family caretakers of Alzheimer’s patients.
- Our educational program, “Just the Facts...Preparing Alzheimer’s Caregivers” is a six-week course offered across Middle Tennessee where local professionals speak about accessing community resources, legal and financial issues, and coping with the emotional impact on family members.
Contact Nancy Pertl at npertl@mhamt.org, Caregiver Education Coordinator or Noel Riley Philpo at nrphilpo@mhamt.org at our aging services staff for more information on any of these programs.
Erasing the Stigma is a statewide mental health education program that makes presentations to schools, businesses, civic clubs, and faith-based organizations. The program offers a series of educational presentations and written material to schools, businesses, faith based organizations, civic clubs, and Girl Scout troops across the state of TN.
The I.C. HOPE® - “Don’t Duck Mental Health” campaign serves to dispel the negative images associated with mental illness. The friendly face of the duck with its healing bandage promises to show that mental illness is not shameful or unusual, nor is it shameful to help those in need. His life preserver symbolizes that every life is worth saving. I.C. HOPE® takes the form of a six-foot character trained in mental health messages coupled with age-appropriate curriculums. Listen to I.C. HOPE®, the Ambassador of Mental Wellness, read a story to children, work with classmates to complete an activity, or make your own I.C. HOPE® puppet to take home and share with friends and family. Programming is tailored to meet the needs of the group. Contact Sarah Sanders at ssanders@mhamt.org for more information or to book your presentation
The Hispanic Outreach Program (HOP) helps Spanish-speaking clients access mental health providers and services, advocates for increased mental health services for Nashville’s foreign-born residents and builds coalitions with other agencies to create new resources. Additionally, HOP provides educational/support groups for Hispanic women and middle school students. For more information on these services, contact Luisa Hough at lhough@mhamt.org.
The TennCare Partners Advocacy Line (TPAL) is a statewide program that assists the 1.2 million TennCare-eligible Tennesseans in accessing mental health and substance abuse benefits. TPAL also offers free presentations to both consumers and providers about the TennCare Partners Program and how we can help. In addition, the program provides monthly reports that identify trends and problems within the TennCare Partners Program to the Bureau of TennCare. Call (800) 758-1638 or visit their webpage at www.tpal.org for additional information.
The Tennessee Suicide Prevention Network (TSPN) works across the state to teach communities effective suicide prevention/intervention techniques that can be used by parents, peers, educators and non-mental health professionals, with the ultimate intention of reducing suicide rates in the state of Tennessee. Visit www.tspn.org for more information.
The Tennessee Lives Count Project (TLC) is a statewide early intervention/prevention project intended to reduce suicides and suicide attempts for youth aged 10-24. The project targets youth at extreme risk for suicide, such as those in state custody, juvenile justice facilities, alternative schools, and special education programs; gay, lesbian, and bisexual youth; youth with disciplinary and/or truancy problems; and other high risk populations. The primary focus of TLC involves the training of gatekeepers—persons who work with and supervise youth and who are in a position to identify and help troubled and/or suicidal teens and young adults. These gatekeepers will receive training in an evidence-based intervention program that teaches ordinary citizens how to recognize the warning signs of suicide, offer hope to troubled individuals, connect them with the crisis response and mental health resources they need, and ultimately save lives. This training will prepare adults who work with children to identify and address prevention/intervention needs within high-risk populations.
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