SAMHAJ (South Asian)
SAMHAJ (Understanding Mental Health)
Provides education, support and advocacy for South Asians affected by serious mental illness. South Asians of Asian Indian and Pakistani origin, as well as those from Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan, and the Maldives are welcome to seek support and information from SAMHAJ. The lotus is a symbol of creation, purity, spontaneity, and diving beauty in South Asian culture.
SAMHAJ provides:
• Support for families and individuals affected by mental illness through support groups, and referrals to bilingual and culturally competent mental health services. We offer a supportive environment to help you and your family to learn to navigate the often complicated mental health system. Our South Asian staff and volunteers speak Hindi, Kannada, Tamil, Gujarati, Konkani, and Marathi.
• Professional guest speakers are invited to speak at educational workshops and lectures on issues that are important to your family’s journey towards recovery. Workshops cover subjects such as psychiatric medication, social security disability, rehabilitation and vocational training, coping with caregiver stress and anxiety, children’s mental health and many more topics.
• Workshops for mental health providers, other social service agencies and schools seeking to learn more about the rapidly growing South Asian community in New Jersey in order to provide culturally competent services.
• Volunteer opportunities for people interested in giving back to the community through service. Contact [email protected] for more information.
SAMHAJ has compiled referral lists of bilingual mental health providers in order to benefit South Asian families and individuals seeking bilingual services. This referral list is made available to people with mental illness, families and providers free of cost. Please note that NAMI NJ and its SAMHAJ program do not recommend or guarantee services from any provider or facility on the referral list.
Another organization has provided an alternate provider list. To access South Asian Provider List click here.
News: South Asian NJ Sunrise Radio hosted an education session featuring SAMHAJ
SAMHAJ Online Support Groups
NAMI Family Support Group
1st Thursdays, 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm
NAMI Connection
1st Thursdays, 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm
In-person Social Group Gathering for SAMHAJ members
This in-person informal gathering is for SAMHAJ members (individuals and families with mental health conditions) to come together for socializing and networking. Refreshments will be served.
Disclaimer: As an attendee of a NAMI NJ event or program, as well as anyone entitled to act on my behalf, herby forever waive, release, and hold NAMI NJ, and its employees and agents harmless from any and all claims, suits, liability, actions, judgements, attorney’s fees, costs, and any expenses of any kind resulting from injuries or damages, grounded in tort or otherwise, that I and/or my representatives, sustain during or related to my participation or involvement in this program; other than claims based upon intentional or reckless misconduct of NAMI-NJ. NAMI NJ can use names, photos, video/audio recordings of participants and can be published.
• SAMHAJ highlight of the”Documenting Our Presence: Multicultural Experiences of Mental Illness“, an educational video by NAMI NJ. (Click here for more information about the complete video.)
Watch the recording of Bicultural Identity Cultivation Workshop (held on March 3, 2022):
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