Peer-led and offered both in-person and virtually at no cost to the community, NAMI’s programs and groups emphasize that mental health disorders are biologically based, treatable and common. They are often led by trained volunteers who lend their own "lived experience" in order to create connection, dismantle stigma, and build community.
"The education, resources, and connections I made during my weeks at NAMI were beyond what I could have ever imagined or asked for. I have people I can now call on if I need to talk and I know they are there without judgment or pretense. I am better armed with knowledge about mental illness and feel I am a better wife for my husband. I am no longer lost, alone or in the dark." — Amanda Shahan, 2023 NAMI Homefront graduate
"I’ve never been anywhere that people care so much and who work so hard for other people. " — John Osborn, NAMI volunteer and donor
"I truly believe NAMI is one of the best non-profit organizations in the Pikes Peak Region." — Former El Paso County Sheriff Bill Elder
"This is an organization that's changing lives." - NAMI volunteer and program graduate Lisa Powell
NAMI Colorado Springs creates and cultivates a welcoming community of peers who educate, support and advocate for people and families living with mental health conditions.
The National Alliance on Mental Illness was born in 1977, as people with serious mental illness were released from hospitals and returned to largely unprepared communities and families. Six years later, in 1983, Stella Colby and Julie Foster set up a NAMI affiliate — a financially independent 501c3 — in Colorado Springs.
It began as a group of parents of adult children who had formerly been institutionalized, meeting at kitchen tables to share resources and emotional support. They educated themselves and community members about mental illness, coped with the associated stigma, advocated for their loved ones, and sought more effective and accessible services.
Today, NAMI Colorado Springs provides the same kind of warm, understanding commnity while offering more than a dozen formal programs, all at no cost. They include eight-week educational courses such as Family-to-Family (for family members supporting a loved one) and Peer-to-Peer (for individuals experiencing mental health conditions), both shown to improve coping skills, communication and recovery outcomes. Four types of ongoing, drop-in support groups — including two specifically for LGBTQ+ individuals affected by the Club Q tragedy of November 2022 — provide safe, stigma-free spaces for people to share experiences and build resilience. All are led by trained volunteers who have had lived experiences similar to those of program participants.
NAMI also offers community presentations and trainings including Crisis Intervention Training for law enforcement and Mental Health First Aid for laypeople. Along with community education programs for high school students, care providers and others, these contextualize mental health challenges and strengthen systems of care.
Open 9 to 5 weekdays, NAMI also serves as a hub for connection, providing referrals, resources and immediate peer support to those who call, email or walk into its southeast Colorado Springs office. Many of those who reach out for support will, months or years later, go on to become trained volunteers, creating a powerful cycle of healing and leadership that sustains its programs and broadens community impact.
Organization name
National Alliance on Mental Illness - Colorado Springs
other names
NAMI Colorado Springs, National Alliance for the Mentally Ill
1983
Tax id (EIN)
74-2338585
Category
Mental Health & Crisis Intervention
Organization Size
Large Organization
Address
1615 S. Murray Blvd.El Paso County, CO, US