NAMI Pennsylvania Chester County
Chapter History

Persons with mental illness and their families must not only endure the initial shock of the illness, but then face a challenging future learning to cope with the illness and the false information and stigma that often surrounds mental illness.

If you feel alone because you or someone you know suffers with a serious mental illness,
well...no, your not.

NAMI of Chester County is a grassroots membership organization that provides mutual support, education and advocacy for individuals and family affected by serious mental illness. We are a self-help organization providing compassion, understanding and a supportive atmosphere to help families whose loved ones suffer from severe and persistent mental illness.

Our local chapter invites you to participate in our general meetings and our support groups and our educational workshops such as NAMI Family to Family, NAMI Hand to Hand and NAMI Peer to Peer.

If you want to advocate for your loved one and make positive changes to the mental health system become a NAMI of Chester County advocate.

OUR HISTORY:

NAMI PA Chester County originated in 1977, as a local Chapter of Families Unite for Mental Health Rights. This was an organization of Family Members in S/E PA, who had mental illness issues of someone in their family. As the organization grew, it became known as the Alliance for the Mentally Ill of S/E PA (AMI of S/E PA). In 1983, the state organization was formed and called AMI of PA, and our Chester County group became a Chapter of the state organization. NAMI PA is now the largest statewide nonprofit organization dedicated to helping Family Members and their relatives suffering from severe and persistent mental illness.

NAMI PA now has affiliates in more than 60 of the 67 counties in PA. NAMI is a nonprofit, Grassroots, Self-help, Education, Support and Advocacy organization. There are over 1,200 affiliates and a quarter of a million members of Family, Consumers and Professionals.