After a long pandemic, NAMI Minnesota (National Alliance on Mental Illness) is finally bringing back Super Saturday: An Educational Conference for Parents and Caregivers of Children with a Mental Illnesses in-person. Fifty percent of all mental illnesses begin by age 14 and seventy-five percent begin by age 24. Despite being such a common childhood illness, finding information on mental health and mental illnesses can be a huge task for parents.

There will be nine break-out sessions where caregivers can learn about a variety of topics such as mental health crisis planning, suicide prevention, navigating special education, trauma reactions and post traumatic growth, eating with mental health in mind, and self-care and mindfulness. Lunch and child care will be provided. NOTE: Childcare is available through pre-registration only.

Although the main focus will be on children’s mental health, it is also important to remember that caregivers need support. The keynote speaker, Molly Hayes, from 360 Communities, will discuss vicarious trauma and self-care.

One of NAMI’s principles of support is “We understand mental illnesses are traumatic events.” When a child experiences a trauma, it is common for a caregiver to experience a “vicarious trauma.” Unfortunately, vicarious trauma often goes unrecognized and unaddressed. Hayes’s inspiration for her keynote address comes from her lived experience as an advocate at a domestic violence shelter.

She said, “This was a wonderfully rewarding job, but I experienced some pretty intense vicarious trauma due to not being aware of what the symptoms looked like, and not practicing self-care as I should have. My hope is to educate the community on why vicarious trauma happens, and how we can best prevent or recover from it.”

Super Saturday is a FREE event. Register at the link provided.