National-State Partnership Committee
The Elimination of Barriers Initiative (EBI) has worked with a number of mental health-focused organizations from not only in the eight EBI pilot States, but also from around the country. This diverse committee has provided direction for the development and implementation of the EBI.
Government Organizations
Other Mental Health Organizations
- American Psychiatric Foundation (APF)
- American Psychiatric Nurses Association (APNA)
- American Psychological Association (APA)
- Children and Adults With Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (CHADD)
- Consumer Organization and Networking Technical Assistance Center (CONTAC)
- Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance (DBSA)
- Depression and Related Affective Disorders Association (DRADA)
- Federation of Families for Children's Mental Health (FFCMH)
- National Alliance for the Mentally Ill (NAMI)
- National Association of County Behavioral Health Directors (NACBHD)
- National Association of Mental Health Planning and Advisory Councils (NAMHPAC)
- National Association of Social Workers (NASW)
- National Association of State Mental Health Program Directors (NASMHPD)
- National Consumer Supporter Technical Assistance Center (NCSTAC)
- National Latino Behavioral Health Association (NLBHA)
- National Mental Health Association (NMHA)
- National Mental Health Awareness Campaign (NMHAC)
- National Mental Health Consumers’ Self-Help Clearinghouse
- Peer-to-Peer Resource Center
- The Ad Council
- The Carter Center’s Mental Health Program
Government Organizations
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is recognized as the lead Federal Agency for protecting the health and safety of people, at home and abroad; providing credible information to enhance health decisions; and promoting health through strong partnerships. CDC serves as the national focus for developing and applying disease prevention and control, environmental health, and health promotion and education activities designed to improve the health of the people of the United States. CDC also works with partners throughout the Nation and world to monitor health, detect and investigate health problems, conduct research to enhance prevention, develop and advocate sound public health policies, implement prevention strategies, promote healthy behaviors, foster safe and healthful environments, and provide leadership and training.
- National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) is one of 27 components of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Federal Government's principal biomedical and behavioral research agency. NIMH is dedicated to reducing the burden of mental illness and behavioral disorders through research on mind, brain, and behavior by harnessing scientific tools to achieve better understanding, treatment, and prevention.
Other Mental Health Organizations
- American Psychiatric Foundation (APF) is a charitable and educational affiliate of the American Psychiatric Association (APA), the world’s largest psychiatric organization. The foundation is dedicated to improving the lives of patients, families, and the community by supporting education, advocacy, and research to advance the understanding, prevention, and treatment of mental illness.
- American Psychiatric Nurses Association (APNA) is a membership-based organization representing the specialty practice of psychiatric-mental health nursing. APNA provides leadership to promote psychiatric-mental health nursing; to improve mental health care for culturally diverse individuals, families, groups and communities; and to shape health policy for the delivery of mental health services.
- American Psychological Association (APA) is a scientific and professional organization that represents psychology in the United States and is the largest association of psychologists worldwide. The objective of the American Psychological Association is to advance psychology as a science and profession and as a means of promoting health, education, and human welfare.
- Children and Adults With Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (CHADD) is a national nonprofit organization that represents individuals with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder for education, advocacy, and support. The organization is composed of dedicated volunteers from around the country who play an integral part in the association's success by providing resources and encouragement to parents, educators, and professionals on a grassroots level through CHADD chapters.
- Consumer Organization and Networking Technical Assistance Center (CONTAC) is a resource center funded by SAMHSA’s Center for Mental Health Services for consumers and consumer-run organizations across the United States. CONTAC provides technical assistance (TA) in the areas of communication and networking, training and skill building, and sharing lessons learned. The objectives of this TA are to foster self-help, leadership, and management skills; address unmet needs of local and diverse consumer organizations; strengthen relationships among stakeholders; support capacity building; and participate in national collaboration.
- Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance (DBSA) is the nation’s leading patient-directed organization focusing on the most prevalent mental illnesses—depression and bipolar disorder. The organization fosters an understanding about the impact and management of these life-threatening illnesses by providing up-to-date, scientifically based tools and information written in language the general public can understand. DBSA supports research to promote more timely diagnoses, develop more effective and tolerable treatments, and discover a cure. The organization works to ensure that people living with mood disorders are treated equitably.
- Depression and Related Affective Disorders Association (DRADA) is a community organization that serves individuals experiencing depression and bipolar illnesses, family members, health care professionals, and the general public. DRADA is strongly committed to alleviating the suffering that arises from depression and manic depression by assisting self-help groups, providing education and information, and lending support to research programs. The association also understands the need to eliminate the stigma that is attached to mood disorders and is constantly striving to promote public knowledge of signs, symptoms, and resources available to persons affected by these illnesses.
- Federation of Families for Children's Mental Health (FFCMH) is the nation's advocacy organization for families of children and youth with mental health needs. FFCMH aims to provide and sustain leadership for a broad and deep nationwide network of family-run organizations. The Federation also advocates at the national level for the rights of children and families, and transfers insights and experiences to statewide family organizations, local chapters, and other family-run organizations so that skillful and effective advocacy can occur at State and local levels as well.
- National Alliance for the Mentally Ill (NAMI) is a nonprofit, grassroots, self-help, support, and advocacy organization of consumers, families, and friends of people with severe mental illnesses. NAMI is dedicated to the eradication of mental illnesses and to the improvement of the quality of life of all whose lives are affected by these diseases.
- National Association of County Behavioral Health Directors (NACBHD) is a nonprofit membership organization comprised of county/local behavioral health authorities and is an affiliate of the National Association of Counties. NACBHD is responsible for the planning and delivery of mental health, developmental disability, and substance abuse services, as well as the State associations that represent their interests.
- National Association of Mental Health Planning and Advisory Councils (NAMHPAC) is a network of people involved with State mental health planning and advisory councils.
- National Association of Social Workers (NASW) is the largest membership organization of professional social workers in the world. NASW works to enhance the professional growth and development of its members, to create and maintain professional standards, and to advance sound social policies.
- National Association of State Mental Health Program Directors (NASMHPD) is a private, nonprofit membership-based organization that reflects and advocates for the collective interests of State mental health authorities and their directors at the national level. NASMHPD helps set the agenda and determine the direction of State mental health agency interests across the country, historically including State mental health planning, service delivery, and evaluation.
- National Consumer Supporter Technical Assistance Center (NCSTAC) was established by the National Mental Health Association in 1998 by a grant from SAMHSA’s Center for Mental Health Services. Its purpose is to strengthen those organizations supporting mental health consumers, survivors, and ex-patients by providing technical assistance in the forms of research, informational materials, and financial aid.
- National Latino Behavioral Health Association (NLBHA) provides national leadership for the advancement of Latino behavioral health services.
- National Mental Health Association (NMHA) is the country's oldest and largest nonprofit organization addressing all aspects of mental health and mental illness. NMHA works to improve the mental health of all Americans, especially the 54 million individuals with mental illnesses, through advocacy, education, research, and service.
- National Mental Health Awareness Campaign (NMHAC) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan, nationwide public education campaign dedicated to combating the stigma associated with mental illness among youth, adults, and seniors. NMHAC looks to reduce the discrimination that pervades the daily lives of Americans living with mental illness and to stimulate help-seeking behavior to substantially increase the number of Americans accessing mental health services. The campaign’s primary goal is the development of a nationwide, public service, multimedia education initiative to convey a message of hope and help.
- National Mental Health Consumers’ Self-Help Clearinghouse is a consumer-run national technical assistance center serving the mental health consumer movement. It helps connect individuals to self-help and advocacy resources and offers expertise to self-help groups and other peer-run services for mental health consumers. Part of its mission is to promote consumer participation in planning, providing, and evaluating mental health and community support services.
- Peer-to-Peer Resource Center is affiliated with the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance, or DBSA. DBSA is a consumer-directed national organization with more than half of its board of directors, committee members, and staff diagnosed with a mental illness. The center serves people living with all kinds of mental illnesses, including depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety disorders, schizophrenia, and other illnesses. The Peer-to-Peer Resource Center is funded by a grant from SAMHSA’s Center for Mental Health Services.
- The Ad Council has endeavored to improve the lives of all Americans since first creating the category of public service advertising in 1942. From its earliest efforts, including "Loose Lips Sink Ships" to the more recent "I Am an American," Ad Council PSAs have been raising awareness, inspiring action, and saving lives for more than 60 years.
- The Carter Center’s Mental Health Program focuses on mental health policy issues with four strategic goals: to reduce stigma and discrimination against people with mental illnesses; to achieve equity for mental health care comparable to other health care; to advance promotion, prevention, and early intervention services for children and their families; and to increase public awareness worldwide about mental health and mental illness and to stimulate local actions to address those issues.
