annual conference
NAMI NH 2025 Virtual Annual Conference
2025 NAMI NH Annual Conference
Lori Weaver, Commissioner, New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services; & Susan Stearns, Executive Director, NAMI New Hampshire
The State of New Hampshire’s Mental Health System
Join this session as NAMI NH’s Executive Director Susan Stearns officially opens the conference for the day. She will provide NAMI NH updates and introduce Lori Weaver, Commissioner, NH Department of Health and Human Services. Commissioner Weaver will discuss the state of NH’s mental health system.
Dr. Ahmed Hankir
The Wounded Healer: Harnessing the Power of Storytelling to Reject Stigma and Humanize Persons Living with a Mental Health Condition
Despite increased awareness and what can be perceived as progress, persons living with a mental health condition continue to be stigmatized, shunned, and dehumanized the consequences of which can be both tragic and fatal. Indeed, stigma remains a formidable barrier to mental healthcare services and persons living with a mental health condition continue to suffer in silence. Moreover, our human rights continue to be violated.
The evidence included in the 2022 Lancet Commission on Ending Stigma and Discrimination in Mental Health is simple and clear: Persons living with a mental health condition have the power to reject stigma. We have voices, we can speak for ourselves, and we will be heard. We must not only be included and involved in the design, development and delivery of anti-stigma campaigns and initiatives; we must also be given the reigns to lead them.
In this Keynote Lecture, Professor Ahmed Hankir will describe ‘The Wounded Healer’ program. The Wounded Healer is an innovative method of teaching that blends the power of the performing arts and storytelling with facts about persons living with a mental health condition. In The Wounded Healer, Professor Hankir traces his recovery journey from, ‘Hopeless, impoverished, shunned, stigmatized and suicidal service user with mental illness’ to empowered patient advocate, survivor and psychiatrist living with a mental health condition.’ The main aims of The Wounded Healer are to dispel myths, breakdown barriers, reject stigma and empower, dignify and humanize persons living with a mental health condition. Professor Hankir will also read extracts from his book, ‘Breakthrough. A Story of Hope, Resilience and Mental Health Recovery.’
Leah Rothchild
Individualizing Hope: A Person-Centered Approach to Supporting People with Mental Illness
Leah Rothchild will discuss hope, stigma, and person-centered care through the lens of her lived experiences with mental illness and substance use disorder, as well as her professional experiences as a psychiatric nurse and a peer recovery coach. Cultivating hope is not a “one size fits all” approach. Leah takes a humanistic approach to healthcare, seeking to connect with and guide individuals to health, rather than aiming to simply treat an illness. This session will utilize personal stories to illustrate strategies for enhancing personalized support for those struggling with, or recovering from, mental illness.
Brittany Porter
We Are NAMIWalks NH: Bringing Hope, Help, and Healing to the Granite State
Join Walk Manager, Brittany Porter, for an information session on the 23rd Annual NAMIWalks New Hampshire, the Granite State’s largest mental health awareness and suicide prevention event! Hear important updates about the 2025 Walk, listen to inspiring stories, and learn how you can get involved!
Save the Date! NAMIWalks New Hampshire returns on Sunday, October 5, 2025 in Concord!
Governor Kelly Ayotte
Building a Healthier New Hampshire: A Message from Governor Kelly Ayotte
Governor Ayotte knows that we must strengthen our mental health care system to help Granite Staters thrive. In her proposed budget, the Governor is calling for $10 million to fund uncompensated care at our Community Mental Health Centers and fully funding our state’s Recovery Friendly Workplace program. In addition to funding these important priorities, the Governor will work with our community colleges and university system to train our mental health workforce and grow the number of providers in New Hampshire.
Kim LaMontagne
From Recovery to Resilience: Leading with Purpose and Compassion
In this powerful and inspiring keynote, Kim celebrates 16 years of sobriety and shares her transformative journey from battling alcohol addiction and mental illness to becoming a beacon of hope and change. Now a sought-after trainer for leaders, Kim draws on personal experiences to highlight the intersection of resilience, mental health, and effective leadership. Attendees will discover actionable strategies to foster mentally healthy workplaces, reduce stigma, and build cultures of empathy and support. This keynote offers a compelling message of growth, courage, and the profound impact of prioritizing mental health in both personal and professional spheres.
Dave Glazebook
PTSD & Yoga for the Mind & Body
Join David Glazebrook, 2004 & 2005 Iraq Tour Veteran, as he shares his journey with PTSD. Stories matter and David is looking forward to sharing his journey at the NAMI NH Conference. David breaks down the stigma around finding hope and how the practice of yoga has been beneficial for him and the military and yoga communities. David’s passion for yoga comes through in the trainings he offers for teachers and the classes he teaches as a Yoga Instructor and Owner of Yoga on York in York, Maine.
Melissa Wieters & Liz Hodgkins
Storytelling Saves Lives: Bringing This Is My Brave to the Granite State & Closing Remarks
In 2024, a cast of brave community members shared their stories of hope, empowerment, and honesty in NAMI New Hampshire’s inaugural production of This is My Brave. Through the power of storytelling, our Brave cast and crew raised awareness of mental health conditions, substance use disorders, and suicide. Join This Is My Brave Director, Melissa Wieters, and cast members from the 2024 show as they share highlights, insights, and lessons learned, and hear about plans for the 2025 show.
Save the Date! This Is My Brave returns on Thursday, May 15, 2025 to the BNH Stage in Concord.
Closing Remarks – Liz Hodgkins, Deputy Director, NAMI NH, will share takeaways and wrap up the day filled with inspirational sessions.
Participants will:
- Increase awareness of resources, for all stages and ages of their mental health journey.
- Leave the conference feeling empowered and hopeful.
- Be part of a community of mental health – recognizing they are not alone, that NAMI NH is families helping families.
- Recognize the importance of peer voices and lived experience.
- Learn ways to reduce stigma and discrimination.
- Understand the many forms mental health recovery takes.
- Learn individual advocacy.
- Understand mental health is connected with overall health and well-being.
Each spring, NAMI NH hosts an annual conference. Participants come from communities all around New Hampshire and are interested in learning more about mental illness. This includes broadening their understanding of ways to support each other, reduce stigma, advocate for quality mental health services and find needed resources. Those we encourage to attend include parents or caregivers who have a child or youth with an emotional disorder, families who are supporting an adult or older adult loved one with mental illness, those who have a mental illness, military families, peer recovery professionals, individuals who have lost a loved one to suicide, families and individuals who are struggling with co-occurring disorders and the service providers who support recovery efforts in New Hampshire. This is an opportunity to come together to learn, network and communicate messages of hope.
We are grateful for our Annual Conference Sponsors and Donors, who make it possible to offer this event at no charge to attendees. To learn more about sponsorship opportunities, contact Kristen Welch, CFRE, Director of Development.
2025 Annual Conference Sponsors
Hope Sponsor
Workshop Sponsor
