NAMI Ask the Expert: You Are Not Alone for Parents and Caregivers: Contributor Spotlights: Stories of Lived Experience

Christine M. Crawford, MD, MPH is the associate medical director for the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) which is the country’s largest grassroots mental health organization. She is an Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Vice Chair of Education at the Boston University School of Medicine. She also provides outpatient psychiatric care to children and adolescents at Boston Medical Center. Additionally, she’s the Medical Director for the Boston Public Health Commission’s School Based Clinician Program in which she provides direct guidance on how best to support the socioemotional wellbeing of children within the Boston Public School System. On behalf of NAMI, she regularly engages with the general public, as well as with organizations, companies, healthcare providers, and fellow clinicians and researchers. She is a trusted source of child mental health expertise for major media outlets including the New York Times, the Washington Post, NPR, the Boston Globe, NBC, and Medscape. She has made on-camera appearances for the Today Show, BBC, and local news affiliates of CBS, Fox, and ABC. She lives with her family in Boston, Massachusetts.

Dr. Jacobs has his own private practice where he works with youth, adults, and professional athletes.

Dr. Jacobs founded and chairs a coalition that is comprised of mental health professionals that addresses the shortage of mental health providers of color in Southern Nevada. In this role, Dr. Jacobs has created a pipeline for students of color to enter the field of metnal health at the high school and college levels. The coalition also provides outreach efforts to underserved and underrepresented communities of color to increase awareness of mental health including pro bono counseling services.

When Dr. Jacobs is not practicing, he is usually giving back to his community by offering town hall discussions centered on mental health at schools, community centers and churches. His goal is to normalize mental health so that more underrepresented communities feel comfortable accessing services.

Jodi Bullinger has been a high impact educator for 26 years in the Ann Arbor Public Schools, beginning her career as a coach and English teacher where she taught several courses in the department prior to transitioning to become a fully dedicated psychology teacher. Prior to becoming the Assistant Principal at Huron High School, Jodi Bullinger has served administratively as an Interim Athletic Director/Assistant Principal as well as a 9th Grade Dean. Jodi Bullinger brings a wealth of experience as a relationship focused, restoratively oriented, trauma informed educator passionate about building community, differentiating instruction, designing curriculum and creating systems to amplify access and opportunity for all students, functionally addressing dream, opportunity and achievement gaps and celebrating the vibrant diversity of the Ann Arbor Public Schools community.

Alice Held (they/she) is a mental health advocate, college student, and mountain adventurer currently living in Missoula, Montana. Hailing from Ann Arbor, Michigan, they experienced issues with mental health and substance addiction as a teenager, and eventually went on to find balance and stability through the help of individualized treatment and the support of their community. Alice believes connection, compassion, and hope are key ingredients in the treatment process.

During the formative years of her career, Jocelyn Vega had the opportunity to work for an agency providing services for families in crisis where she developed a strong interest and a lifelong career working with families and individuals in hospital and community based mental health programs. She continued to build my skills and knowledge while in collaboration with multidisciplinary teams in a variety of settings.