Able Minds

Children Understanding Mental Illness & Addiction (CUMIA)

Programme Areas

Mental health

Programme Type

Peer / advocacy / group / family whānau support

Regions

Waitaki, Southland, Central Lakes, Dunedin - South Otago

Age Groups

Child / Tamariki

Referral Types

Self referral, GP, DHB clinical services, Corrections

Referral Process

For more information, please contact the location nearest you or see our website.

Description

CUMIA is designed for school aged children who have a family member that is affected by mental distress or addiction. This programme can be undertaken in a peer support based group or with 1:1 support and is designed to impart tools, tactics and strategies to accept the challenges associated with mental distress and live well.  With respect to the CUMIA programme, one child reported in a recent evaluation that “the thing he learnt the most was that his mother’s illness was not his fault”.  There is often blame associated with mental distress and addiction. Able Minds’ intervention allows children to be children. CUMIA is an age related group/individual programme that will educate children about mental illness/addiction and support them to develop skills which enables then to understand the impact in their family/whānau environment (CUMIA is not intended for children suffering from mental illness themselves).