Transitional Age Youth (TAY)

NAMI Contra Costa’s Transitional Age Youth (TAY) program consists of the Transitional Age Youth support group and the Ending the Silence program. The support group provides a safe, confidential, and free support space for any young adult between the ages of 16 and 29 who is living with or has been impacted by mental illness. This support group encourages healthy coping mechanisms, mindset reframing strategies, and self-acceptance. The Ending the Silence (ETS) program is a workshop in which trained TAY coordinators and local peers present at middle schools and high schools about their personal mental health stories in addition to general mental health information.

Through the support group, both facilitators and peers find comfort in sharing their experiences and provide solidarity by accompanying each other on our mental health journeys. Our peer-support system ensures that our TAY participants know they have a reliable support network throughout the week and an understanding ear every Tuesday evening. The ETS program destigmatizes mental illness and teaches youth about the signs and symptoms of common mental illnesses at a time in which many people begin to experience mental health challenges for the first time. This allows youth to recognize the signs of mental illness in both themselves, their peers, and their loved ones while simultaneously equipping them to cope and support those individuals and to seek out help from others.