Free NAMI Peer Support Groups — Oakland & Alameda County, CA
NAMI Alameda County (NAMI-AC) runs free peer-led support groups for people living with mental health conditions and the family members and friends who support them. As the Alameda County affiliate of the National Alliance on Mental Illness, NAMI-AC offers the full national NAMI Signature Program suite — NAMI Connection peer support groups, NAMI Family Support Groups, NAMI Basics, NAMI Family-to-Family education, and Ending the Silence presentations — delivered free across Oakland, Berkeley, Hayward, Fremont, and the rest of the county.
What to Expect
NAMI Connection meets weekly or biweekly at multiple Alameda County locations and online — a 90-minute peer support group for people 18+ living with mental health conditions, facilitated by trained peers with lived experience. NAMI Family Support Group is the same format for family members, partners, and friends of people living with mental health conditions. Both groups follow the NAMI confidentiality framework: what’s shared stays in the group. NAMI-AC also runs NAMI Basics (for parents of children with mental health conditions), NAMI Family-to-Family (an 8-session free education course), and Peer-to-Peer (an 8-session education course for adults with mental health conditions).
Who This Group Is For
NAMI-AC’s groups welcome adults 18+ living with any mental health condition (NAMI Connection), parents of children/teens with mental health conditions (NAMI Basics), and family members/friends of adults with mental health conditions (Family Support, Family-to-Family). Members across Oakland and the broader Alameda County participate — the affiliate’s reach extends from the Oakland flats to the Tri-Valley.
Why Peer Support Works
NAMI’s peer-led model is one of the most extensively studied peer support frameworks in mental health, with decades of evidence on outcomes including reduced hospitalization, improved coping, and stronger family resilience. The Alameda County affiliate brings that proven framework into Oakland communities with consistent weekly groups and ongoing education courses. Many members describe their NAMI group as the most stabilizing relationship in their mental health journey.
How to Join
All NAMI-AC programs are free. Visit namialamedacounty.org to find current group schedules, register for education courses, and contact local staff. NAMI Connection and Family Support Groups are open — drop-ins welcome. NAMI Basics, Family-to-Family, and Peer-to-Peer education programs run on cohort schedules with sign-ups in advance.