About this event

NAMI Smarts for Advocacy is a skill-building training that helps people turn their passion and lived experience into skillful grassroots advocacy. While the training uses mental health examples, the skills are useful across the health spectrum. The workshop engages participants in hands-on learning to build and strengthen skills to engage in issue advocacy. Whether someone is new to advocacy or has years of experience, people will leave the workshop with messages, step-by-step tools and the practice they need to feel ready to make a difference.

NAMI Smarts for Advocacy begins with its core skill: Telling Your Story. This module guides participants through writing and delivering a compelling version of their story that will serve as the starting point for their issue advocacy.

Presented by:

Jewels Crable, PRSS, PRSS-S, CHW, BSW and Laura Yanez

Jewels Crable is a social work professional with a Bachelor of Social Work and a minor in Addiction Treatment from the University of Nevada, Reno. Graduating with a 3.98 GPA, she was selected by the Social Work faculty as the Outstanding Undergraduate Student. Her experience includes peer-based support, suicide screening, crisis intervention, de-escalation, motivational interviewing, behavioral health intake, care coordination, confidentiality, documentation, and data collection.

Jewels completed a NAMI Warmline internship, providing one-on-one peer support to individuals experiencing mental health challenges. She also worked as an Intake Coordinator at Serenity Mental Health, helping clients access appropriate services and providers. In addition, she helped establish Have Some HRT in Lovelock to address community gaps in harm reduction, treatment resources, and advocacy. Her professional goals include advancing peer support, behavioral health access, and advocacy for individuals and communities impacted by mental health and substance use challenges.

Laura Yanez has dedicated 19 years to NAMI in Oregon and Nevada and currently serves as the Executive Director of NAMI Western Nevada, where she leads initiatives to improve access to mental health education, support, advocacy, and peer support She oversees innovative programs serving rural and frontier communities, including the Nevada Warmline, Nevada Teen Peer Support Text Line, Nevada Caring Contacts, NAMI in Corrections, and partnerships with law enforcement to strengthen behavioral health crisis response. Laura is nationally recognized for her leadership and received the 2025 NAMI Sam Cochran Criminal Justice Award for advancing collaboration between behavioral health and the criminal justice system.

Continuing Education Units:

2 CEUs*

Event website

Additional information

• Attendance type: Virtual – No in-person attendance is required.
• Cost: 15.00
• Event type: Lectures & Seminars, Training & Workshops, Community Outreach, Health, Safety & Wellness, Professional Development