A Conversation on Practical Tools, Real Family Stories, and Strategies for Healing Relationships

Date: May 19, 2026
Time: 6:00 PM
Location: Mental Health Association of Rochester (274 N. Goodman St., Ste. D103, Rochester, NY 14607)

About the Event:

Join us this May for our MHA Speaker Series with Amy Baker and Deborah Aylward

When a loved one is diagnosed with a mental illness, easy-going family relationships become strained; heartfelt connections are lost or broken. When family members are able to use coping skills such as emotional regulation and radical acceptance, they have a better chance of strengthening those ties. Presenters will talk about their book, Coping Skills that Work: Families Tell Their Stories (Available on Amazon), and their 8-week course for families and tell stories about how those skills have worked for them. Attendees will be motivated to use coping skills in their own lives.

About Amy Baker:

Amy Baker worked for the Children’s Institute in Rochester, NY, a not-for profit dedicated to strengthening children’s social and emotional health, where she taught classes in the social and emotional development of infants and toddlers to childcare professionals. She became active at NAMI Rochester after her daughter was diagnosed with an anxiety disorder and clinical depression. She led family support groups at NAMI for ten years. In 2015, she developed an 8-week Coping Skills course for families who wanted to strengthen their relationship with a loved one who had a mental health diagnosis. She wrote Coping Skills that Work: Families Tell Their Stories with Deborah Aylward in 2023. She and Deborah have trained eight facilitators to teach the course.

About Deborah Aylward:

Deborah Aylward worked as a psychiatric nurse on an acute care unit at the University of Rochester Medical Center for 22 years. She was trained to engage with patients and establish therapeutic relationships to help them work toward emotional stability and recovery. Dialectical Behavior Therapy skills enabled her to offer patients concrete tools that they could use to manage their lives more successfully. She used these skills both as a teacher and a role model, to train new staff.

Secure Your Spot: Register HERE and Donate $10 to Support Mental Wellness in Rochester!

By making a suggested donation of $10 when registering for our upcoming speaker series event, you’re not only securing your spot but also playing a crucial role in supporting mental wellness initiatives in Rochester.

We are pleased to provide reasonable accommodations for this event. Please e-mail info@mharochester.org with any accommodation requests.