Concord Monitor – Hometown Hero: Betty Nitche helps families through mental health support group

By SRUTHI GOPALAKRISHNAN

Monitor staff

Betty Nitche first walked into a family support group in Concord 24 years ago, searching for answers and a way to cope with the weight of a loved one’s mental illness.

Through her time with the group, she found ways to navigate New Hampshire’s complex mental health system and better support her loved one. More than that, she found connection and the powerful realization that she wasn’t facing it alone.

“It tends to be really hard sometimes to get people what they need,” said Nitche.” “It’s definitely emotionally draining at times and frustrating at times to navigate that system.”

Today, the roles are reserved. Nitche is the one offering comfort, guidance and hope to others walking the path she once traveled.

For the past nine years, Nitche has served as the official facilitator of the same group she once turned to for help, guiding families through their journeys as part of the National Alliance on Mental Illness New Hampshire.

“When you attend a support group, whatever you’re dealing with, somebody else in the group has probably dealt with something very similar,” said Nitche. “It’s just knowing that somebody else out there has been through it, is going through it, and you’re not alone.”

Nitche, a former school guidance counselor in the Merrimack Valley School District, says her years of experience have helped her maintain emotional boundaries — but that doesn’t mean facilitating the group’s meetings is always an easy task.

There are still moments when someone’s story feels deeply overwhelming, she said.

Over the years, Nitche has been dedicated to helping families facing mental health challenges because she wants more people to understand that mental illness is real and deserves the same care as any physical illness.

At 76, after years of service, Nitche has decided it’s time to pass the torch to someone new who will lead the group as its primary coordinator.

Liz Hodgkins, deputy director of NAMI NH, said people have attended this group for many years because of the support, consistency and safe space Nitche has provided for them to share both the celebrations and heartaches of their journey with a loved one who has a mental health condition.

“She’s non-judgmental. She’s listening, always being able to provide the best, up-to-date information that she can for her group,” Hodgkins said.

In 2022, NAMI NH also honored Nitche with the Volunteer of the Year award.

In addition to volunteering at NAMI NH, she volunteers with AARP during tax season, helping people with their tax forms, and with the Capitol Center for the Arts.

Above all, mental health is personal for Nitche, and while she acknowledges improvements over time, she hopes to see even greater progress from increased funding to reduced stigma.

“We need more equity with physical health. We need the insurance piece of it,” Nitche said. “We need more understanding of what it involves, and how it’s treated and what’s best for people. We need to break the stigma. We do need to provide the funding.”

Sruthi Gopalakrishnan can be reached at sgopalakrishnan@cmonitor.com