National Alliance on Mental Illness
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©2013
March 2007
Working with Faith Communities to Counter Discrimination and Stigma
An ADS Center Teleconference Archive
Research indicates the importance of clergy and faith communities for both consumers and families in dealing with issues of mental health.
Being welcomed in a house of prayer by a concerned and caring community can make a critical difference for consumers with mental illnesses and their families, who may find no other welcome in the larger community.
The teleconference, Working with Faith Communities to Counter Discrimination and Stigma, originally aired on January 28, 2004. It provides insight into the long tradition of the essential services provided by faith communities to people with mental illnesses and their families.
Presenters provide steps to engage the faith-based community to educate their members and their communities about people with mental illnesses.
Presenters include Rabbi Richard Address, D.Min., director, Union of American Hebrew Congregations, Department of Jewish Family Concerns;Michael Blank, Ph.D., assistant professor, Center for Mental Health Services Policy and Research, Department of Psychiatry, University of Pennsylvania; and Kris Flaten, M.Div., consumer advocate and chair of the Minnesota State Advisory Council on Mental Health.
To download the complete teleconference presentation and listen to the audio recording, visit the Web site of the Resource Center to Address Discrimination and Stigma (ADS Center) at http://www.stopstigma.samhsa.gov/archtel.htm. Events are listed in chronological order, so scroll down and look for the event, "Working with Faith Communities to Counter Discrimination and Stigma", on January 28, 2004. Instructions for play and download are listed on the Web site.
About the ADS Center
The SAMHSA ADS Center is a program of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Center for Mental Health Services. It helps people design, implement and operate programs that reduce discrimination and stigma associated with mental illnesses. With the most up-to-date research and information, the ADS Center helps individuals, organizations, and governments counter such discrimination and stigma in the community, in the workplace, and in the media.