Brochures, Fact Sheets, Guides and Toolkits

Stories of recovery: Sally Zinman
In this Stories of Recovery video, Sally Zinman, an advocate within the mental health consumer/survivor movement for over 30 years, describes her experiences of being abused while in treatment for her mental health issues. She discusses how these experiences changed her life and led to a life of advocacy work in the recovery movement to improve treatment conditions and to stop forced treatment and abuse of individuals in treatment for their mental disorders. Zinman also shares details of what helped her in her own recovery journey, including reading, reconnecting with nature through organic farming, and focusing on doing healthy things to strengthen her body and mind.

Psychiatrist Daniel Fisher talks about hope and recovery
In this 10-minute interview, psychiatrist Daniel Fisher, Executive Director of the National Empowerment Center, describes what recovery can mean for someone with a mental disorder and the roles that hope, love, and support play in one's recovery. He describes recovery as having a full life in one's community, one where an individual feels that his or her life is worth living. Dr. Fisher also describes the impact that support from loved ones had on his own recovery journey.

What is "people first" language?
Language can have a big impact on how things are interpreted and internalized, by individuals and by society as a whole. It has the potential to offend and also, empower and convey respect. This AskEARN fact sheet on "people first" language lists some of the negative language to be avoided and more appropriate language to use when referring to individuals with disabilities, including people with mental health issues.

Mental health works
This DVD and online resource serves as a tool for providers and employers, outlining practical techniques and responsibilities for both people who have mental disorders and their employers. This resource addresses many of the negative and harmful attitudes and beliefs related to mental health issues. Support for employers, methods of recruiting and keeping staff, and some of the myths and realities of mental health are also explored.

Enhancing mental health service delivery to Hispanics: An online toolkit for eliminating disparities
This toolkit is made up of a number of print, video, and audio resources for helping mental health agency providers and leadership provide culturally competent support to Hispanics. By providing specific guidance on how to effectively engage and attract Hispanics, this toolkit helps increase understanding of the unique needs of Hispanics when seeking mental health services.

Recovery insights: Learning from lived experience
Produced by Rethink Mental Illness, an organization in England dedicated to promoting awareness about mental health and supporting people in recovery, this booklet explores recovery and the lived experiences of 55 individuals, emphasizing the role that other people can play in one's recovery journey. It provides specific learning points for recovery for others with mental disorders, their family and friends, and mental health providers.

Building sustainable consumer run organizations
This manual, created through the University of Washington and the Self Help Empowerment and Evaluation Alliance, explores the recovery model and how to build a consumer-run organization. To help with preparation for building a consumer-run organization, this manual provides guidance on surveying community needs, a basic checklist for getting the organization started, funding resources, details on management, and sustainability and accountability. It also includes sample documents for readers to reference.

Mental health matters: Expanded forced treatment
In this episode of Mental Health Matters, guests discuss the rights of individuals with mental disorders and the importance of choice and self-determination in improving wellness and recovery. The guests for this episode are Khatera Aslami, Executive Director of P.E.E.R.S., and Sally Zinman, a consumer movement pioneer and editor of the book Reaching Across: Mental Health Clients Helping Each Other. Aslami and Zinman describe the harm of forced treatment and forced medication on people in recovery, the community, and therapeutic relationships. They also discuss the California State law AB 1421, which allows counties to utilize forced outpatient treatment for people with mental disorders, and its role in the perpetuation of the myth that individuals with mental disorders are violent. P.E.E.R.S. has posted an AB 1421 position paper and a discussion of AB 1569, which would extend AB 1421 until 2019, to this Web page: http://www.peersnet.org/sites/default/files/PEERS-position-AB1421.pdf.

Mental health works: A host of employer resources at your fingertips
This Partnership for Workplace Mental Health quarterly issue of Mental Health Works provides resources for employers. This issue explores bullying in the workplace, stress in America, developing a foundation for workforce resiliency, and managing the risks of violence in the workplace. Current data on these specific topics are charted throughout this booklet, and detailed recommendations for employers are provided.

2012 join the voices for recovery: It's worth it; National Recovery Month toolkit
This National Recovery Month toolkit provided through the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) is a resource for mental and substance use disorder information. According to the SAMHSA Store Web site, it "provides tools and educational materials to distribute in communities and during local events." It covers a broad range of topics related to recovery and recovery-related events and campaigns, including media outreach, targeted outreach, and lived experiences of people in recovery.

Homelessness and substance use disorder treatment: Recovery-oriented housing and achieving healthy lifestyles
This 2010 SAMHSA Webcast recognizes the complex relationship between homelessness and mental and substance use disorders and explores the connection between homelessness and the treatment of substance use disorders from a program and policy view. Also, it examines some of the issues of permanent supportive housing and methods of recovery support that help people achieve healthy lives and long-term recovery.

Principles of recovery oriented mental health practice
This Australian Department of Health and Aging fact sheet outlines six key principles of recovery-oriented mental health: uniqueness of the individual, real choices, attitudes and rights, dignity and respect, partnership and communication, and evaluating recovery. The fact sheet notes that recovery, as defined by individuals with lived experience, includes "gaining and retaining hope, understanding of one's abilities and disabilities, engagement in an active life, personal autonomy, social identity, meaning and purpose in life, and a positive sense of self." The fact sheet identifies the purpose of the principles of recovery-oriented practice as "to ensure that mental health services are being delivered in a way that supports the recovery of mental health consumers."

Mental Health Matters: Crisis Intervention Training (CIT)
Mental Health Matters is a public access television show that highlights various mental health issues. This episode discusses Crisis Intervention Training which is designed to increase police officers' understanding of and ability to effectively interact with an individual who is experiencing a mental health crisis. The benefits of this training are discussed in interviews with a police officer, a family member, and a person in recovery.

Recovery to Practice E-News: Special-focus issue on trauma-informed care
This Recovery to Practice (RTP) E-News message from April 26, 2012 highlights the immense benefits of trauma-informed care. In one article, Dr. Maggie Bennington describes her experience as Medical Director of Psychiatry at an Oregon hospital through its transition to a more trauma-informed environment. She discusses ways the hospital adopted a more inclusive definition of safety and how this impacted individuals' recovery journeys while hospitalized. Also, a guest columnist shares her story as a consumer, the factors that led her to help found the first Virginia statewide consumer/survivor organization, and her efforts to end harmful use of force in acute care settings through a workshop she developed with other consumers. She discusses her success throughout Virginia and through allies gained along the way, including newspaper reporters, legislators, and family groups. This issue also includes information on the development of training curricula by RTP member groups, a personal story of recovery, and RTP project updates.

Implementing evidence-based practices in mental health
This guidebook was designed to help community behavioral healthcare organizations implement evidence-based treatment approaches in their organization-approaches that have been scientifically shown to improve outcomes for individuals with mental and substance use disorders. This book, which describes the real-life experiences of a community support and treatment services organization in Washtenaw County in Michigan, outlines key strategies in a how-to format to assist organizations in making the organizational changes needed to implement evidence-based practices, including developing work plans and implementing and maintaining evidence-based practices.

Managing student-athletes' mental health issues
This handbook emphasizes the mind and body connection, highlighting the importance of student-athletes' mental health and the potential of mental health to impact one's physical health. The goal of this handbook is to help coaches and other school staff working with student-athletes identify students who are at risk for mental disorders. This handbook serves as a guide that explores various mental disorders including substance use disorders and mood, anxiety, and eating disorders. It also provides guidance on helping student-athletes manage responsibilities during their recovery.

Resources for athletes
This Resources for Athletes page of the Association for Applied Sport Psychology Web site provides a brief description of the benefits of sport psychology for athletes, describing it as an opportunity to enhance physical skills with mental skills. This page also provides a list of articles for athletes on topics related to managing one's mental health as an athlete, enhancing self-awareness, and dealing with different emotions, such as anger and disappointment in competition.

Higher education support toolkit
This toolkit serves as a guide for university staff to assist them in working effectively to support college students who have mental health problems. It includes free downloadable worksheets on how to connect with resources on campus, a self-assessment for students, and information on accommodations in college classes.

Multicultural competence, intense spiritual experience, and mental health: A self-help, peer support and service provider technical assistance tool
This technical assistance tool was developed as an outgrowth of a National Alliance on Mental Illness Support, Technical Assistance and Resources Center (NAMI STAR Center) workshop that included individuals who had gone through intense spiritual experiences as well as those interested in learning more about this type of experience and about how to be helpful to someone going through this experience. This resource discusses spirituality in depth and includes a list of guidelines for honoring intense spiritual experiences as well as ways providers and others can support individuals having these experiences.

Mental Health Matters: Consumer Movements Around the World
This episode of the television show Mental Health Matters features leaders within the mental health consumer/survivor movement from four different countries. These leaders are members of an organization called Interrelate, which is described as an international coalition of national consumer user organizations. Throughout this show they discuss specific issues related to individuals with mental disorders within their countries and also discuss similarities they share.

Paving new ground: Peers working in in-patient settings
With psychiatric hospitals and State institutions becoming more aware of the roles of peer specialists, positions for peers are now becoming more common in inpatient settings. This guidebook, designed to help hospitals learn how to successfully incorporate peer specialists into their work setting, highlights some hospitals that have been successful with this effort. It includes stories and narratives of peer specialists working in inpatient settings and some of the specific challenges and benefits experienced in their positions. Some key roles, as well as creative strategies including art and humor, are also discussed in this guide.

The depression tool kit of the MacArthur Foundation Initiative on Depression and Primary Care
Primary care physicians can use this resource to learn about recognizing depression in their patients and assisting their patients experiencing depression more effectively. The resource focuses on recognizing depression, educating individuals on symptoms and treatment options, using evidence-based methods, and monitoring treatment responses. It also includes a medication guide and diagnostic aids.

NCCTS leadership: Culture and trauma
Recognizing how culture influences the way traumatic experiences are perceived, this National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN) factsheet discusses the importance of culturally competent trauma-informed treatments. The factsheet describes guidelines for culturally competent service providers, shares information on National Center for Child Traumatic Stress (NCCTS) initiatives such as the NCTSN culture listserv, and describes a vision for the future treatment of individuals impacted by trauma. The factsheet also describes the NCTSN mission to enhance services for children who have been traumatized.

The Sanctuary Model: An integrated theory
The Sanctuary Model is an evidence-based, trauma-informed cultural approach that outlines a method for developing an organizational culture within which individuals who have experienced trauma can receive the support necessary to promote healing. This Web site provides a list of features of a certified Sanctuary organization; various links to learn more about this model, including details about the historical foundation and components of the model; and additional information on related news, publications, and products and services.

Developing a Local Time Dollars Program
This section of the Community Tool Box toolkit provides information and guidance on developing a Time Dollars program. With this approach volunteers earn "time dollars" through time spent providing service and use those dollars to "buy" service needed or, by donating "dollars", volunteers help ensure that others in need will get the support they need. This section also describes reasons for creating a Time Dollars program and gives real world examples of instances where this type of program has been successful. This section also explores who would develop a Time Dollars program.

Combating Stigma Within the Michigan Mental Health System: A Toolkit for Change
This toolkit strives to educate people with mental disorders and providers on ways to recognize and counter negative attitudes and harmful beliefs within the mental and substance use disorder services system. In the Tools for Action section of this toolkit, there are recommendations on how to develop a campaign to counter these negative and harmful perceptions. This kit also describes the role of providers in addressing these prejudices and ways in which individuals can work to confront these issues.

Creating and Facilitating Peer Support Groups
This section of the Community Tool Box toolkit gives readers tips on creating and leading peer support groups. It defines peer support groups, provides information on who could benefit from a peer support group, includes real situational examples to reference, and other tools, such as a PowerPoint presentation and a checklist, to help individuals with this process.

SAMHSA Consumer-Operated Evidence-Based Practice KIT
This guide provides tools for developing mental health services which are owned and run by people in recovery. The guide, whose recommendations are rooted in evidence-based practices, provides detailed recommendations on implementing evidence-based practices, what it takes to build and evaluate a program, staff and volunteer training, and using multimedia to introduce consumer-operated services.

The Community Tool Box
The Community Tool Box is a resource that provides practical tools and information for building a healthy community. Through the Community Tool Box website, individuals can access toolkits to help with becoming more engaged in community work, a troubleshooting guide to help with problem solving, and a section dedicated to connecting people to evidence-based practices.

Building Communites from the Inside Out: A Path Toward Finding and Mobilizing a Community's Assets
This guide outlines strategies for communities to start asset-based development, an approach to community development in which local citizens' associations, community members and leaders, and institutions work together to build and repair their communities using an approach that focuses on identifying community strengths rather than deficiencies as the starting point in addressing community needs. This guide provides success stories of various communities across the United States and provides an introduction to strategies learned from neighborhood leaders.

Homelessness and Substance Use Disorder Treatment: Recovery-Oriented Housing Achieving Healthy Lifestyles (Audio DVD)
This DVD explores the connection between homelessness and substance use treatment from both a program and policy point of view. Key factors associated with these two issues are also explored, including permanent supportive housing, treatment methods, and recovery support systems.

Essential tools: Improving secondary education and transition for youth with disabilities
This guide provides information for educators, community agencies, families, and workforce development specialists working to develop an environment that improves and enhances school and post-school outcomes for youth with disabilities. The guide explains an approach called community resource mapping and discusses how this approach can be used to foster interagency collaboration with the goal of ensuring that all youth have access to a broad, comprehensive, and integrated system of services.

Self-advocacy and health care for older adults with mental illnesses
This toolkit provides information on the importance of self-advocacy for older adults with behavioral health problems. It provides tips for communicating with healthcare professionals and highlights the value of following up to ensure effective care.

Child trauma toolkit for educators
This toolkit serves as a resource for educators, parents, and caregivers to help them better understand and learn how to address trauma in children. It provides facts and recommendations for individuals working with children, details on the psychological and behavioral impact of trauma in children at different ages, information on childhood traumatic grief, and guidance on self-care when working with children who have experienced trauma.

Helping behavioral health clients with parenting and child custody issues: Guidebook and training materials for half-day training for case managers and other service providers
This guidebook is a resource for case managers and behavioral health staff working with consumers who are parents or are considering becoming parents. The materials are designed to help parents maintain custody of their children and help those who have lost custody to regain custody. The guidebook includes a training curriculum, with PowerPoint slides and trainer notes, practice activities using scenarios, and handouts for participants to learn how to address child welfare and custody issues to better support consumers in this important aspect of community integration.

Accommodation Information by Disability: A to Z
This information page from the Job Accomodation Network (JAN) website is made up of links which provide general information on various conditions and some possible accomodations employers could provide for individuals with these conditions. Resource organizations to assist in providing proper accomodations are also available through this page.

Developing a State Interagency Council on Homelessness: A Step-by-Step Guide
This guide provides steps in how to develop a state council on homelessness. In addition to these steps, benefits, functions, activities, along with some features of a successful council are shared in this guide.

Implementing Healthcare Reform: First Steps to Transforming Your Organization, A Practical Guide for Leaders
The guide is meant to serve as a starting point for addiction treatment agencies that need further understanding of the 2010 healthcare reform legislation and what it means for their agency's practices and policies. This guide suggests that in order for agencies to succeed and capitalize on the opportunities created by reform, they will need to: Recognize the need to transform; Educate all levels of staff; Assess organizations' strengths and weaknesses; Strategically plan and implement transformation; Create partnerships with primary health entities; and Assess changes and adjust as needed. In addition to these recommendations this guide also offers information on the role of prevention as healthcare continues to evolve, reading materials, and tips on how advocacy can help with this transition.

Recovery Advocacy Toolkit: Engaging Your Community
This toolkit highlights the benefits that recovery from addiction can have on a community. It goes on to describe ways community involvement in advocacy can enhance public perceptions of recovery and promote effective public policy. This toolkit provides action steps for community members based on their different roles in the community. Educators, faith community members, community coalitions, families, government/public officials, criminal justice professionals, business leaders, healthcare professionals, local media outlets, and addiction treatment providers are all provided with specific steps that will help in engaging and guiding the community toward effective and positive attitudes toward recovery.

Understanding Health Reform: What does health reform do?
This brochure is meant to provide information and guidance to those seeking further understanding of the 2010 health care reform. It gives individuals an idea of what this reform will mean for health insurance/coverage, preventative and wellness benefits, Medicare, and more. Also, this brochure recommends that people become involved in the change process to have influence on health care systems. It suggests that people participate in State specific committees, remain informed via electronic or hard copy newsletters, and attend stakeholder groups on health care reform that states will use to get feedback on their efforts.

Practice Guidelines: Core Elements in Responding to Mental Health Crises
This manual provides guidelines for improving services for behavioral health consumers in crisis. It provides statistics and defines what it means to be in a mental health crisis to help individuals understand how people with mental or emotional disabilities are impacted by them. Ten values are described as essential to crisis response: avoiding harm, intervening in person-center ways, shared responsibility, addressing trauma, establishing feelings of personal safety, based on strengths, the whole person, the person as a credible source, recovery, resilience, and natural supports, and prevention.

Cultural competency in mental health peer-run programs and self-help groups: A tool to assess and enhance your services
This tool helps behavioral health and consumer-run programs and groups to evaluate their levels of cultural competency. This resource works to help individuals recognize ways they may already embrace diversity and identify areas where improvements could be made. It focuses on five key areas: administration and policies, peer providers and group leaders, services and support, program and group environment, and communication and language capacity.

Tackling Stigma - A practical toolkit
This toolkit helps professionals working in the area of youth mental health to develop ideas on how to address negative beliefs, harmful attitudes, and discrimination and understand how to make the biggest impact when working to counter these issues. The toolkit stresses the importance of involving youth in local planning efforts to ensure they are involved in decision making regarding care options available to them in their area. It includes various materials including best practice examples, case studies, literature, and resources.

Social Determinants of Health: The Solid Facts (2nd Edition)
This publication discusses research that explores determinants of health standards in modern society and highlights key components of this research in the context of public policy. The publication explains how psychological and social factors influence health and longevity. It focuses on 10 main topics including the importance of health determinants in childhood, and the effects of working conditions, social support, and unemployment.

Stepping Stones To Recovery: A Case Manager's Manual for Assisting Adults Who Are Homeless, with Social Security Disability and Supplemental Security Income Applications
The purpose of this manual is to help individuals, specifically case managers, assist homeless people with behavioral health problems in applying for Social Security Administration's (SSA) disability programs. This manual highlights many of the eligibility and documentation requirements, with the goal of facilitating the application process and reducing the need for appeals. It is a useful tool for anyone applying for SSA disability programs.To access or download this manual, click on the Training Curricula tab on the SOAR Resource Library page.

The Summary Plan: Bringing the Strategy to Life 2009-2011
This national action plan outlines the second phase of the 'See Me' campaign in Scotland. Within this phase, the 'See Me' campaign will focus on discrimination in communities where individuals are met with greater barriers and are more likely to experience behavioral health problems. This campaign strives to end negative perceptions of and discrimination against people with behavioral health problems. The plan describes an approach that creates cultural change to ensure the support of people experiencing behavioral health problems.

Supported Employment Evidence Based Practices KIT
This KIT offers standards on supported employment for individuals with severe behavioral health problems and promotes the idea that people with serious behavioral health conditions can participate fully in the workforce. It includes information on how to get started with evidence-based practice, national resources for consumers and families, and instruments to assess cultural competence.

Trauma-Informed Organizational Toolkit for homeless services
Taking into consideration the high rate of traumatic exposure among homeless families, this toolkit was developed to provide resources, knowledge, and guidance to homeless service providers and others working to provide appropriate support to families that have experienced traumatic stress. The toolkit outlines concrete steps that organizations can take to become trauma-informed, as well as a self-assessment to help organizations evaluate and adjust current methods to better serve and support clients.

Permanent Supportive Housing Evidence-Based Practices (EBP) KIT
This publication is part of the Knowledge Informing Transformation (KIT) series on evidence-based practices developed by the SAMHSA Center for Mental Health Services. It identifies essential elements of permanent supportive housing services and programs for people with behavioral health problems. It also covers ways to develop new evidence-based programs. The KIT includes eight booklets available via Internet download or U.S. mail.

The World Health Organization's Mental Health Page
The World Health Organization (WHO) mental health page contains a wide array of WHO behavioral health resources, including guidance for advocates, information for researchers, fact sheets, speeches, statements, and publications on a variety of topics related to behavioral health.

WHO resource book on mental health, human rights and legislation
This book from the World Health Organization highlights the issues and principles behind good behavioral health and human rights legislation. It is meant to serve as a resource to countries as they draft and adopt the legislation but is also a valuable resource for stakeholders such as advocacy groups and health professionals.

Certified peer specialist training program descriptions
Behavioral health consumers who are interested in becoming certified peer specialists will find this reference helpful. The document, compiled in 2006, describes certification programs in Arizona, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, and South Carolina.

Personal assistance in community existence (PACE) series
The National Empowerment Center's PACE series includes resources and training materials to help consumers and providers develop recovery-oriented services and promote peer support. Particularly helpful are the Recovery Through Peer Support Curriculum and the Recovery Through Peer Providers DVD, which train consumers, family members, and providers to support others in their paths to mental health recovery.

Directory of peer-run crisis services
This directory provides descriptions of and links to peer-run programs for people experiencing mental health crises. In many States, peer-run centers are viable alternatives to hospitalization.

Consumers in the mental health workforce: A handbook for providers
Employing consumers in the behavioral health field is important both to the recovery of the consumers and to the credibility of the providers. This handbook for providers includes tips and strategies for hiring and retaining consumer employees.

Walking in recovery (video)
This video shares the message that people can recover from mental health problems. Five people share their experiences with mental health diagnoses and the unique paths that led them to recovery. The successes of these consumers can help others understand mental health recovery and identify ways they can support mental health consumers in their communities.

Health promotion, risk reduction, suicide prevention report 2010
This report, based on the findings of the Army Suicide Prevention Task Force, is a call to action and an informative read for anyone concerned with military mental health. The report examines the reality of suicide and suicidal ideation among U.S. Army personnel, as well as high-risk behaviors that may result in death. The report describes the Army Suicide Prevention Campaign, tools and interventions to promote resiliency among service members and their families, and policy and governance adjustments to increase military behavioral health.

Grading the States 2009
This interactive map provides an overview of the National Alliance on Mental Illness's 2009 State-by-State evaluation of mental health care systems. The Nation as a whole received a 'D' for the health care it provides to people with serious mental illness. The organization graded based on community integration and social inclusion, empowerment, and other factors. The full report, describing methodology, findings, and recommendations, is available for download.

SAFE program: Mental health facts for families
This online manual was developed by Dr. Michelle D. Sherman, Director of the Family Mental Health Program at the Oklahoma City VA Medical Center. Facilities use this manual to conduct an 18-session education program for the family members of those with posttraumatic stress disorder or behavioral health problems. Mental health professionals facilitate the sessions. A representative of the National Alliance on Mental Illness also attends. The manual includes information, discussion questions, and handouts for each session.

Understanding military culture
This online course, created by the National Center for PTSD, is designed for clinicians. The course is a 1-hour audio and slide presentation to help viewers understand military culture. The author, Dr. Patricia J. Watson, provides an overview of military demographics and organizational structure and describes the stressors military personnel experience. She also describes two programs to help service members prevent and manage combat and operational stress: Army Battlemind and Marine Corps Combat Operational Stress Continuum.

Action on mental health: A guide to promoting social inclusion
This guide, produced by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's Social Exclusion Unit, provides practical tips for frontline staff and service providers, people affected by mental health problems, local agencies, and employers to use in promoting social inclusion. It includes individual fact sheets on themes such as families, discrimination, and employment.

Voices of transformation: Developing recovery-based statewide consumer/survivor organizations
This resource provides a blueprint to help consumer-run organizations advance the national movement for mental health system transformation. In addition to descriptions of existing programs, the publication provides strategic advice in fundraising, board development, and coalition building among other key nonprofit management topics.

Guidance on transformational language
This brief electronic fact sheet provides information on the use of appropriate language when referring to mental health topics.

Eliminating barriers for learning: Social and emotional factors that enhance secondary education
This training package developed by SAMHSA consists of four modules, each with a trainer's outline and trainer's notes, slides, and handouts. The module's aim to increase knowledge of adolescent mental health, including risks and protective factors, show teachers and staff how to develop action plans, suggest ways to promote a mentally healthy learning environment, and help staff identify school and community resources to promote youth mental health.

Eliminating barriers for learning: An administrator's guide
This brief booklet invites school administrators to use the teacher training package developed by the EBI. It explains how the training package can help teachers and schools achieve their academic objectives and provides the practical information administrators need to implement the training.

An exploration of the social identity of mental health inpatient service users
In this study the authors use a qualitative approach to explore the salient social identity of individuals with mental health problems in an inpatient environment using semi-structured interviews. Analysis showed that the salient in-groups and out-groups mainly centred around the inpatient context but were somewhat influenced by non-mental health service group membership.

Disclosing your disability to an employer
This fact sheet discusses the disclosure of ones' disability to an employer. Provides information on how to prepare to disclose ones' disablity to an employer, and also when is the best time to disclose your illness.

What you need to know?.Stigma building awareness and understanding about mental disorder
This fact sheet discusses how to build awareness and understanding about mental disorders. This fact sheet attempts to answer questions like "Why does stigma still exist"; "what is a mental disorder" and gives a list of the five major categories of mental disorders.

Substance Use Disorders: A Guide to the Use of Language
This language guide was created by the SAMHSA Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (CSAT). It provides individuals with information on the terminology that should be used when addressing substance use disorders. It promotes the use of words that will advance the understanding of substance use disorders as a health issue.

Stigma: Understanding the impact of prejudice and discrimination on people with mental health and substance abuse problems
This brochure provides a overview of stigma, its effects and how an individual can make a difference in changing negative attitudes and views.

Beat the stigma and discrimination! Four lessons for mental health advocates
This handbook focuses on correcting the disparity and increasing both opportunities and resources for people with mental illnesses by reviewing ways in which negative public attitudes might be reduced and more appropriate attitudes might be enhanced.

The arts-reaching hearts and minds to counter discrimination associated with mental illnesses
An electronic publication discussing how art can be a powerful force in correcting the misperception that people who have mental illnesses lack the same interests and abilities as everyone else.

A mentally healthy workforce: It's good for business
This booklet provides assistance to employers and companies who are interested in changing the workplace from a mentally unhealthy environment to a healthy one.

A New Hampshire Guide to Mental Health and Healthy Aging for Older Adults and Caregivers
This guidebook was written for older adults with mental health concerns or mental illnesses, and their caregivers and family members. Living with mental health problems can be challenging, and as an individual grows older, further health issues are often encountered. Some references are specific to New Hampshire resources, but the overall themes can be applied universally.

A guide to mental wellness in older age: Recognizing and overcoming depression
The purpose of this toolkit is to help older adult mental health consumers, in partnership with their health care providers, identify and treat late-life depression.

Suicide and mental illness in the media: A Mindframe resource for the mental health sector
This resource guide was developed to assist people involved in mental health to communicate effectively with the media about suicide, mental health and mental illness.

Evidence-based practices: Shaping mental health services toward recovery: Supported employment
This supported employment toolkit was produced by the Implementing Evidence-Based Practices Project as part of an effort to promote treatment practices in community mental health service settings that are known to be effective in supporting the recovery of adults with severe mental illnesses. The goal is to improve the lives of consumers by increasing the availability of effective mental health services.

Work as a priority: A resource for employing people who have serious mental illnesses and are homeless
This guidebook is intended to provide both a conceptual and practical foundation to increase employment among people who are homeless and who also have serious mental illnesses.

Mental health in the workplace
This booklet considers the effects of stress at work and the factors that can contribute to stress. It addresses the ways in which employers can help to create a psychologically healthy work environment. It also looks at the recruitment and retention of those experiencing mental health problems and provides a list of useful contacts.

Maryland rural families speak: About mental health
This article briefly discusses the findings from a study of families in two Maryland counties. It provides insight into the experiences of rural, low-income families.

Housing for persons with a serious and persistent mental illness
A fact sheet describing some of the challenges faced by communities and key factors to consider while developing safe housing for individuals with severe behavioral health problems.

Timothy's Law talking points
This fact sheet summarizes the basics of Timothy's Law and makes the argument for parity. This sheet can be used to educate others about the importance of parity for individuals, families, and businesses.

Changing minds, advancing mental health for Hispanics/NAMI New Jersey: Family to Family project
Project abstract of The New Jersey Mental Health Institute, Inc. in which it proposes to achieve consensus for implementing NAMI national?s exemplary practice, the Family-to-Family Education program. The program will be geared towards Hispanics, the fastest growing and largest ethnic minority group in our State and Nation.

Americans with Disabilities Act: A guide for people with disabilities seeking employment
This brochure provides a guide for individuals with mental illnesses, specifically answering questions about employment rights under the ADA.

Building community support for housing: Ten tips on how to win support for your affordable housing projects
A brief fact sheet highlighting tips of what goes into a successful community outreach campaign for an affordable housing project.

A guide to disability rights laws
This guide provides an overview of Federal civil rights laws that ensure equal opportunity for people with disabilities. It also provides the contact information for agencies and organizations that can be of assistance.

Older adults and mental health: Issues and opportunities
A companion piece to the Surgeon General's Report on Mental Health, this report focuses on the broad range of community-based preventive and treatment services that are available to older adults and their families. Chapter 6 specifically addresses stigma and other barriers to mental health care for aging adults.

What "fair housing" means for people with disabilities
This booklet explains in plain language how three Federal laws protect the housing rights of people with mental or physical disabilities.

Housing toolkit
A toolkit developed to provide information to help the public mental heath community meet the housing needs of people with behavioral health problems.

Services in school for children with special needs: What parents need to know
This brochure describes services in schools for Children with special needs and what parents should know. Under the Americans with Disabilities Act, the denial of educational services, programs or activities to students with disabilities is prohibited, and constitutes discrimination

Talking to kids about mental illnesses
This brochure helps parents address mental illness when speaking with children, it provides pointers on helping children understand mental illness and the stigma associated with it.

Guidelines for non-handicapping language in APA journals: Committee on disabilities issues in psychology
This fact sheet provides guidelines for the use of appropriate language regarding people with disabilities.

Black women and mental health
A brief article that addresses mental health and Black women in the U.S. It provides an array of information including information on attitudes towards mental health and suggestions for improvement.

Employment scenarios: What would you do?
This Web page outlines three examples of mental health issues in the workplace, and provides appropriate responses about how to address them. It also provides links to appropriate resources. 

How-to tips for employers
This online brochure provides information on developing accommodations for people with mental illnesses, the guidelines for providing feedback, and requesting documentation.

Talking about mental illness: A community guide for developing an awareness program for youth
The Community Guide contains all of the information, support and tools that community members need to implement "Talking About Mental Illness" in their community -- an awareness program proven to be effective in bringing about positive change in young people's knowledge about mental illness, and in reducing stigma that surrounds mental illness.

Talking about mental illness: A guide for developing an awareness program for youth
The program described in "Talking about Mental Illness" helps to increase awareness about mental illness and the stigma that surrounds it. It is based on the experiences of three communities that participated in the program, and the steps they took to increase awareness and understanding of mental illness.

Talking about mental illness: Teacher's resource
This Teacher's Resource Guide (PDF of complete version ) contains all of the information, support and tools teachers will need to implement Talking about Mental Illness in their classroom -- an awareness program that has been proven to bring about positive change in students' knowledge and attitudes about mental illness.

Steps to employment: A workbook for people who have experienced mental health problems
This workbook was designed to help people who have experienced mental health problems to become job-ready. It explains the job search process and provides information to help reduce anxiety associated with employment.

Just the facts about sexual orientation and youth: A primer for principals, educators and school personnel
A factsheet developed to aid mental health professionals, school staff, and others in addressing controversies about homosexuality when they arise at school.

Accommodation and compliance series: Employees with psychiatric impairments
JAN's Accommodation and Compliance Series is designed to help employers determine effective accommodations and comply with Title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Each publication in the series addresses a specific medical condition and provides information about the condition, ADA information, accommodation ideas, and resources for additional information.

Mental illness is not a full-time job
A brief fact sheet discussing equal protection under the law. It also provides guidelines and resources for further information.

Working Minds toolkit: A practical resource to promote good workplace practice on mental health
This guide, developed for the Mind Out for Mental Health campaign in England, may help employers in addressing the issue of mental health in the workplace. The kit contains useful material for anyone interested in addressing mental health issues in their workplace.

Helpline fact sheet: Ministry, mental illness, and communities of faith
A brief fact sheet discussing how "religious communities are in a unique position to combat stigma and provide a message of acceptance and hope."

Seizing the moment: Using HUD's Consolidated Plan to identify affordable housing opportunities for homeless people with severe mental illnesses
This guidebook details information and approaches designed to help mental health and homeless communities participate in the Consolidated Plan process, a long-term housing plan used by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to determine access to funding for Federal housing. 

Employment issues for people with mental illness
Brief article discussing how individuals involved with "One-Stop" programs can assist their customers in finding and maintaining employment.

Understanding stigma
Part of the "Working with the Family: Impact of Mental Illness on Families" section of the Pathways to Promise Web site, this fact sheet provides information on understanding the stigma that is encountered by the families of individuals with mental illnesses.

Words matter
This fact sheet provides examples of appropriate and inappropriate language when discussing mental illness.

Response ability: Challenging stigma
This fact sheet developed in Australia, provides basic information on stigma, and the misconceptions that can exist about mental illness.