Brochures, Fact Sheets, Guides and Toolkits

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.

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.

Stories of recovery: Minister Monique Tarver
In this PEERS TV Stories of Recovery video, Minister Monique Tarver shares her story of triumph and recovery from mental health issues. She talks about how these challenges impacted her role as a parent, how her faith and family support were a major part of her progress, and ways the mental health and faith communities can work together to further enhance one's journey through recovery from a mental disorder.

Call to clergy: How to support mental health challenges in your congregation
This Webinar, which took place on October 9, 2012, provides guidance to leaders in different faith communities in providing mental health support to members of their congregations. This presentation explores ways to address mental health within different faiths including African American, Islamic, and Jewish faith communities. It outlines general statistics of the percentage of adults in the U.S. with different mental disorders, describes the basics of the mental health first aid approach, and discusses what recovery from a mental disorder can mean. Both the recording and the presentation are available on the National Council for Behavioral Health's Web site: http://www.thenationalcouncil.org/cs/recordings_presentations.

Shining stars - young adults in recovery
This documentary was created by Advocacy Unlimited, Inc., one of the SAMHSA ADS Center's 2010 Campaign for Social Inclusion awardees. Shining Stars is a 17-minute, culturally sensitive, educational documentary featuring the recovery stories of four young adults with mental health and substance use issues. The four young adults share their recovery journeys, which include experiences of loss, trauma, and other struggles. While sharing their stories, each "shining star" describes the hope he or she has for continuing on the path of recovery.

Mental Health Matters: RAP therapy; Beats, rhymes and life
Mental Health Matters is a public access television show that highlights various mental health issues. This episode, "RAP Therapy: Beats, Rhymes and Life," explores a community organization that uses rap, hip-hop, and pop culture to promote wellness and mental health among youth. The episode also explores the use of rap therapy as an intervention around the world.

Engaging women in trauma-informed peer support: A guidebook
Developed by the National Association of State Mental Health Program Directors and Advocates for Human Potential, Inc. with funding by SAMHSA, this guide can be used by peer supporters working in the behavioral health and human services systems to learn to integrate trauma-informed principles into their work supporting women who have experienced trauma. It provides culturally oriented resources and tools for trauma-informed peer support for women. The 13 chapters cover a number of key topics such as spirituality and religion, storytelling, and reclaiming one's power through social action.

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.

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.

Mental Health Matters: Native American Mental Health Concepts
This program, which can be viewed online, discusses differences between mainstream mental disorder models and those of the Native American community. This episode features the Director of the Children's Trauma Center and the Cultural Facilitator, both from a Native American Health Center in California, and a young adult community member/advocate who utilizes services at the Native American Health Center.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

African American community mental health fact sheet
Fact Sheet providing a brief review of mental health facts pertaining to the African American community, including a list of barriers to treatment.

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.

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.

Healthy women building healthy communities [Toolkit]
This toolkit from the Bright Futures for Women's Health and Wellness (BFWHW) Initiative is for women who want to improve the health of their communities. It will helps women plan, carry out, and evaluate a physical activity and/or healthy eating event. The ideas can be applied to events that focus on mental health and stigma reduction.