Brochures, Fact Sheets, Guides and Toolkits

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.

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.

Media guide: Background information and a guide for reporting on mental illness
This guide, developed by the University of Washington and Harris & Smith Public Affairs, with funding from a SAMHSA Mental Health Transformation Incentive Grant, offers journalists practical tips for reporting on mental health problems, background information about the relationship between mental health problems and violence, and summaries of the best current studies regarding recovery and prevention. The purpose of this guide is to improve reporting on mental health.

Developing a stigma reduction initiative
This guide offers practical advice on implementing an initiative, sample materials and templates to use in developing communication materials, tactics to enhance outreach efforts, and directories of resources for creating public education materials.

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

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.

How to use the media to fight stigma and discrimination (Spanish language version)
This Spanish languge tool kit helps individuals learn how to counteract stigma by working with the media and becoming involved in various anti-stigma initiatives.

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.

Media issues: Promoting accuracy and sensitivity
Part of the National Stigma Clearinghouse, the "media issues" section provides information about responding to media prejudice, initiating a media story, and tips to shatter stigma.

Challenging stereotypes: An action guide
Step-by-step approach on how to respond to stigma in the media and elsewhere, including sample letters, resource listings, and strategies.

How to use the media to fight stigma and discrimination
This tool kit helps individuals learn how to counteract stigma by working with the media and becoming involved in various anti-stigma initiatives.