For New Yorkers, by New Yorkers
This initiative is funded by the New York State Office of Mental Health
What are this website and toolkit for?
This mental health anti-stigma toolkit is for New Yorkers, by New Yorkers. It was designed to raise awareness about and combat mental health and illness stigma in BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) communities in NYC. It includes general information about what mental health and mental illness are, what stigma is, the reasons it exists, some ways we can support our mental health, and how we can fight stigma. Throughout the toolkit you’ll see buttons. These take you to more information on the given topics.
How were they made?
This toolkit was initiated in Summer 2022 as a project funded by the New York State Office of Mental Health. Our goal was to create a toolkit of anti-stigma resources for mental health designed for, and informed by, BIPOC and diverse communities throughout New York City. We partnered with Services for the Underserved in East Harlem, Montefiore Medical Center’s Bronx Health Collective in the South Bronx, and Brooklyn Community Services in East Brooklyn and held several community discussion groups throughout Fall and Winter 2022-2023. These discussion groups involved conversations about how we think about mental health and mental illness, common myths and stereotypes of mental illness, things that get in the way for people hoping to seek help with mental health challenges, and important information that members wished their communities knew about mental health and mental illness. All of these discussion groups culminated in the development of this toolkit! We hope that you will use the information contained in these toolkits, as this was designed by your community, for your community.
About the Facilitators
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Dana L. Collins, PhD
Dana L. Collins, PhD (she/her/hers) is a counseling psychologist, educator, and community activist. She is on faculty in the Department of Family and Social Medicine at Montefiore Medical Center. Her work is deeply rooted in social justice values, and as a Black woman, she is committed to the empowerment of Black and other communities of Color, raising awareness about mental health and reducing stigma within these communities, challenging racism, and using mindfulness-based practices to work towards healing.
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Lauren Gonzales, PhD
Lauren Gonzales, PhD is a clinical psychologist and Assistant Professor of Medical Psychology (in Psychiatry) at Columbia University Irving Medical Center. She works to understand how social factors contribute to our mental health, and how we can promote mental health at the social and societal level. She is especially interested in how stigma and discrimination can lead to mental health disparities among communities that have been socially marginalized. She strongly believes that efforts to improve mental health treatment need to be informed and led not just by doctors and researchers, but by the members of our communities.
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Angel Avila
Angel Avila is a Software Engineer intern, Web Developer and Computer Science student with a a passion for building projects and aspiration to be a software engineer. He has a background in healthcare, working at a hospital and health center prior to entering tech, and was a recent winner of 2023 HackNYU’s hackathon, where he and his team created an innovative healthcare web application. Through his background, he has worked alongside a behavioral health department where he was exposed to many underserved and underrepresented individuals of color who sought help. With his background in healthcare and skills with tech, he hopes to make contributions towards improving mental health.
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Caine Harmon
Caine Harmon, based in New York Area is an accomplished Creative Director with a rich and diverse background encompassing graphic design, illustration, motion graphics, and film production.
His expertise extends across various mediums, providing a comprehensive creative portfolio. This wealth of experience and innovation inspired him to establish his own creative agency, the 90 Degree Collective.
