PURPOSE OF STIGMA TO FREEDOM EXPO & SYMPOSIUM: To raise awareness and provide education on stigma and its impacts, and to teach ways to move from being in stigma to being in worthiness through innovative strategies to:
o MOVE THE NEEDLE ~ help individuals who are stigmatized and their families (who are often also stigmatized) to move from seeing themselves as "discredited people facing an unaccepting world" (Goffman 1963) to being people of worthiness on a journey to fulfill their grand potential in our community.
o DOES LANGUAGE MATTER? ~ to identify language that may require a “stigma alert” and why, or why not, and to review People First Language and its value in changing our thinking.
o MEDICATIONS FOR RECOVERY ~ to communicate the importance (and okayness) for many people who seek recovery to use medications to support their recovery, and that stigmatizing these people is not productive to the community or to those who are stigmatized.
o POSITIVE PSYCHOLOGY ~ introduce symposium participants to basic principles of Positive Psychology, and to learn strategies that can be used with individuals, families, and community groups to counter negative beliefs and ill-will aimed at oneself (self-stigma) and aimed by others toward persons who live with substance use and mental health disorders, their families, and allies.
o WHAT IS THE "STIGMA OF RECOVERY"? ~ to create a dialogue around the "stigma of recovery," what that means, and how to address it.
o WHAT CAN WE LEARN FROM THE MENTAL HEALTH COMMUNITY ABOUT STIGMA AND SOLUTIONS? ~ Invite representatives from MHA Greater Houston, NAMI Greater Houston, DBSA Greater Houston to share their experience, success, and lessons learned.
o SMALL STEPS TOWARD BIG SOLUTIONS ~ to engage and seek the commitment of everyone to be a part of the solution to a better community by supporting wellness and recovery and to begin to comprehend the loss to the entire community when groups are stigmatized.
o RESOURCES! ~ a Resource Directory made up of all Exhibitors, list of websites and contemporary research for more information.
