National Federation of Families

Choosing the right words when talking about mental health and substance use challenges, as well as the people facing them, is crucial! Ultimately, this can pave the way for policy changes that promote equity.

Choosing the right words when talking about mental health and substance use challenges, as well as the people facing them, is crucial! Ultimately, this can pave the way for policy changes that promote equity.

Join in to hear the panelists as they share their lived experiences and discuss the importance of moving from mental health and substance use awareness to acceptance in part through changing the language we use to talk about behavioral health challenges.

• Seth Kahan, Founder and CEO of Visionary Leadership will speak about the three dimensions of stigma, which offer a deeper understanding of how to combat stigma where it still exists.
• National Disability Rights Network’s (NDRN) Community Relations Specialist Raquel Rosa will discuss the importance of using person-centered language in behavioral health spaces to give people with lived experience the dignity and respect they deserve.
• NDRN’s Protection & Advocacy for Individuals with Mental Illness (PAIMI) Advisory Council member, Dr. Zipporah Levi-Shackleford, will speak about the differences in her experiences as a Black woman when others use person-centered language versus when someone uses demeaning and damaging language.
• Executive Director of the Federation of Families of Central Florida Muriel Jones Banks will leave us with inspiration as she discusses the importance of using the language of “mental health acceptance” to further equity for those with lived experience.

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