Talking About Mental Health Justice

90 minute Caucus Session at Civil Liberties and Public Policy Annual Conference [Now called Collective Power for Reproductive Justice]

Hampshire College, April 13, 2019

Presented by: Dionne Bensonsmith and Tammy Nyden

Caucus Description:

Mental health justice is a human rights issue. Caregivers experience stigma, institutional trauma, and toxic stress while navigating broken systems that fail to meet their children’s needs. This caucus is an opportunity to participate in a wisdom-collective of individuals touched by children’s mental health and the policies and practices that make up the school-to-prison pipeline within the United States. We will discuss mental health justice including: 1) unequal access to quality mental health care for children and families of color; 2) disciplinary policies that criminalize symptoms as “behaviors” rather than provide appropriate health care and educational supports; and 3) ‘stigma-jumping’ that occurs in advocacy communities. Members of Mothers on the Frontline will discuss the power of storywork for healing and advocacy and invite activists to contribute to a new “Digital Stories for Social Justice” archive.