Official Site of The State of New Jersey
What’s New from the Council
- LGBTQ+ Resource Page – The Council launched this page at the beginning of Pride Month and will continually add links to other materials to this and the other resource pages.
- Join us August 14, 2024 for Engaging Vulnerable Youth and Young Adults. Click here for a flyer with details to share with others and here to register to attend.
- Employment Opportunities: Coordinator of Community Outreach and Partnerships-Click here for details.
“What mental health needs is more sunlight, more candor and more unashamed conversation.”
— Glenn Close
“We know that mental illness is not something that happens to other people. It touches us all. Why then is mental illness met with so much misunderstanding and fear.”
— Tipper Gore
“Mental health problems don’t define who you are . They are something you experience. You walk in the rain and you feel the rain but you are not the rain.”
— Matt Haig
Stories Inspiring Progress
The best way to eliminate stigma is to educate individuals about mental health and mental illnesses, especially the fact that mental illnesses are real, just like physical health conditions, and should not incite any judgment or discrimination. Such education should include individuals’ success stories.
The New Jersey Governor’s Council on Mental Health Stigma invites individuals to share their inspiring stories.
Here is one of many examples:
There is hope for you as there was for me
by Emily
Emily: Grossman, MA, CPRP, a member of the Council, Senior Training and Consultation Specialist at Rutgers School of Health Professions, and author of Unlocked: 25 Keys to Recovering from Depression, Anxiety or Bipolar Disorder
Click here to see video
Upcoming Events
Engaging Vulnerable Youth and Young Adults
07/23/2024
Join us August 14, 2024 for Engaging Vulnerable Youth and Young Adults. Click here for details and to register.
NAMI NJ Online and In-Person Support Groups June - July 2024
06/25/2024
The following groups are being offered online.........
NAMI NJ Online and In-Person Support Groups June - July 2024
American Mental Health Counselors Association Annual Conference 2024
06/10/2024
The American Mental Health Counselors Association is holding its annual conference June 10-12 in Charlotte, North Carolina. Visit https://www.amhca.org/conference for more information.
Council News
Employment Opportunities
07/23/2024
The Governor’s Council on Mental Health Stigma is seeking a Coordinator of Community Outreach and Partnerships, a nonexempt position, which reports directly to the Council Chairperson.......
more information
Youth Roundtable Inspires All with Compelling Perspectives from Teens, Young Adults and Community Leaders
05/24/2024
On May 22, 2024, the New Jersey Governor’s Council on Mental Health Stigma hosted a Youth Roundtable, Addressing the Youth Mental Health Crisis: Fostering Understanding and Partnerships to Further Support the Younger Generations. “While the staggering statistics about mental health disorders and suicide thoughts and actions certainly reinforce the urgent need to eliminate stigma and ensure access to treatment and support services, individuals’ experiences are even more compelling. I am tremendously grateful to the youth who participated in this event, as the mental health challenges and stigma they endured give them a perspective that all of us can and must learn from in order to provide the most meaningful support for children, teens and young adults,” said Debra L. Wentz, PhD, Chair of the Council; President and CEO of the New Jersey Association of Mental Health and Addiction Agencies; and Executive Director of the New Jersey Mental Health Institute.
The event featured opening remarks by Christine Norbut Beyer, MSW, Commissioner, New Jersey Department of Children and Families; a keynote presentation, Why There Is an Ongoing Mental Health Crisis among Children and Youth, by Shavonda Sumter, MBA, President and CEO of Children’s Aid and Family Services, Member of the New Jersey General Assembly and New Jersey Legislative Black Caucus Chair; and two panel discussions: Telling it Like it Is: Youth with Lived Experience and Family, Faith-based and Community Resources that Help.
Please click here to watch the recording of this event.
May Is Mental Health Awareness Month
05/02/2024
Council Publishes New Issue of Stopping Stigma, Highlighting May 22nd Youth Roundtable, Inspiring Successes and Valuable Resources