Narrative Enhancement and Cognitive Therapy (NECT): An Evidence-Based Intervention Designed to Reduce Self-Stigma in Adults with Mental Health Challenges

When: Thursday, October 19 - 10:00 AM

Duration: 2 hours

Location: Zoom

Event Details:

Mental health stigma is an area of substantial public health importance. Although many people have grown more comfortable disclosing their mental health struggles in recent years, negative views of people with serious mental health challenges persist that continue to associate those challenges with violence, incompetence and inability to recover. These negative perceptions can be internalized by people with mental health challenges in the form of self-stigma, which can heighten shame, undermine self-esteem, and impact self-efficacy. Research has shown that the effects of mental health stigma have an impact above and beyond that of symptoms. This suggests that for many people the effects of mental health stigma can be worse than the mental health challenges themselves.

Join us for a series of events focusing on self-stigma, including the latest research on the topic and, most importantly, what providers can do to help mitigate the impact of self-stigma on people living with mental health challenges. This series will feature the work of Dr. Philip Yanos, an internationally recognized expert on mental health stigma.

Dr. Yanos will provide a 2-hour training on Narrative Enhancement and Cognitive Therapy (NECT), a group-based intervention that utilizes psychoeducation, cognitive restructuring and storytelling to reduce the negative effects of self-stigma. Research has shown that participants in NECT reported reduced self-stigma as well as improved self-esteem after participating in the group intervention. The intervention has been implemented nationally and internationally and the materials have been translated into multiple languages. Participants will receive the training materials and be provided with an overview of the topic, a review of the components of the intervention and a demonstration of the core competencies necessary to deliver the intervention with fidelity. 

About the Presenter: Philip T. Yanos, Ph.D., received his doctorate in clinical psychology from St. John's University (1999). Prior to joining the faculty at John Jay, he was a faculty member in the Department of Psychiatry of UMDNJ-New Jersey Medical School. He is an Associate Editor for the journal Stigma and Health and the author of “Written Off: Mental Health Stigma and the Loss of Human Potential” (Cambridge University Press, 2018). He is the co-developer of 'Narrative Enhancement and Cognitive Therapy', a group-based treatment which addresses the effects of self-stigma among people with mental health challenges. He conducts research on stigma, self-stigma, peer support, and other factors related to the community participation of people diagnosed with severe mental health challenges.