The NJ Mental Health Players present LGBTQ and Mental Health Matters.
According to Mental Health America ,everyone has a sexual orientation and gender identity. Sexual orientation is who you are romantically or physically attracted to. Gender identity is the internal sense of being male, female, both or neither, which is separate from your biological sex. People who have a different sexual orientation or gender identity from most people fall under the umbrella term LGBTQ+. It is really important to know that identifying as LGBTQ+ is NOT a mental illness or disorder.
Although being LGBTQ+ is absolutely not a mental illness, many LGBTQ+ people experience mental health struggles. The bisexual and transgender communities have the highest rates of mental health concerns within the LGBTQ+ population. Younger members of the LGBTQ+ community struggle the most with mental health concerns of all the age groups.
Most LGBTQ+ individuals are incredibly resilient and will thrive in the face of adversity, with the help of supportive families, communities, and peers. One study even found that LGBTQ+ people used mental health services at 2.5 times higher rates than their “straight” counterparts. [1] However, they are also at particular risk for experiencing shame, fear, discrimination, and adverse and traumatic events.
Also, many people who identify as LGBTQ+ are part of second (and sometimes third or more) community that is marginalized. Examples of these groups are BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, or People of Color), people with a physical disability, people practicing a religion different than their neighbors, and people with low socioeconomic status. These people have complex experiences that cannot be easily addressed in one area of their life.
There are many negative stereotypes about being LGBTQ+ which makes many uncomfortable letting people know this important part of their identity. When people do openly express this part of themselves, they face the potential of rejection from peers, colleagues, and friends can exacerbate feelings of loneliness.
ABOUT The NJ Mental Health Players (NJMHP)
The NJMHP’s is the longest-running community education program of its type in New Jersey. The mission of the NJMHP players is to increase education and awareness, decrease stigma and break the silence often associated with mental health. The Players are volunteers throughout the state of New Jersey. These volunteers are culturally diverse and include teens, adults and seniors. Fifty percent of the volunteers have a disclosed mental illness and empathize with the challenging gauntlet in seeking support. The NJMHP program combines performance art and advocacy. Since the COVID 19 pandemic we have transitioned our live performances to a virtual platform using ZOOM. We have incorporated and advanced scripts demonstrating how the current world issues impacts our emotional wellbeing. Our virtual performance is 45 minutes and mimics the live show with a few new added features. There is music, videos, live chat, polling and a curtain call. The flow of a performance consist of a trained mental health professional as a moderator who shares facts ,data, and information followed by a scenario performed by the players, then a talk back with the players, who remain in character soliciting interactive engagement, discussion and collective solutions from the audience. The performance ends with the moderator framing the discussion and providing additional information, resources, links, and contact info. Our audience’s include community and corporate conferences, non-profit, seminars, elementary, high school, colleges/universities, social service agencies, hospitals, state, and federal agencies. For virtual bookings and information contact the Director -Lynette Sheard @ [email protected] or call 973-571-4100 ext.104
Lynette Sheard – is a Community Education Coordinator and Director of the NJ Mental Health Players which is a highly successful, interactive community education program. It is the longest-running program of its type in the state. Volunteers are trained to depict realistic scenarios involving mental health and addiction issues. These presentations provide audiences with a dynamic way to receive basic education about mental illness, addiction and other relevant challenges. The mission is to increase awareness, decrease stigma and break the silence. She has worked with the Mental Health Association for over 15 years as a senior employment specialist, job coach a Career Connections Employment Research Institute trainer. She was awarded APSE’s Employment Professional of the year for her work with individuals with disabilities and staff development training's. She is certified by Mental Health America as a trainer of Mental Health First Aid for adults, older adults and youth. She also trains community service providers in Wellness Recovery Action Planning, Hearing Distressing Voices, and QPR Suicide prevention.