2.1 How to challenge stigma in practice
James (from the video in the previous section) represents a successful programme of ‘Champions’ from Time to Change, a UK campaign aimed at challenging stigma in mental health, which ran until 2021. The Time to Change Champions devised a useful list of suggestions for challenging stigma around mental health (Time to Change, 2022). These can be applied by educators in learning environments and are listed below.
- Checking out what the person has said and asking them to explain, e.g. ‘What do you mean?’.
- Saying what you’d like to be different, e.g. ‘I would like you to stop describing people as “mad”’ rather than blaming the person or telling them their behaviour is wrong.
- Concentrating on the behaviour rather than the person, e.g. avoiding phrases like ‘You’re discriminatory’.
- Sharing facts about mental health which contradict (or challenge) what they’re saying.
- Sharing facts about your own experience which contradict what they’re saying, e.g. ‘I have schizophrenia and I don’t have a split personality’.
- Sharing your feelings about what the person is saying, e.g. ‘I feel hurt that you think people with depression are lazy’.
- Making comparisons with physical health to help people understand that mental health is just as important and serious.
- If the person is talking about people with mental health problems without knowing that you have one, it can really help to change what they think if you tell them ‘You’re talking about me at the moment’.
You may want to reflect on the suggestions above to consider how confident you might feel in using them to challenge stigmatising comments in your own learning environment. Would you feel confident to use them or would you find it difficult? If you wish, look back again at your list from Activity 1 and see if any of these suggestions might apply.
Another Time to Change Champion, Micha, explains how challenging stigma can be difficult but is often effective:
When challenging stigma for the first time, it can be really scary. However, in my experience I have found that because, as a society, talking in a certain way about mental health has become the norm, sometimes people do not realise what they are saying … [But] I really do believe the more we challenge stigma the closer we get to gaining acceptance. Not just for the stigmatisers, as I call them, but for ourselves. Because hearing that language can be hurtful. So, the next time you hear something or see something, don’t be afraid to speak up. It’s really not so bad, just make sure you are calm, diplomatic and that at the end you know you will be ok.
Considering experiences like these can make you more aware of the presence of stigma and its impact on your learners as well as the importance they place on feeling supported and safe in their learning environment. In Week 1 (Section 4.3) you were introduced to the importance of creating ‘safe spaces’, and a key element of this is the creation of study and work environments that are free from stigma and discrimination.
It is not just words that can be used to challenge stigma, but also your actions and behaviours. These will be explored in the next activity.
Activity _unit6.3.2 Activity 3 Actions to challenge stigma
Aside from the actual words that you use in conversations, what other actions or behaviours could you adopt to challenge stigma?
You may like to think about things like:
- body language and posture
- tone of voice
- being constructive
- position and layout
- modelling.
Discussion
You may have considered some of the following:
- Body language: Keeping your body language open and relaxed can prevent the person or group you are challenging from feeling threatened.
- Tone and volume of voice: Keeping your voice low and engaging is more effective than shouting or being aggressive.
- Being constructive: This is more effective than criticising or accusing. Focus on the behaviour or language rather than the person.
- Position: Avoiding positioning yourself too close, or directly opposite, the person or group you are challenging to reduce the level of perceived confrontation or threat.
- Modelling: Check that your own language and behaviour is free from stigma so that this can be modelled by others.
It is also helpful to familiarise yourself with, and refer your learners to, any organisational policies or legislature that may address stigma and discrimination.