Jerusalem Technology College collaborates to reduce mental illness stigma
The college partners with McLean Hospital to reduce stigma around mental illness in Israel.
By GADI ZAIGMental health [illustrative](photo credit: PIXABAY)
The staff, students and faculty of the Jerusalem College of Technology announced last week a partnership with Boston's McLean Hospital, the largest psychiatric affiliate of Harvard Medical School, in a collaborative initiative to reduce stigmatization of people with mental illness in Israel.To do this, they will adapt McLean’s award-winning campaign – Deconstructing Stigma: Changing Attitudes About Mental Health.This campaign uses a series of interviews and photographs in order to combat misconceptions about those who live with mental illness. It includes participating students navigating healthcare systems and researching complexities surrounding treatment. Students involved will also research theories surrounding the stigmatization associated with mental health and conduct meetings with people from diverse backgrounds that have been affected by mental illness to share their story for the campaign.JCT students will work on a research project in groups to gather data and receive training on methodologies in studying stigmatization of mental illness.The project's aim is to study the campaign's impact on the lives of the participants who share their stories, as well as on the attitudes of JCT's students and staff toward mental illness. “We are immensely proud of our nursing students, who continue to pioneer medical breakthroughs across the country. Implementing the Deconstructing Stigma campaign, the first-of-its-kind in Israel, strongly reflects the College’s longtime track record of empowering underserved populations and contributing to the overall betterment of society,” said JCT president Prof. Chaim Sukenik.Last November, the Jerusalem College of Technology renamed its nursing school the "Selma Jelinek School of Nursing." The school contributed significantly to Israel's early response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The college has been known to help and educate people in poor circumstances. For example, one of its past endeavors involved the aim of integrating religious Jews into the hi-tech industry.
![Mental health [illustrative] (photo credit: PIXABAY)](https://images.jpost.com/image/upload/q_auto/c_fill,g_faces:center,h_537,w_822/435031 "Mental health [illustrative]")