CADER: BUSSW PhD Student Implements Program to Reduce Behavioral Health Stigma Among Older Adults
Megan Nizza (PhD’27), a PhD candidate at Boston University School of Social Work (BUSSW) is implementing a three-component program to educate communities about behavioral health issues in older adults and prepare aging populations to care for their own mental well-being.
Working with BUSSW Prof. Bronwyn Keefe and Annalee Wilson, evaluation and workforce training manager at the Center for Aging and Disability Education and Research (CADER) at BUSSW, the team is partnering with the City of Salem to implement the program to educate city professionals, older adults, and the community at large on important behavioral health and wellness concerns.
Excerpt from “CADER and the City of Salem Partner to Increase Awareness of Behavioral Health in Older Adults” originally published at The Network for Professional Education at BUSSW:
The program team developed and disseminated a community-wide media campaign in multiple languages to the Salem community to combat stigma and share information about behavioral health issues in older adults.
[The program also] features four public workshops for older adults in Salem . . . focused on mental wellness, coping with loss and change, social connectedness, and substance use. Participants will build the skills needed to manage their own behavioral health and wellness concerns and gain practical tools to support others who may be struggling.”