Innovative Stigma and Discrimination Reduction Programs Across the World

Book excerpt: Offering practical stigma and discrimination reduction programs in a range of domains including mental health, disability, ethnicity, and sexuality, this book is the answer to "What can we do?" to improve interpersonal relationships by reducing societal stigma towards social groups that are prime targets of prejudice. In this volume, researchers from four continents share empirically-supported stigma reduction programs that capitalize on creativity and psychological science. The programs capture a range of populations including high school and college students, healthcare providers, war survivors, sexual assault survivors, business professionals, and community members. With a focus on controversial topics in society today including racism, sexism, ageism, ableism, and classism as well as stigma of mental health and body image, innovative and unexpected methods of interventions are brought to life in the collected chapters from world-leading experts. The applications of theater, game playing, text messaging, and social media, as well as new formulations of educational workshops and communication strategies, shed new perspectives on how all of us can use accessible tools to make positive and productive changes on societal attitudes. This is an essential reading for professionals, academics, and students of psychology, business, HR, mental health, counseling, and social work, especially those interested in stigma reduction.