Stigma can take many forms at the societal level, community level, and individual level. What is not often discussed, is internalized stigma. Internalized stigma is the taking of outside negative stereotypes or beliefs and believing it about oneself.  Numerous different mental health challenges exist from people having internalized stigma. This video showcases several ways health departments can make efforts to address internalized stigma.


Additional Resources

His Health His Health provides a compendium of care models, training modules, and resources for enhanced linkage, retention, and engagement strategies targeting Black gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men. This site targets providers and offers continuing medical education (CME) and continuing nursing unit (CNU) credits for clinicians to increase their capacity to accelerate healthcare service delivery to Black gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men.

NASTAD Trauma Informed Toolkit This toolkit was developed to assist health departments, specifically Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program (RWHAP) Part B and AIDS Drug Assistance Programs (ADAPs), AIDS services organizations, and HIV clinics to take action to become trauma-informed. This toolkit covers the basics of trauma, provides an overview of the impact of trauma in people living with HIV (PLWH), describes trauma-informed approaches and strategies, and provides practical steps for RWHAP Part recipients, HIV providers, and organizations to develop and operationalize a plan for delivering trauma-informed prevention and care services to PLWH.

Counter Narrative Project The Counter Narrative Project builds power among black gay men and works in solidarity and coalition with all movements committed to social and racial justice. Through storytelling, the counter narrative project amplifies the voices of black gay men. 

Prevention Access Campaign and Undetectable = Untransmittable U=U is a health equity initiative to end the dual epidemics of HIV and HIV-related stigma by empowering people with and vulnerable to HIV with accurate and meaningful information about their social, sexual, and reproductive health. 

Let’s Stop HIV Together – Facts About HIV Stigma CDC’s Act Against AIDS portal provides information, resources and tools about HIV-related stigma and how to prevent it, specifically internalized stigma of those living with HIV.