About Us
The Mental Health Association in New Jersey (MHANJ) has a rich history of improving the lives of people with mental illness and substance use disorders. The MHANJ is a statewide non-profit organization whose mission is to strive for children and adults to achieve victory over mental illness and substance use disorders through advocacy, education, training and services. As the Association marks 80 years of service, there is much to celebrate! The MHANJ breaks down stigma and other barriers that prevent people from seeking treatment. It builds a strong base of support and network of services for people coping with behavioral health issues and their family members.
Our Mission
The Mental Health Association in New Jersey is a statewide non-profit organization that strives for people to achieve victory over mental illness and substance use disorders through advocacy, education, training and services.
Our Anti-Racism Pledge
The MHANJ understands that racism undermines mental health. Therefore, we are committed to anti-racism in all that we do. We pledge to oppose racism in all its forms and iterations.
Our Vision
The vision of the MHANJ is a statewide community in which people with behavioral health disorders can achieve full potential, free from stigma and other barriers to care and recovery.
Our Board of Trustees
Careers and Open Positions
The Story of Our Symbol: The Mental Health Bell
During the early days of mental health treatment, asylums often restrained people who had mental health disorders with iron chains and shackles around their ankles and wrists. With better understanding and treatments, this cruel practice eventually stopped.
In the early 1950s, Mental Health America issued a call to asylums across the country for their discarded chains and shackles. On April 13, 1956, at the McShane Bell Foundry in Baltimore, MD, Mental Health America melted down these inhumane bindings and recast them into a sign of hope: the Mental Health Bell.
Now the symbol of Mental Health America and its affiliates, the 300-pound Bell serves as a powerful reminder that the Invisible chains of misunderstanding and discrimination continue to bind people with mental illnesses. Today, the Mental Health Bell rings out hope for improving mental health and achieving victory over mental illnesses.
Over the years, national mental health leaders and other prominent individuals have rung the Bell to mark the continued progress in the fight for victory over mental illness.
2021 Mental Health Association in New Jersey Facts and Stats
