The NGO Committee on the Family New York invites you to attend

MENTAL HEALTH AND THE FAMILY:
EFFECTIVE INTERVENTION AND POLICY TO
ENSURE HEALTHY LIVES AND PROMOTE
WELL-BEING

Thursday, February 22nd, 2018, at 1:15PM
Hardin Room, 11th Floor, U.N. Church Center, 777 United Nations Plaza

Please join us for presentations by
AYORKOR GABA, PSY.D.
Senior Project Director, University of Massachusetts Medical School
TANYA ERAZO, MA, CASAC-T
Ph.D. Candidate, Clinical Psychology, The Graduate Center, CUNY
TERESA OBER, MA, MSED, MPHIL
Doctoral Fellow and Ph.D. Candidate, Educational Psychology, The Graduate Center, CUNY

Mental health conditions, including substance abuse, are among the ten leading causes of disability in
both developed and developing countries. In 2015, a United Nations resolution established the goal of
securing mental health and well-being as a key global priority, integrating it into the 2030 Agenda for
Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals. Goal 3, to Ensure Healthy Lives and
Promote Well-Being for All at All Ages, explicitly addresses the need to promote mental health and wellbeing
in Target 3.4 and aims to strengthen the prevention and treatment of substance abuse in Target 3.5. The
mandate for well-being also extends across Goals 4 (Quality Education), 8 (Decent Work and Economic
Growth), 10 (Reduced Inequalities), and 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities). The presentation will
focus on the role that families play in securing mental health and well-being and will discuss culturally
informed and strength based family interventions to enhance mental health globally. Presenters will offer
short remarks that collectively present a cohesive global perspective on mental health and the family and will
foster dialogue and discussion about effective intervention, prevention and policy to achieve SDG 3,
specifically ensuring family mental health and well-being.