San juancollege _m4mh_sep 2018

1. Movies for
Mental Health
San Juan College
Friday, September 28th
@artwithimpact
#Movies4MentalHealth

2. Here’s the Plan
• Quick Introduction
• Setting the scene together
• Mental Health
• Stigma
• Watch and discuss films
• Panel of students and resources
#Movies4MentalHealth

3. Brought to you by…
Monthly short film competition
Campus workshops
Global community
#Movies4MentalHealth

4. Where were you right before
coming to the workshop?
#Movies4MentalHealth

5. Heads Up
• Mental health is personal – YOU are the expert on
your own experience.
• Public space means no confidentiality.
• It’s okay to feel!
• Films and conversations might be triggering.
• Please take care of yourself however you need,
including asking for help.
#Movies4MentalHealth

6. Mental Health
#Movies4MentalHealth

7. Mental Health
• Mental illness
• Mental wellness
#Movies4MentalHealth

8. Some movies and tv shows that
show mental illness…
A Beautiful Mind
Atypical
Fight Club
I Am Sam
Heartland
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest
Girl Interrupted
Silver Linings Playbook
United States of Tara
Mommy Dearest
Criminal Minds
Dexter
The Doctor
Doc Martin
13 Reasons Why
Edge of 17
#Movies4MentalHealth

9. Characters with mental illness
are portrayed as…
Powerless
Wild Looking
Fidgety
Out of Controlx2
“Crazy”
Vulnerable
Insane
Funny
Dangerous
Sadistic
Weird
Unpredictable
Broken
Terrified/Terrifying
Looney #Movies4MentalHealth

10. Stigma vs.
Stereotype
#Movies4MentalHealth

11. Stigma
•A judgment or stereotype that is:
• Always negative
• Always untrue
• Can be internalized
#Movies4MentalHealth

12. How does stigma feel?
Unending
Overwhelming
Ruthless
Shameful
Challenging
Hurtful
Degrading
Predatory
Depressing
Powerless
Angry/Angering
Silenced
Isolating
#Movies4MentalHealth

13. The Chair
By Kat Roman
AWI Winner, August 2017
#Movies4MentalHealth

14. Discuss in groups of three…
• What did you think?
• What did you feel?
#Movies4MentalHealth

15. What did you think? What did you feel?
Thoughts
Domestic violence is too
common.
Her destroying the chair at the
end represented her breaking
the cycle.
In chair she was powerless and
in destroying it she took some
of the power back.
Her wearing black was
symbolizing her no longer
feeling that way (powerless) –
death of her feeling that way,
like at a funeral.
Feelings
Re: The Abuser: Not dealing
with our mental health issues
makes us unwell and it’s taken
out on others.
Felt scared for her as a
character and felt complete
sadness due to personal
experience helping others who
have this experience (feelings
of empathy towards others).
Conflicted at the end – showing
her act; wondering what she’s
going to do in that room. Will
she destroy it? Impact of
what’s happened there.
#Movies4MentalHealth

16. What did you think? What did you feel?
Thoughts
She could have retaliated, but
taking it out on the chair was a
healthier way to deal with it.
Opens with them in isolation,
them inside a house where no
one else can see the couple.
In second half, others can see
her, but they can only see
what she’s doing with the
chair - not why.
The Chair is used as a
constant reminder of the
abuse – destroying it was
empowering to her.
Feelings
Anxious
Anger can perpetuate anger
(him angry at her and she took
it out on the chair)
Sadness when she was crying
#Movies4MentalHealth

17. How did the filmmaking
techniques help tell the story?
Use of colors in the film
The Sound (music)
Fast and then slow
Dramatic lighting in first scene, later not used at all.
No talking
Sounds – made it more intense/helped to feel what she was
feeling
Abuser was blurry until he started screaming
Never see the abuser head on – could be anybody
Angle of camera seeing their views of one another (seeing both
sides of the experience).
Close up shots and still in the beginning. IN the end, more
handheld when she is hitting the chair.
#Movies4MentalHealth

18. Way Up, Way Down
By Nader Ibrahim + Jay Farnie
AWI Winner, March 2016
#Movies4MentalHealth

19. Discuss in groups of three…
• What did you think?
• What did you feel?
#Movies4MentalHealth

20. What did you think? What did you feel?
Thoughts
Perfectly portrays mental
health in terms of what bipolar
disorder is.
Feelings
Enjoyed that he talked about
the Lithium helped him.
Liked that he specified it was a
medical condition – (from
personal experience) helps to
not have that barrier and the
support group that recognizes
this. Different outlook on why I
can’t “undepressed”.
Feeling not “normal” is a heavy
obligation.
Felt hopeful that you can get
through whatever issues you
have yourself. He found
balance, a concept heavily
centered in Indigenous culture.
#Movies4MentalHealth

21. What did you think? What did you feel?
Thoughts
In beginning, his mom didn’t
want him to label himself –
see him as a normal person.
Good that he got help.
Shows someone being
courageous – takes a lot to
talk about issues/identify what
you’re dealing with. Not
always easy to say you’ll get
help as well as get it.
Courage to stand up and talk
about it.
Symbolism of the ocean
(waves of depression and
happiness) – all that water
around him
Feelings
A lot of hope (personal
experience) of being
depressed an finding support
system and then living
happy/productive live (10
Steps of Depression and
Anxiety and overcoming them
as well)
#Movies4MentalHealth

22. Why don’t people get help?
Ashamed/shame
Fear
Don’t want that kind of attention on themselves
Don’t feel as if they have a problem
Reprecussions of being labeled
Can’t afford it
Feel hopeless and there is no help
Feel alone
Don’t know what resources are available
Family Support (lack thereof)/General Support
Think it’s too late/they are too far gone for help
#Movies4MentalHealth

23. Why don’t people get help?
Trying to self-medicate
Region/resources – inaccessiblity
Scared of looking weak
#Movies4MentalHealth

24. Little Elizabeth
By Elizabeth Ayiku
AWI Winner, February 2018
#Movies4MentalHealth

25. What did you think? What did you feel?
Thoughts
Changing the way she was
talking to herself helped her
loved herself more.
Listening to her story (personal
experience), reverted back to
thoughts of making sure foster
children knew they were heard
and loved.
Sometimes it’s better to
embrace the pain, rather than
ignore it.
Toward the end, she was
reparenting herself.
Sweater a representation of
security and comfort.
Feelings
Inspiring – when she accepted
who she was and what she
went through as a little girl.
That she pushed it all away like
she didn’t want to remember it.
IN order to heal, realized she
had to acknowledge
everything that happened.
Accepted herself and who she
was.
#Movies4MentalHealth

26. What did you think? What did you feel?
Thoughts
Gets in-depth without saying,
“This is how you should
approach this.”
Feelings
If you don’t acknowledge it and
don’t heal from it, then you
carry it for the rest of your life.
But if you heal, though you
can’t change, you can have a
wonderful ending to your story.
Come out hopeful – embrace
and heal from your story.
#Movies4MentalHealth

27. What can we do?
Meditation
Take alone time
Speak up
Stay on top of what you have to get done
Give yourself purpose throughout the day
Animal therapy
Run/exercise
Journaling
Paint
Hobby
Good night’s sleep; enough water
Learn about yourself
Eating/eating a good diet
Talk to a counselor
Prayer
Vitamins (specifically D, B-Complex, Magnesium)
#Movies4MentalHealth

28. Panel
#Movies4MentalHealth

29. Meet the Panel
Ann-Marie Ellsbury
San Juan College Student
Julia Dengel, LCSW
Taylor Haskell, LPC
Counselors, Advising and Counseling Center, San Juan College
Rachel Reed
Brandi Wright
Advocates, Sexual Assault Services of Northwest New Mexico
Alexa Carmona
Outreach Coordinator/Domestic Violence Counselor
Family Crisis Center
#Movies4MentalHealth

30. Stay in touch!
Don’t forget to leave your name
and email on the sign-up sheet!
@artwithimpact
info@artwithimpact.org
#Movies4MentalHealth