1. Movies for Mental Health
CSU Channel Islands
Facilitator: Leslie Poston
Thursday, February 22, 2018
@artwithimpact
#Movies4MentalHealth
2. Here’s the Plan
I. Quick Introduction
Art With Impact - U.S. and Canada
Leslie Poston - Los Angeles, CA
I. Set the Stage Together
II. Watch Short Films & Discuss Them
III. Make it Personal with Our Panel
3. Brought to you by
• Monthly Short Film
Competition
• Campus Workshops
• Global Community
(blog, IG, Twitter, FB)
• Mental Health Services Act (2004)
• 1% tax on people earning >$1m/year
• 25% to prevention and early intervention
4. Heads Up
★ Mental health is personal - YOU are the
expert of your own experience.
★ This is a public space - not therapy.
★ We’re here for connection, questions and
creating change!
★ Films might trigger big emotions - that’s OK!
★ Please ask for help if you need support.
5. Stigma
A judgment or stereotype that is:
1. Always negative
2. Always untrue
3. Can be internalized
7. What did you notice about stigma?
Not getting help
Disabling fear
Inhibits asking for help
“Helpful” phrases can shame.
Like having a sign taped to your back that says, “Kick me.”
Shifts the blame.
8. How does stigma feel?
Like you’re the only person experiencing something
Hurtful
Shame
Discouraged
Alone
Embarrassed
Stuck
Helpless/Hopeless
Disconnected
11. Some movies that show mental illness:
A Beautiful Mind
Split
My Crazy Ex-Girlfriend
What’s Eating Gilbert Grape?
Black Swan
Silver Linings Playbook
Girl Interrupted
Bennie and Joon
Shutter Island
12. Characters with mental illness are portrayed as:
Erratic
Glorified
Humorous
Impulsive
Unstable
Dangerous
Crazy
Unsocialized
Less Than
15. What did you think? What did you feel?
Thoughts
You never know who you’re
going to help.
There’s others going
through things that are more
serious than your personal
experiences.
You’re never alone.
Beginning depicted how
hard it is to get out of that
feeling sometimes. (Main
character and others “share”
gifts.)
Feelings
You’re never alone.
When you’re depressed, the
world is cold and sometimes
you need someone else to
break through to you.
Importance of touch and
human contact.
16. When the Fat Girl Gets Skinny
By Abby Thompson
AWI Winner, June 2017
18. What did you think? What did you feel?
Thoughts
Social media plays a huge
role in our self image.
Friends and family have an
influence – depending on
how they support you or
don’t – and what they say.
Negative connotation of the
word “fat”
A lifelong battle – beyond
her body/what she was
struggling
Feelings
It can control your life.
Frustration with telling people you
are sick and being told the
opposite (messing with
someone’s mind – right, wrong,
love and acceptance)
Very easy to accidentally feed into
someone’s else’s
unhealthiness/illness/struggle.
Views on food and nutrition
should be one of nourishment, not
something to abstain from.
19. Why don’t people get help?
(Character) – doesn’t “appear” sick/notion of not being sick enough
Stigmatized to get help when you need
People don’t think they need help or they can just brush it off.
Become normalized in peer group.
Some people don’t know how or where to get help.
Insurance (not having it or denial of help)/access
A person may be egosyntonic. (unaware that something is wrong)
22. What can we do?
Educate people in the community (create organizations).
Helping people within school and larger community. (Psych
Orgs)
If you want to help someone, open the door to
communication by being the first person to be vulnerable.
Start talking to people/kids when they are younger – better
opportunity to destigmatized. Helps for later year.
Making sure that individuals that have anxiety/depression
(other conditions/illnesses) are not alone. Group and
cultural discussions.
Policy change – appealing at a judicial and legislative level.
23. Meet the Panel
• Lauren Lamberto - CSUCI Student
• Dana Marquez - CSUCI Student
• Sarah Rodriguez – Peer Educator, Wellness
Prevention and Education
• Stacey Udolph - Counselor, CSUCI Counseling
and Psychological Services
• Ignacio Ixta- VCBH Transitions Program
24. AWI Ambassadors
• You’re invited! Continue the conversation, be
a leader!
• Join the AWI Ambassadors FB group and
connect with students across North America:
www.facebook.com/groups/awiambassadors/
• Blog, be a juror for the film competition, run
campaigns, and much more!
25. Thank you for coming!
• Contact us: info@artwithimpact.org
• Follow us!
• Submit a film!
https://www.artwithimpact.org/films/submit-a-film/
Editor's Notes
Campus organizer (may) introduce facilitator
Brief introduction – welcome, name
Encourage people to come closer
Connect with us on Instagram, Facebook or Twitter and document this event - we’d love to see your photos!
Brief agenda review:
- will give you a brief summary of AWI
- set the stage together, which really means that as a group we’ll have a discussion and provide a context for the topics
- we have four short films from our library to show you, together we’ll discuss the themes
- Make it personal with a panel of campus and community resources to connect you with
- You’ll be doing most of the talking today!
Mention photos - if you would prefer not to have your face in photos please inform us after the event
Who is AWI?
- we are a charity dedicated to reducing the stigma of mental illness with transition-aged youth, work in regions throughout North America
- we have been working in the US and Canada since 2011
- We host an ongoing monthly short film competition where filmmakers anywhere in the world can submit a film on the topic of mental health, these are juried and monthly winners receive $1,000 cash prize (will tell you more about that at the end of our time together)
- We then take these winning films and facilitate discussions in our postsecondary Movies for Mental Health program (you’ll see what this is all about today) and run a high school program that teaches media literacy to youth and allows them to make their own short films on mental health
- Also a part of a larger global community, release blogs twice a week on feature length films, or film festivals related to themes of mental illness
Brought to you by:
- mention any nonprofit partners or corporate sponsors
Want to explain what I mean about this statement…
Mental health is personal and our experiences are different, we all come from different backgrounds and cultures – you are the experts on YOU and know yourself better than anyone else.
We don’t often talk about mental health; as a society we don’t tend to talk about issues/experiences related to this theme, so sometimes we don’t know HOW to talk about these topics. First and foremost keep yourself safe today, don’t feel compelled to share anything you’re not comfortable with. This is a new space and you might feel ready to share but might not know what responses you’ll have, and it is a public space with no guaranteed confidentiality so be mindful of the space that we are in before you disclose.
Some of the films might be triggering, meaning they might elicit an emotional reaction. It’s ok to feel! But if you ever feel that you are not OK, or unsafe, please do what you need to do to take care of yourself. We have counsellors in the room today that are here to help you if you need to step out (say names of counsellors, have them raise their hands in the audience).
FIRST - ask for one or two people to define “stereotype.” Really just one or two - NOT a big discussion.
THEN, name that stigma and stereotype are often used interchangeably, but stigma has a few distinct qualities. Quick definition. Provide a little explanation of the third point - we can take in these judgments and believe them about ourselves, even though they’re untrue. For example, if everyone tells me that having depression is just being lazy, it’s possible that I could start to believe that myself, that I’m just lazy and don’t need to seek support.
Do a quick check to see if everyone gets it and is on board - again, not a big discussion, but a “thumbs up” check or see if they’re generally nodding
15 minutes into the workshop
Can close this slide by naming that yes, stigma can be a huge negative aspect of our experience, but it’s not permanent. Through conversations like these, and by sharing our truths, we can change stigma, and reduce it, and ultimately, get rid of it entirely.
25 minutes into the workshop
Introduce ways that AWI holds some concepts around MH - these may change over time, terms are evolving.
Quick slide: We see mental health as an umbrella in that it is something that we are all existing under, and experiencing. Mental health can include many aspects of life. It’s our internal way of seeing the world, and something we all have and experience. Like physical health, we all have mental health, and things within and outside of ourselves can affect our mental health. Things outside of the MH umbrella, like culture, spirituality, physical health, support systems, etc. can affect our MH.
There’s lots of intersectionality and influences when it comes to MH.
There can be embedded and systemic influences (such as histories of oppression, privilege, access to services) and other components that influence the way we as individuals experience MH.
MI and MW are concepts that fall under the umbrella of MH.
MI can be defined as when uncontrollable things happening within you and/or influenced by other things get in the way of you living the life you want to live. This can arise from trauma or be circumstantial, and can also be influenced by genetics and biology. Mental illness diagnoses are helpful for some, and for others provide more of a shared language. MI may differ between how society defines it and how we define it for ourselves.
MW means feeling “well” - however you define it - in your mind and spirit. It can include practices and behaviors that support you and help you feel and be your best self. Like physical health, it requires maintenance. We don’t hold these as opposites - you can have symptoms of a mental illness, and engage in mental wellness practices. You can also not have symptoms of a MI, but still not be mentally well, if you don’t have ways of supporting your internal (and external) self.
Can close up this slide by saying yes, media portrayals are overall negative, but there are artists and filmmakers out there making films that can change this. Many of our films are made by people with lived experience, and share their genuine truths.
35 minutes into the workshop
50 minutes into the workshop
***CAN SKIP SLIDE IF RUNNING LOW ON TIME*** Ideally, you will be able to use this slide, as it can lead to a great discussion about stigma, and how different stigmas (and other factors) can keep people from seeking support. If you think you’re running out of time, try to prompt this question in the previous “thoughts / feelings” slide so it’s at least touched on, even if you don’t use this slide.
1 hour and 5 minutes into the workshop
This slide is to give space to discussing the last film, but isn’t an in-depth thoughts/feelings slide. It should be a group conversation (not small groups), and just take a few people’s reactions to the film. Depending on time, you might need to move on quickly, but if you have time, feel free to let this be an open discussion about the film.
From what we’ve learned - actions we may be drawn to take. Be sure to encourage responses that relate to what we can do as friends, family members, and community members of people with MI, AND ALSO make sure they address what we can do for ourselves, i.e. mental wellness practices.
1 hour and 20 minutes into the workshop
“Now will invite our panelists to come up. We will hear from the students, sharing their personal stories. We’re so grateful for their courage in sharing their stories! We will also hear from resources on-campus and in the community. After the panelists all speak, you will have a chance to ask the panel any questions you have. If you need to leave early, please do so respectfully, and please make sure to fill out an evaluation before you leave. This information is super helpful for us in making sure we and your school are serving your needs as well as we can. We will also pass these out at the end of the workshop.” **Applause for panelists!**
They will then speak in order of how they are in the slide. At the end, you will invite questions from the audience.
1 hour and 55 minutes into the workshop
AWI exists to create a community of students, artists, advocates, who want to have these conversations...if you’re interested in staying in touch with us and becoming a part of a larger community of students across N. America who believe in the power of art to subvert stigma
