QCC - M4MH Presentation

2. meet your facilitator
Natalie Cook (she/her)
● Poet
● Filmmaker
● Theatre-Maker

3. brought to you by…
● Campus workshops
● Short film competitions
● Short film production grants
● Global community

4. land acknowledgement
We want to acknowledge that we gather as
Quinsigamond Community College on the
traditional land of the Nipmuc, past and present.
While a land acknowledgment statement is an
important initial step and not enough, it is a
necessary decolonial practice that promotes
indigenous visibility and social justice, reminding us
that we are on settled indigenous land. We
condemn the unjust deeds done in the past and
honor with gratitude the land itself and the
indigenous people who have stewarded it
throughout the generations. We commit to
continuing to work for peace and reconciliation and
to be better neighbors and caretakers of the land
we inhabit.

5. here’s the plan
● Setting the scene together
● Watch and discuss films, connect our
minds and bodies
● Panel of students and resources
● Evaluation (and a chance to enter to
win $25!)
● Mingle / Q&A

6. heads up
● Mental health is personal – YOU are the
expert on your own experience
● This is a public, shared space
● Some photos will be taken during the
panel - please let us know if you are not
comfortable with that
● Please take care of yourself and others
however you need, including asking for
help

7. In Just a Few Words…
What has self-care been
looking like for you these days?
● Take a shower
● Journaling
● Swimming
● Taking a nap
● Taking breaks from class…
● Taking a walk
● Saying no
● Playing with puppies/animals
● Engaging with my community
● Reading
● Meditation
● Disconnecting from social media/phone
● Creating work/life separation

8. MENTAL HEALTH

9. MENTAL HEALTH
Mental illness
Mental wellness

10. Some movies and TV
shows that show mental
illness…
Shameless
Criminal Minds
Euphoria
Split
My crazy ex girlfriend
Sex education
There is a thin line between love and hate
Girl interrupted
YOU
Date Line
News
The first 48
Bojack horseman

11. Characters with mental
illness are portrayed as…
Unstable
Unhinged
Trouble
Unworthy
Irrational
Crazy
Ilogicial
Criminal
Uneducated
Curable
Embarrassing
Shameful
Lost
Human
Bad parents
Likely can't be fixed
Immoral

12. MH Across Cultures
Across different cultures and languages, people
talk about and explore mental health in multiple
ways.
In just a few words, please share:
How have you experienced the concept of
"mental health" within your own cultural
communities?

13. A judgment or stereotype that is:
● Always negative
● Always untrue
● Can be internalized
What is stigma?

14. Mind Matters
By Josef Adamu
AWI Winner, November 2019
CONTENT HEADS UP
depression, stigma, alcohol use

15. IN PAIRS...
What did you think?
How did you feel?

16. SHARE WITH US:
What did you think?
How did you feel?
● I can see myself in the character, the idea
of having to keep going
● Saw him as drowning
● Others saw him as floating
● How those close to us respond to our
needs- positive or negative
● Silence felt so loud
● “Man up” “use prayer” to manage mental
health feels relatable
● When Black men support each other, it is
often negatively viewed

17. How does stigma feel?
● Limiting
● Dismissive
● Ignorant
● Not worthy
● Exhausting
● Embarrassing
● Frustrating

18. What makes it difficult
to reach out for help?
● Health insurance in USA
● Lack of providers/wait list
● Not knowing where to look
● Fear of DCF involvement/as a parent
● Lack of empathy
● Cultural norms
● Judgement
● Fear of being hospitalized
● Being minimized
● Lack of self love
● Collateral damage to important people around
us
● Not knowing how “bad” it needs to be before
getting help
● First responders losing jobs/respect for needing
assistance
● Fear of being assessed differently when you
have mental health concerns
● Language barriers

19. Breathing
Exercise

20. Self Reflection
How was this breathing
exercise for you?

21. CONTENT HEADS UP
mentions of: sexual violence, suicide attempts, systemic oppression,
depression, anxiety, substance use, and PTSD
Sal Tran
by Kim Huynh
AWI Winner, March 2018

22. IN PAIRS...
What did you think?
How did you feel?

23. SHARE WITH US:
What did you think?
How did you feel?
● Being afraid to speak of one's trans
identity. People will mistake your mental
illness as a symptom of your transness.
● Talking about suicide can be scary,
embarassing, vulnerable.

24. How does stigma feel?
●

25. What makes it difficult
to reach out for help?
●

26. Body Scan

27. Self Reflection
How was this breathing
exercise for you?

28. Fortune Cookie
By Fu Yang
Voices With Impact 2023
CONTENT HEADS UP
Depictions of Burnout

29. Self Reflection
Where did you experience
this in your body?

30. What are your impressions?
● Relate to your own experiences
● We want to escape reality, normalizing the
escape which can be self destructive
● We look forward to what's inside, we
want to break ourselves apart to truly find
who we are
● Trying to find the balance as a student
and the other pieces of your life that need
you
● The pressure of not living the expected
way or path

31. How can we support
ourselves and others?
● We need to close our mouths and
open our ears
● Have empathy
● Saying no
● Safe place for people to land when
they are falling
● Not reacting to other people's’
limitations
● Recognize your own feelings, search
for help, asking for help does not
make you weak

32. panel
Round of applause for our panel!

33. meet the panel
Jada Bell
Student (she/her)
Tina Wells
LICSW, Director of Counseling and Wellness (she/her)
Tanieka Gentles
LMHC, Gentles Counseling Services LLC (she/her)

34. Ask a question or share a thought!
Panel Q&A

35. Thanks for your feedback!
You can enter for a chance to win a $25 gift!
If you are receiving credit for attending this
workshop, at the end of the evaluation you’ll be
prompted to add your information to a form.
Evaluation responses will remain separate and
anonymous.
bi.ly/school-eval

36. Stay in touch!
Don’t forget to sign
in if you haven’t!

37. Your voice counts.
You can enter for a chance to win a $25 gift!
Please fill out our evaluation form.
bit.ly/aaaa