Lahc m4 mh_feb 2019-filled out

1. Movies for
Mental Health
LA Harbor College
February 26, 2019
Facilitator: Leslie Poston
@artwithimpact
#Movies4MentalHealth

2. Quick Facilitator Intro: Leslie Poston
My first-year students, PhD clients, and
professional clients experience many of the same
mental health needs, issues, and stigmas.
leslie@artwithimpact
#Movies4MentalHealth

3. Here’s the Plan
-Quick Introduction of Art With Impact
-Setting the Scene Together:
• Mental Health
• Stigma
-Watch and Discuss Films
-Panel of Students and Resources
#Movies4MentalHealth

4. Brought to you by…
#Movies4MentalHealth
Monthly Short Film Competition
(See flyers/postcards on table)
Campus Workshops
Global Community
PROP 63 - Mental Health Services Act
1% tax on people earning >$1m/year
25% to prevention and early intervention

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

6. Heads Up
• Mental health is personal – YOU are the expert on
your own experience.
• Public space, so…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

7. Mental Health
#Movies4MentalHealth

8. Mental Health
• Mental Illness
• Mental Wellness
#Movies4MentalHealth

9. Some movies and tv shows that
show mental illness…
A Star Is Born
Red Band Society
Split
Batman (Series) and Batman Beyond
Winnie the Pooh
Glass
BoJack Horseman
13 Reasons Why
Skins
Empire
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Hannibal Lector (Series)
To the Bone
Rainman
Game of Thrones #Movies4MentalHealth

10. Characters with mental illness
are portrayed as…
Criminals
Outcasts
Volatile Emotions or Lack Of
Killers
Mix of both, but manage to rise above illness
Monsters
Superheroes
Quirky
Weak
Snarky
Different
Distant
Darkly Humorous
Brilliant
Remorseless
Rich Characters
Alcoholics
#Movies4MentalHealth

11. Stigma vs.
Stereotype
#Movies4MentalHealth

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

13. How does stigma feel?
Unfair
Crippling
Ostracizing
Invalidating
Rude (especially when influencing others)
Offensive
Hate
Oppressive and controlling
Lonely
#Movies4MentalHealth

14. When the Fat Girl Gets Skinny
By Abby Thompson
AWI Winner, June 2017
#Movies4MentalHealth

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

16. What did you think? What did you feel?
Thoughts
Gives the viewer a lot of
perspective
Challenge our expectations of
what we think about other people
Good representation of how
people internalize their struggles,
especially their social struggles
(especially interacting with others)
Having internal conflict of emotions
due to her mixed bags of
experiences – and dealing with
hate for her size and trying to deal
with that.
Feelings
The person saying someone
should be skinny doesn’t know
how the person lives or their
individual health (or what can
cause death)
Made me feel sad that people who
never noticed the character
before then considered her an
inspiration
Felt heard and represented and
could relate to her
Felt sympathetic. We are often
judged on how high we perform.
We often don’t know what people
are struggling with.
She had low self esteem.

17. How did the filmmaking
techniques help tell the story?
Clever use of camera – focus on different objects as
she was going through things in the room (i.e. apples)
Showing bathroom door handle in the beginning –
showing that this was her home.
Symbolization of what has been happening to her and
how she has been doing (banging door, what was on
her plate, etc.) Getting out symbolized acceptance and
being herself.
Pills on plate to suppress appetite. Evokes sadness
and shows how people restrain eating. Shows extent
of her illness.
Reaction of getting message from Dad (showed how it
impacted her). Demonstrates helplessness.
#Movies4MentalHealth

18. How did the filmmaking
techniques help tell the story?
Sound of flushing toilet – implies eating disorder.
Sound of her voice held a lot of underlining feeling and
also sounded a bit hypnotic.
Appreciate the closed captioning.
The way eating was represented (apple in the toolbox).
Feels like a chore – the tools she used implied it’s hard
for her to simply maintain her weight.
Use of sad music and what it evokes/implies.
Her mentioning her various rates implies range of her
disorders and that she is finally at her desired weight or
close to it.
Interesting – candles near scale to make it look like a
shrine. (Personal: scale was given too much power.)
#Movies4MentalHealth

19. A FILM ABOUT LOVE
By Dale John Allen
AWI Winner, May 2016
#Movies4MentalHealth

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

21. What did you think? What did you feel?
Thoughts
Sacrifices a person has to
make – one that stood out (“I
had to kills someone or they
would kill me.”) Helpful,
because that could be very
selfish, but it is for you.
Becomes painful and hard to
be who you are/deal with it.
Feelings
Relate to a person obsessing
about his depression (was
triggering – reminder of having
experienced that)
Felt like without his friend, he’d
be broken to pieces
Seems like he is in love with his
mania that he normally doesn’t
feel when he depressed
(giving up what makes him
want to live life). Tough
choice – would rather be
happy, but he could only
choose one (to survive).

22. What did you think? What did you feel?
Thoughts
More fair representation of
thought process around
bipolor and dealing with mania
(often portrayed as one
dimensional – often don’t see
the the fluidity).
Theme of falling in love with
mania/depression often
happens with creative.
Powerful representation of
how dangerous that can be as
well as the side effects of fully
dealing with that pain.
Clinging to something he used
to love to point that it drive him
“insane” or be delusional – not
sure what to do anymore.
Feelings
He may have been forced to
take medicine.
Even though it talked about
bipolar, a lot of it was
analogous to addiction (being
in recovery). It could be
applicable to different mental
health issues.

23. What did you think? What did you feel?
Thoughts
“Sadistic Love”
Interesting that he was aying
that he was sad to kill this part
of him. Was mourning losing
that through therapy and
medications. Hear that and
understand that (related to
eating disorder). Recovery
was not a one time choice.
Uncomfortable and hard.
Looks at arms, showing
possible scars, meaning he
might have injured/harmed
himself.
Feelings
Endless torment
Sharing his struggle and
implication that he must be
“crazy” now.

24. Why don’t people get help?
Not knowing where to begin or turn to
Stigma of not having everything “together” and how one
is viewed by others
To tired to get out of bed
Could be in denial
Don’t have perspective to know when you need help
(how you have always help)
People don’t trust that it will work
Self-coping
Cultural Values and Belief Systems
Acknowledging and accepting what may be going on.
Costs – insurance.
Job insecurity
Cultural Shame/Need to be Independent
#Movies4MentalHealth

25. Why don’t people get help?
ACCESS
Shy to tell that you are suffering
Confidentiality (other people will know)
Support and understanding (providing support or
denying)
#Movies4MentalHealth

26. Purpose
By Victor Okoye
AWI Winner, December 2016
#Movies4MentalHealth

27. Responses and Reactions?
#Movies4MentalHealth
Finally got what we wanted the most. Achieved purpose he hasn’t before
(photography). Finally sees life and color.
We’re often worked up to focus on the results and don’t enjoy the journey
of life (or what we are working toward). Gratitude and appreciating what
you have right now rather than working up to one BIG purpose.
Been trying to find a way to break the cycle and bit by bit, he manages to
see little things around him and he appreciates them. Will never know
when we’ll lose happiness.
In the morning, he focused on the humdrum moments of the day and then
he chose to turn around and focus on the good things (like life lessons).
From blacka nd white to colorful and beautiful.
Brought up question often asks himself (audience member): Is life worth
living?
May be favorite film of the three films – shift within the arc of the story
(same day, but a different outlook on his purpose occurs). Shift in music
and perspective. Different outlook.
Fascinating that his shift was in conjunction with falling in love with an
artform. Art can be powerful.

28. What can we do?
Trust each other to come clean and speak. Listen fully and never
judge.
Self-disclosure. If you suffer from mental illness, then you tell
others.
Self-improvement. Always time to improve yourself and invest in
yourself. Don’t give all of your love/self to one person.
Forgive (especially yourself)
Not just doing what you have to do, but that you love to do.*
Reiterated – what we love to do in our life and tie that to sustaining
our livelihood.
Small points of connection – putting something out and getting
something back. Doesn’t have to be huge.
Positive reinforcement.
Creating and exercise. Can be anything – just even a walk in the
park or seeing friends.
Writing about how you feel/journaling.
LISTENING – to self, others, and the world around you.
#Movies4MentalHealth

29. Panel
#Movies4MentalHealth

30. Meet the Panel
Rudy Caseres - LA Harbor College Alumni
Jackelyn Dorado - LA Harbor College Student
Hank Skulstad - Intern, Life Skills Center
Adam McManamy, M.A. - Veteran Counselor, Veterans Center
Donald Essex, LPCC, NCC, CRC - Director/Counselor, TRIO Program
Nōn Wels - Creator and Host of You, Me, Empathy:
Sharing Our Mental Health Stories
#Movies4MentalHealth

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