Written by: Liza Lindgren outreach@theatreforliving.com

Theatre for Living (formerly known as Headlines Theatre) is excited to present the remounting and touring of the interactive play maladjusted, created and performed by mental health caregivers and clients, on how we can contribute to more human-centered care within the mental health system.

For some people, being open about their struggles with mental health issues can be complicated by their experience of stigmatization. Stigma and the fear of stigmatization stop people from seeking help. The stigmatization issue is itself often invisible, living underneath our conversations and professional and personal relationships. A step towards dealing with the issue, therefore, is to make stigma visible.

There is good work being done on stigmatization issues in the public realm – in families, the streets, schools. A hidden and generally ignored aspect of this issue is how the health care system itself is entrenched in beliefs, values and policies that stigmatize people. This applies not only to people who are struggling with mental health, but also to the staff that care for these individuals. This invisible layer makes effective care much more difficult.

The interactive Forum Theatre process addresses people’s behaviour and human interactions at core levels, deepening the ability of the audience members and communities in finding solutions within themselves.

Theatre for Living was inspired to create the initial production of maladjusted because of our long and ongoing relationships inside the health sector in Vancouver. We were encountering patients and caregivers (counselors, doctors, nurses, administrators) who were struggling inside the system.

In the original production a “Community Scribe” studied and collated the ideas from the interactive events and created a powerful “community action report” that contains policy suggestions for local agencies and Government. We hope to replicate this process in each community during the tour, so that policy recommendations that are the voice of people living the issues can be heard, notated and hopefully acted upon by local agencies.

What now?

We’re looking for local community partners across BC and Alberta, to help us bring this show and important community dialogue to your community!

Get in touch!

We’d love to hear from you! Please contact Theatre for Living’s (Headlines Theatre) Outreach Coordinator Liza Lindgren at outreach@theatreforliving.com or call our office at 604.871.0508 to learn more about the project and how you can get involved!

by Farah M Shroff, PhD

I have a longstanding interest in mental well-being research. Examining individual well-being, I have carried out research on yoga, ayurveda, forest ‘bathing’ and other mind-body approaches to thriving on a mental level. From a social perspective I have carried out research that examines the importance of social safety nets, community building and relationship building on mental health. My research and experiences constantly remind me that we still live in a society where mental health imbalances are stigmatized and shortchanged. To make matters worse, our medical system continues to provide minimal funding to mental health services, despite robust evidence that mental health concerns have massive impacts on our families, workplaces, prisons, schools and other institutions.

One of my passions is global health. On trips to many parts of the Global South I have been struck by the lessons that we can learn from people who priorize relationships over materialism. (This is not to romanticize those who live in poverty or to support hierarchies that systematically marginalize some people.) My observations about people’s approach to life in many parts of the Global South where I have worked—Calabar Nigeria, Ayoja Mexico, Bangkok Thailand, San Juan La Laguna Guatemala and elsewhere—have led me to believe that families and communities are stronger in the South than in the North. Strong emotional and social bonds between people facilitate mental well-being.

When I lived in Nigeria, I was amazed to hear my friends in a village talking about a man whom they called ‘mad’ with such kind words and warmth. They told me that he was trying to build a bridge next to the one that construction workers were putting up in the village. They chuckled as they told the story about his attempts. Later on, he appeared at their house. The family greeted him kindly and he joined in on the evening meal and slept in the house that night. Very little stigma was attached to his mental health status. He was a welcome member of the village community. Much of my work in the area of indigenous knowledge thus centres on the lessons that the North has to learn from the South.

On April 8 I will be delivering a webinar about a study that I carried out: Seeking Mental Well-Being: a story of working class women in Northern England. I invite you to join me!

https://knowledgex.camh.net/researchers/areas/sami/webinars/current/Pages/04082014.aspx

Farah Shroff, Ph.D., teaches in the Department of Family Practice and the School of Population and Public Health at the University of British Columbia Faculty of Medicine; her research emphasizes visioning and developing Health for All. A researcher and educator she focuses on the areas of holistic health and spirituality, community development, and social justice, as well as health services policy research. As a consultant, Dr. Shroff has served many public and private clients; she drafted the Government of Nunavut’s Public Health Plan, evaluated the Dr Peter AIDS Centre, facilitated research workshops for a group of women with severe mental illnesses and more. She has also worked for governments in Canada and non-governmental organizations such as the Downtown Eastside Residents’ Association in Vancouver.
Dr Shroff is also a teacher of yoga, dance, self defence and other movement practices. She enjoys walking and running in Vancouver’s forests and beaches as well as traveling with her family.

Many organizations around the world like VicHealth in Australia have done a great deal of research to increase our awareness about the important links between the arts and our health and well-being. In Canada, the Arts Health Network’s primary purpose is to increase public awareness, understanding and appreciation of the contributions of arts-based initiatives to individual and community health, as well as to Canada’s public health care system.

We know that access to the arts helps people connect socially and participate in their community’s cultural life. The role of the arts in exploring and communicating social concerns, giving voice to hidden issues and allowing self-expression is also a major contributor to health. (VicHealth)

Promoting health & wellbeing is not just about things you can do as an individual. Creating health & wellbeing is also about sharing ourselves, building community and tapping into our creativity.

Join us for the 1st annual Bridge for Health Art Show featuring work of architect, painter and musician Jack McDonald, born and raised in Kitsilano and current resident of East Vancouver, Canada.

More about Jack

Sunday April 6, 2014, 4-7pm. #sharingourselves
Location: Havana Restaurant 1212 Commercial Drive, Vancouver, BC.

If you are interested in learning more about health and arts, we encourage to visit Global Alliance for Arts & Health hosting Enhancing Lives Through Arts & Health: 25th Anniversary Conference & Celebration, will take place April 9-12, 2014 in Houston, TX. The conference, hosted by Texas Children’s Hospital, will provide a forum for hundreds of leaders in arts and health, including arts directors, healthcare providers, artists, therapists, architects, designers, administrators, educators, and researchers – bringing people together to present and discuss cutting-edge arts and health topics and exciting developments from around the world!