This art experience provides attendees a space to learn from, connect with, and understand the stories of those who are living with mental illnesses. This exhibit aims to highlight the ways in which art can be a coping skill, form of expression, and/or a therapeutic intervention. The theme "Seeing Me" focuses on the need to value the individual, their resilience, their artistic process, and their talent – above their mental health struggles. Art is a form of language and expression, and through the art in this exhibit, it is the goal to create a space where the topic of mental health can be explored, but furthermore, that the individual’s abilities and experiences can be celebrated.
There are no Continuing Education Credits attached to this session.
Courtney Sakowski is a University of Toledo graduate and has been an active community member. She has volunteered with Toledo’s Take Back the Night collective, the Clothesline Project, and the International Human Trafficking & Social Justice Conference. She has been a social justice advocate in the Toledo and Washington DC areas.
Daniel Huesman is an experienced mental health clinician in the Toledo, Ohio community. Dan has utilized his years of connection with the community health system to coordinate the mental health exhibits for the IHTSJ Conference for the past 7 years.
Meg Kraner integrates Narrative Therapy (NT) and art-based therapy methods into the healing process with her clients. Meg has used NT with various client populations, as well as within her own therapeutic journey, and highly values the art of healing through therapeutic storytelling and community connection.