INTRODUCING, MOVIES FOR MENTAL HEALTH ONLINE!
SUPPORTING MENTAL HEALTH IN TIMES OF SOCIAL DISTANCING
Movies for Mental Health (Online) is a 1.5-hour virtual workshop that focuses on empowering adults, educators, health professionals, and community members to gain a better understanding of mental health within their environment.
Knowing that art speaks the language of our interior worlds, we harness film to engage with employees on the vital topic of mental health, inspiring and empowering them to tell their own stories and access resources available to them.
Learn more about Movies for Mental Health (Online) ↑
HOW OUR VIRTUAL MENTAL HEALTH WORKSHOPS CAN SUPPORT EMPLOYEES DURING THE CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC
In times like these, it’s more important than ever to help employees find safe ways to connect in genuine ways as a community and access resources available to them.
M4MH Online is designed to provide staff with a safe forum to genuinely connect with themselves and others through group discussion, short film screenings, and real-time connection to mental health resources.
Having been to the live Movies for Mental Health workshop, I wasn’t sure how this would be. I actually feel people felt more comfortable commenting in this online setting.
— M4MH Online participant
In response to these unique circumstances, the online version of Movies for Mental Health incorporates mind-body exercises and further emphasizes concrete tools and tips for self care.
Our software platform allows for group communication, one-on-one private messages with mental health professionals, synchronous viewing of the films from our OLIVE Film Library, links to mental health resources, and video feeds for our facilitators and panelists.
Watch our film winner, Visualizing Lies ↑
(Content heads up: depression)
View some of our films that can help humans heal during these uncertain times:
Take a look at the Movies for Mental Health (Online)
curriculum and agenda:
It is SO possible to have enriching conversations and connective discussions online. I’m so excited about the possibilities of this format.
— M4MH Online participant
- Interactive introduction about mental illness, mental wellness, stigma, and the media’s role in our perceptions of these experiences.
- Viewing and discussion of three award-winning short films about mental health where attendees can type and talk with others.
- Therapeutic activities that encourage participants to unplug and consciously connect their minds and bodies.
- Panel discussion and Q&A with lived-experience speakers and accessible mental health resources.
HERE’S HOW MOVIES FOR MENTAL HEALTH (ONLINE)
CAN UPLIFT YOUR COMPANY AND COMMUNITY
I will go back to the movies and Art with Impact website to explore other movies. I think they were very powerful and moving. I will watch them over and over to help me understand my own self and others.
— M4MH Online participant
We at Art With Impact collaborate with accessible resources at each step of the organizational process, closely working with companies, taking employee stories into account in the film selection process, and seeking out panelists who represent approachable services.
Because participants are personally introduced to people who represent local opportunities for engagement, the people we serve can become leaders and change-makers in the way we discuss issues related to mental health and support those around us.
Mental Health
Education
- Gain insight into the importance of language to describe our interior worlds with differentiations between mental health, mental illness, and mental wellness.
- Hear perspectives around seeking support for mental health issues, personally and logistically.
- Articulate cognitive and emotional responses to short films and mental health stories.
- Learn about local, available mental health resources.
Destigmatizing
Mental Illness
- Confront and address ways in which stigma impacts ourselves and our wider society.
- Reduce internalized and cultural stigma around mental health issues.
- Increase awareness of unique experiences of mental illness, and how marginalized communities might experience mental health stigma differently.
Art and Media
for Social Change
- Engage in interactive analysis of the media’s portrayal of mental illness.
- Experience short films by independent, underrepresented communities.
- Learn about opportunities to create art and use film to transform lives.
Empowered and Connected
Campus Community
- Opportunity to connect with co-workers and teams to reduce feelings of isolation.
- Increase empathy and validation for others’ experiences.
- Increase intent to reach out for support for a mental health issue if/when necessary.
M4MH ONLINE PARTICIPANTS WATCHING OLIVE FILM WINNER, ALWAYS HOPE, TOGETHER IN REAL TIME ↑
This is an amazing workshop where you will be able to discuss mental health in a very organic and healthy way with others. I enjoyed watching the short films and seeing how others view mental health in a healthier, creative way.
— M4MH Online participant
Technical Requirements
Art With Impact handles everything on the technical side of things—setting up the registration pages, automated email reminders, and the web conferencing software—so you don’t need to worry about anything other than promoting internally to your organization, helping us to piece together the panel, and showing up on the day of the virtual workshop!
We also have a designated support person available at every online workshop to help individuals troubleshoot tech issues as they arise without disrupting the group as a whole.
Movies for Mental Health (Online) runs on the BigBlueButton (BBB) open-source platform, hosted on Art With Impact’s private server to ensure reliability.
BBB works across all major HTML-supported browsers (Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Internet Explorer, and Edge), which means participants do not need to download or install any apps or software.
Employees can even join in using their mobile devices! On Android, BBB runs within the default Chrome browser on Android 6.0+ and, on iOS, within the default Safari Mobile browser.
No upcoming workshops are on the calendar... yet! Check back soon.