Why? Because storytelling — and sharing that story with others in a safe space —  is increasingly being recognized as an accepted, and even an integral, part of the healing journey.  While storytelling itself is not a replacement for therapy and other established mental health treatment, in many practices and disciplines it has become a critical component of a therapeutic regimen.

In a recent Forbes report, Angeleena Francis, a licensed mental health counsellor and the executive director at AMFM Healthcare says “Talking about mental health does not cause or increase mental health issues or diagnosis, but rather allows for individuals to seek help at lower levels of care.” 

In addition to professional services, there is a growing need for grassroots support, empathy, compassion and community. According to the American Psychological Association’s Stress in America 2023 survey, nearly two-thirds of adults (66%) said that, in the last 12 months, they could have used more emotional support than they received, and around a quarter (26%) cited the need for a lot more support. More than two in five adults (44%) said they don’t feel anyone understands what they are going through, and more than half (52%) said they wish they had someone to turn to for advice and/or support.

The Power of Storytelling
It’s no secret that many individuals feel more comfortable sharing their personal story through art, speech or music than in a more structured or clinical environment. Among the many reasons for its effectiveness, storytelling:

• Allows people to share their story, feel heard and validated. 
• Enables those affected to reflect on parts of their story and consider new aspects of their experience.
• Helps create community and connection by bringing shared experiences to light. 
• Reduces stigma by normalizing mental health conditions and associated experiences
• Fosters compassion and empathy, brings awareness and allows people to offer help and support to those struggling. 
• Introduces new perspectives and ideas that contribute to and perhaps change the way we think about mental illness and those affected.
• Drives creativity and purpose, leading to new, innovative and powerful artistic endeavors. 
• Elicits societal change, by normalizing mental illness and helping to create a critical mass of acceptance that will in turn lead to mental health legislation, funding, resources and support. 

That said, it can be challenging for individuals to find spaces and venues where they can be vulnerable and safely express highly sensitive personal information. Children might have a hard time trusting peers at school. Adults are often not encouraged to express mental health experiences in the workplace, and outside of work hours are often tasked with other responsibilities such as childcare, meals or other home maintenance activities. 

Many individuals find mental health healing and connection in their own trusted circles, which could include communities around sports or various hobbies and interest groups, neighbors and neighborhood associations, parents groups and/or church organizations. That said, this kind of connection and support is often erratic at best, preventing it from being offered reliably or sustainably to those who need it most.  

This is where CAMHS will come in, occupying a Venn diagram space between the arts community and mental health advocacy. 

• Facilitating a safe, supportive and diverse space for members to share their story, whether it’s within the context of an art gallery, a cinema, a dance studio or a virtual platform. 
• Providing a pathway and resources for people to creatively articulate their mental health story in the way they choose. We help them recognize that story, tap into their creative talents and provide materials to help bring it to light.  
• Offering our own expertise. We are a coalition of artists, writers, photographers, filmmakers, dancers, public speakers and community organizers with a passion for mental health advocacy. We can help guide members in various artistic mediums. We also have lived experience around mental health and can share our own personal stories to help encourage others — and show our peers they’re not alone. 
• Educating the public about mental health through our art and public advocacy. Stigma thrives in darkness and ignorance. Removing these shadows through open dialogue and artistic expression will help bring about the culture change we hope to achieve to create a more neuro inclusive world. 

Our Services and Opportunities

While, CAMHS is squarely focused on illuminating members’ mental health journeys through creative storytelling, we are not, nor do we claim to be, a mental health organization per se. Thus our designed portfolio of services won’t include clinical programming, behavioral health research or academic resources. Similarly, we won’t provide therapy-based support groups and/or therapeutic services to our members. While those disciplines are immensely valuable, they are out of our area of expertise. Rather, we are an arts organization that focuses on storytelling as a critical component of healing. 

How will we tell and share our stories? 

• Storytelling workshops, both live and virtual, that help current and new members as well as artist partners find healing and creative ways to express and share their mental health story
• Live poetry slam events, held at public venues such as cafes, where we share various forms of art/writing/music, etc. where we can share our artistic endeavors in a safe space. There are opportunities to partner with other mental health nonprofits for these events. 
• Art exhibitions at galleries, featuring art and photography that depicts various aspects of the artists’ mental health journey
• Educational workshops in schools and with educational nonprofits to enable and empower children and youth to articulate and share their personal mental health story in a safe, nonjudgmental space free from stigma.
• Presence at literary festivals (e.g. San Francisco’s LitQuake) where we host sessions dedicated to writing and essays focused on the author’s mental health story. 
• Workshops and classes in specific disciplines (writing, photography, filmmaking, public speaking, etc..) that educate members how to artfully depict their mental health story. 
• Video storytelling, which can be promoted on our website and social media channels.

Be sure to check out Our Projects page for our list of projects and initiatives. While we plan to expand nationally, some projects are just Bay Area focused for the time being, while others are online and available to all. 

But looking ahead, we are excited about what the future holds for us and the future of mental health storytelling. Culture seldom changes overnight, but rather little by little, through small actions, shared stories and vulnerable moments. We’re thrilled to play a part in moving that needle on de-stigmatizing mental health just a little bit further. And we look forward to what’s to come!