KIRKSVILLE, Mo. – Just because you may not be able to see something doesn’t mean it’s not real.
The National Alliance on Mental Illness reports one in five U.S. adults are affected by mental health issues every year.
Northeast Missouri Health Council of Behavioral Health has partnered with A.T. Still University to help raise awareness of mental health through art.
“We are joining with ATSU to create this art fair, this art exhibit,” said Behavioral Health Director & Licensed Psychologist at Northeast Behavioral Health Dr. Jennifer Blacksmith. “It’s open to the public any age and they can create any piece of art that they want that expresses themselves through their mental health or just a piece of art that brings joy, happiness, something they’ve done in the past or something they want to currently do.”
The goal is to stop the stigma behind mental health using art to discuss the subject in a healthy way, as a means to manage and improve the community’s mental wellbeing, along with other self-care strategies.
“Creativity and artwork relaxes us,” said Director of Behavioral health and wellness with ATSU Dr. Sarah Thomas. “It helps us express our feelings and emotions. We thought it would be a good prompt for all ages, including children, to create art around things that make them feel happy or their emotions or how they’ve been resilient and then we get to walk around in this art exhibit and experience that and that’s an opportunity for our community to come together.”
They encourage anyone to submit their artwork for this creative mental health initiative to ATSU Behavioral Health and Wellness or NMHC Behavioral Health by April 30.
After all art pieces are submitted they will display them during Mental Health Awareness Month on April 7 at the ATSU campus.
For more information on the event, contact Julie Truitt, ATSU Behavioral Health and Wellness, at 660-626-2424.