Werk In It is a challenge and an invitation. It is a pun about werkin’ it and a statement about what it is to be queer, living with mental illness and attempting to navigate the mental healthcare profession. This November 11th I launch the very first incarnation of what I hope will be a reoccurring interactive, conceptual art exhibit. Through Werk In It I hope to convey information about obstacles mental healthcare workers encounter systemically, and the impact of those obstacles on therapy participants.

Abstract: Statistically and disproportionally high turnover rates in mental healthcare, roughly 35-75% per annum, impacts therapeutic outcomes. Given that art therapy and counseling outcomes are linked to the quality of relationship between participant and practitioner, it is important to understand the factors that contribute or detract from the quality of relationship. A survey of available research stipulates that high turnover rates negatively effect mental healthcare services and therapeutic outcomes. This project seeks to communicate key information and responses to research findings in an artistic language. Artistic language moves beyond words into somatic experience. For many artistic language is an approachable, and deeply meaningful way to encounter and decipher concepts.

The full art book can be found here.

To find more information about Werk In It and my art process, click here.