Mental health documentary series premieres Sunday at CCA
The Gorge Wellness Alliance (GWA) has a mission: When it comes to the topic of mental health, including substance abuse, the GWA wants people throughout the Columbia River Gorge “to talk, to listen, and to cultivate compassion.”
The collaborative group of organizations and community members will premiere its mini-documentary, “Cultivate: Compassion,” free at 4 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 6 at the Columbia Center for the Arts in Hood River.
Produced by CoenFilm, and modeled after other national anti-stigma campaigns, the documentary features six local people from the Columbia River Gorge bravely sharing their personal journeys and some of the associated challenges they’ve faced in life. The debut event (seating limited) includes the film premiere, a reception, a panel discussion featuring documentary participants, live commentary from CoenFilm about making the documentary, a short, musical performance from a film participant and information and local resources to help people engage in reducing mental health stigma and cultivating compassion.
“This project began over a year ago, when we asked ourselves how the Gorge community can better address the social and cultural stigma surrounding mental health and substance use, with a focus on reaching the youth,” said Lucas O’Laughlin, behavioral health manager for One Community Health, founder and a key funder of the GWA. “After conducting focus groups with the young people in our community, we received overwhelming feedback that they wanted to hear authentic stories from people with lived experience. The first step is breaking through the silence associated with stigma, which takes a large amount of courage and vulnerability on the part of the individual.”
“Cultivate: Compassion” is a testimony to how pervasive and consequential mental illness is right here in our backyard and is a tribute to the power within to live resiliently in spite of what life has dealt us or how we’ve responded.
“Very real, very raw and yet very tender, this film launches a larger campaign to change our mindset around mental health by talking and listening with our hearts and, as the film’s title states, building more compassion for everyone in our midst,” O’Laughlin said. “Of note, it’s timed to coincide with the National Alliance on Mental Illness’s Mental Health Awareness Week, another anti-stigma effort we’re honoring here.”
The Columbia Gorge Regional Community Health Assessment shows one in three adults and one in four youth have a mental health condition in our community. This epidemic touches virtually everyone directly and indirectly, affecting individuals, their families, their friends and so much more. Those featured in the film — people like Levi Matteson — share why compassion matters, referencing the importance of understanding, forgiveness and even second chances.
“Don’t be afraid to ask for help,” Matteson says in the film. “It doesn’t matter if you fall down … it matters if you get back up.”
Skamania County Community Health (SCCH) is another member of the GWA.
“As a mental health therapist, I have experienced the consequences that mental health stigma and discrimination can cause in our community,” said Kirby Richards, SCCH’s director. “The power of this group can transform our community and those who struggle with mental illness. And yet the most powerful change and support comes from those recovering and having the strength to share their heartfelt journeys.”
Anyone with questions about the GWA or the upcoming film premiere can contact the GWA’s project manager, Colleen Regalbuto, at 503-560-6402, cregalbuto@hotmail.com.
Note: “Cultivate: Compassion” is best for those ages 10 and over due to sensitive content.
About The Gorge Wellness Alliance
The Gorge Wellness Alliance (GWA) is a collaborative group of Gorge-based health advocates and community members. Together, they strive to address the challenges of mental health, including substance abuse, to promote compassion for every person in the Gorge and create a region-wide stigma-free culture. In fall 2019, the GWA debuted a mini-documentary, “Cultivate: Compassion,” part of a larger public awareness campaign that underscores the GWA mission and supports people throughout the Gorge, all of whom have been affected by mental health, either directly and indirectly.
Founded by One Community Health in 2018, the GWA has expanded to include a second key funder and supporter, Skamania County Community Health. Other participating members include Comprehensive Healthcare, Columbia Gorge Children’s Advocacy Center, Flux Therapy, Hood River County Prevention Office, Mid-Columbia Center for Living, National Alliance on Mental Illness-Gorge Chapter, North Central Public Health District, Our Klickitat Coalition, Southwest Accountable Community of Health (SWACH), Swift Consulting, The Next Door and Youth Think.
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