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Misericordia University students, alumni and faculty will be featured when WVIA premieres the documentary, “The Voices Project: Mental Health,” on Oct. 10 at 8 p.m. The film chronicles the student research project designed to promote the understanding and reduce the stigma of mental illness. The film will air throughout the month on WVIA in observance of Mental Health Awareness Month.
“The Voices Project: Mental Health” is the fourth chapter in an on-ongoing research project conducted by Alicia Nordstrom, Ph.D., professor of psychology, that explores society’s attitudes towards individuals considered different. In the fall of 2016, Dr. Nordstrom collaborated with Amanda Caleb, Ph.D., associate professor of English and Medical and Health Humanities, to have their students interview more than 60 people with mental health conditions and their family members to learn about their lives. A wide variety of conditions were explored including anxiety, depression, suicide, and post-traumatic stress disorder.
Based on their interviews, the students wrote a first-person narrative about the person they interviewed to share how the mental health conditions affect their lives. A team of faculty members from history, English, mass communications and psychology integrated the narratives into a theatrical performance. It debuted on the Misericordia campus in April 2017, and was selected for the Plays with a Purpose Outreach Program and presented at the Broadway Bound Theatre Festival in Manhattan.
The 30-minute documentary captures actual interviews conducted by Misericordia students with individuals experiencing schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and eating disorders, as well as family members of those with substance abuse and Alzheimer’s disease. The Misericordia students featured include Faith Sinclair, a nursing major from Saco, Maine; Ian Anderson, a nursing major from Mountainville, New York; Sarah Bender, a statistics major from Raritan, New Jersey, and Kierra Berrin, a health sciences major in the occupational therapy program from Babylon, New York, and 2018 alumna Courtney Answini, a sport management student from Wilkes-Barre.
In addition to the Oct. 10 premiere, the documentary will air on Oct. 10 at 8:30 p.m., Oct. 11 at 1 and 1:30 p.m. and Sunday, Oct.13 at 4:30 p.m.