USF Students break down the stigma of mental health in This Is My Brave College Edition Production 2023
Courtesy of This is My Brave
By Kelah Lehart
University of South Florida students bravely took the stage to share their stories of overcoming trauma and mental illness in an incredible performance that highlighted their journey of healing and recovery.
This Is My Brave, a national nonprofit organization whose mission is to reduce the stigma surrounding mental illness and addiction, hosted their second annual College Edition Live on stage at the University of South Florida in Tampa on Friday, April 21.
Performers shared their personal experiences of overcoming their trauma and mental illness through creative expression in a live presentation of touching essays, poetry, monologues, original music, dance and even stand-up comedy.
“I just wanted to get out there and tell a very specific story that I feel like people don’t quite understand,” said Bianca Romano, sophomore majoring in International & Global Studies at USF
Romano is a returning member of This is My Brave, who represents her story in a standup comedy. She shares her experience of surviving a mass shooting that happened in February 2018, at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.
“I just want people to understand that the pain from mass shootings doesn’t stop once it ends,” Romano said. “It keeps going for years and years that people have to live with forever.”
Kaylee Davis, a graduating senior majoring in Dance, shared her story through a dance routine demonstrating her overcoming a time in her life when she felt stuck and unwell.
“I feel that our stories are what connect us and unite us as humans,” Kaylee Davis said. “Sharing my story is healing, for not only myself, but for all of humanity.”
Davis said that she hopes to help others feel less alone while overcoming their struggles.
“It’s important to tell your story in a way that you end with a message of recovery and hope,” said Kristin Kosyluk, This Is My Brave show producer.
Kosyluk is also an assistant professor of Mental Health Law & Policy at the University of South Florida, director of the STigma Action Research (STAR) Lab, and faculty affiliate of the Louis de la Parte Florida Mental Health Institute.
Her research and the Brave production focus on promoting recovery among people with mental illness, with an emphasis on understanding and addressing the stigma as a barrier to recovery.
Kosyluk mentioned that back in 2015, the co-founder and former executive director of the organization, Jennifer Marshall, contacted her and was looking for a research partner who could help her document the impact of This Is My Brave.
“It’s really important for the program that we deliver, to be actually achieving the outcomes that they’re aiming for,” she said. “That’s what I’ve been helping them do since that time.”
At the beginning of the production stages, they issue a casting call where they ask storytellers who are interested in sharing their experiences to audition through several months of rehearsals before the actual performance.
It is within the process of auditioning, rehearsing, getting to know the cast members and performing each of their stories live on stage, that the production becomes a transformative experience.
“What our preliminary research shows is that by telling their story through this process, the cast members experience an increased sense of empowerment, a greater sense of self-esteem, self-efficacy and optimism,” Dr. Kosyluk said.
According to their research, the majority of theatergoers who react both before and after the performance lessen the stigma associated with mental illness and are more likely to seek treatment if they ever need it.
“Even when I was just doing the research before I served as a show producer…” Kosyluk said. “…it felt really good to be doing more with a community organization who I thought might be making a difference and have a positive impact. To be doing that sort of work gave me my work purpose.”
Kosyluk said that her work has become more meaningful to her since producing the show and that it has changed the way she talks about mental health.
“Prior to producing the show, I wouldn’t usually talk about my own experiences,” she said. “But now I talk about them more openly. So, if I’m asking 10 brave college students to take the stage and talk about their mental health, I feel like I should be willing to do the same.”
At the end of the show, the Dean of the College of Behavioral and Community Sciences, Julie Serovich, ended the performance with a warm thank you to the cast members and to the audience for coming.
“Every one of you owned your story and realize that you have power over that story,” Serovich said. “You’ve impacted everyone in this room. Thank you for being brave sharing your experiences of living with mental illness.”
For more information of the organization This is My Brave go to: https://thisismybrave.org/timb-the-show/
For more information on Dr. Kosyluk’s research go to:
STAR Lab Website: https://www.usf.edu/cbcs/mhlp/centers/star-lab/
Mental Health Law & Policy Website: https://www.usf.edu/cbcs/mhlp/index.aspx
USF Students help break down the stigma of mental health
We are most definitely on a different page. Your teachers want you to believe there is a stigma to mental health issues, mine did not. Your teachers succeeded with you.
—This Is My Brave, a national nonprofit organization whose mission is to reduce the stigma
That should have rung a loud bell with you: “Reduce” means to hold onto some.
Harold A Maio, retired mental health editor