F*ck THESE TIMES:
how to survive an unpredictable election
1:00-3:00pm
september
21
Thorek memorial hospital
850 W Irving Park Rd, Chicago, IL 60613
In 2016, it was shock, disbelief, and anger. In 2020, it was dread, anxiety, and–finally–release. Now it’s 2024. We've all seen the news. Those familiar feelings are already here.
Big feelings - anxiety, dread, disbelief - can be hard to sit with. We often want to find a reframe, an explanation, a reason for why we feel the way we feel, so that we can fix it. But what do we do when there’s nothing “to fix”? What do we do when all of these big, intense emotions that we're feeling are reasonable, appropriate, and human?
At Inclusive Insight, we want you to know that you are not alone in these feelings. Even as therapists, we're feeling a lot of intense emotions about this upcoming election, emotions that are reasonable, appropriate, and human. We also have tools to navigate these emotions without "fixing" them, and we want to share these tools with our community.
And that community includes you. We'll work together to empower and support each other to know what to do with our big, appropriate, and human emotions - community style.
This event is fundamentally a human experience, one filled with opportunities, unpredictability, and the unknown
Drawing on elements of immersive theater, installation art, and experimental media, this community event will feature several experiences and interactive activities designed to:
offer opportunities to invite & explore our emotions about the election
explore ways to express and embody our emotions
Encourage community care by engaging in the emotional experience of ourselves & others
here's the agenda
Content Note: You may feel intense emotions during this experience.
If this isn’t the right experience for you, know that we care for you, we’re here with you, and we’re all in this together. Connection is where we heal.
An opportunity to explore your feelings about the election. This experience will feature large-scale installations, audio-visual elements, and an embodied “voting” experience.
A series of embodied interactions with a community of facilitators and other participants to see, hold, and express what you felt during the Election Experience.
Led by Sara Witte, LCSW (she/they) with support by Adam Ouanes, LCSW (he/him), this discussion will dive deeper into what it means to see, hold, and express your emotions. Breakout groups will offer an opportunity to connect with and support other participants.
An intentional moment will act to close the space and the experience that we shared as humans in community with each other.
"I am primarily a human being; who is also a therapist. I create and maintain genuine relationships with my clients. As a queer person, I have visceral experience with managing systemic oppression, at the same time I am aware of the immense power the title “psychotherapist” holds. I firmly believe in the decolonization of the therapeutic process and I work hard to co-create space with my clients that is non-pathologizing, nonjudgmental, and fully honors all of the identities we bring to the space."
"I am a psychotherapist and a storyteller who has spent the better part of my life studying human behavior and connection. I have a BFA in acting from The University of the Arts, and an MSS from Bryn Mawr College. Much of my work is focused on working with LGBTQIA+ individuals, substance use, as well as grief and loss. I have also worked with people experiencing co-occurring mental health conditions such as trauma, anxiety, and depression."
