24. Legacies of Activism, Being a Peer Specialist, and Radical Imagination with Noah Gokul

It takes radical imagination to envision a future of mental health that is rooted in community support and multiple ways of approaching healing. Noah Gokul is an artist and mental health educator who embodies this concept in all their work. Grounded and affirmed by legacies of activism before us, we discuss what it was like to be peer specialist working in a clinical mental health setting. Noah shares how having a father who was a culturally affirming family therapist impacted their work, and how they use art to explore frameworks for navigating depression and anxiety. Also in this episode: The co-optation of the peer specialist role and how hierarchy can prevent progress the importance of knowing the history of mental health activism depression as a manifestation of not getting our needs met navigating anxiety through art Noah (they/them) is a Queer multidisciplinary artist and educator here to create liberated worlds through art, storytelling, and sound. They grew up in Oakland, CA/unceded Ohlone land, and identify as a trauma survivor with sensitivities to the world around them. They use music and art for meaning-making and the healing of others, integrating these passions into their work as a peer for young adults in a first-episode psychosis program. They have facilitated in a wide variety of settings, at the intersections of anti-oppression, trauma, incarceration, Caribbean ancestry, music, and mental health. Through their incantations they create spaces of radical imagination and possibility. IDHA-NYC.org Get bonus episodes on substack! ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://depthwork.substack.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠ Links: Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/bindiram/ Bandcamp - https://bindiram.bandcamp.com/music ReKin Art Collective Berlin - https://moritzjekat.de/re-kin Inside the spiral created by Noah Gokul - https://vimeo.com/749357163 On Track NY - https://ontrackny.org/ The Icarus Project - https://www.academia.edu/11397502/The_Icarus_Project_A_Counter_Narrative_for_Psychic_Diversity The Radical Imagination: Social Movement Research in the Age of Austerity by Max Haiven and Alex Khasnabish The Family Centre NZ- https://familycentre.org.nz/ Disclaimer: The DEPTH Work Podcast is for educational and entertainment purposes only. Information on this podcast in no way to be construed or substituted as psychological counseling, psychotherapy, mental health counseling, or any other type of therapy or medical advice.

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