The Quest for Mental Wellness: Healing Through Storytelling

Wednesday, March 11, 2026 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM · 1 hr. (US/Pacific)
Level 5 | Palazzo N
Education Sessions
Behavioral Health

Information

What if the most powerful mental health intervention isn't found in a prescription pad, but in the pages of a story? This panel explores how narrative therapy and graphic storytelling are shifting behavioral health care, particularly for populations traditional approaches fail to reach.

Join physician executive Dr. Yener Balan, psychotherapist and bestselling author Duygu Balan, and award-winning illustrator Nadir Balan as they unveil their groundbreaking approach to mental wellness. Drawing from their acclaimed work, from 'Re-Write: A Trauma Workbook' to 'Confidently Chill: An Anxiety Workbook for New Adults' and the graphic novel 'Kader's Quest,' this family of clinicians and artists demonstrates how visual storytelling creates pathways to healing where conventional methods fall short.

Discover how integrating art, culture, and narrative unlocks the hero's journey within every patient. Learn why narrative storytelling is emerging as supportive infrastructure for youth mental health, immigrant communities, and individuals experiencing intergenerational trauma. This is about reimagining behavioral health delivery through cross-sector collaboration between healthcare, publishing, and the arts.

The quest for mental wellness begins with story. Join us.

Topic
Cross-Sector Collaboration Strategies
Target Audience
Allied Health ProfessionalChief Quality Officer and Chief Clinical Transformation OfficerConsumer Advocate Groups
Level
Intermediate
Format
Panel Discussion
Learning Objective #1
Analyze how graphic narrative therapy techniques address anxiety, trauma, and intergenerational conflict in populations underserved by traditional behavioral health interventions, including youth, immigrants, and culturally diverse communities.
Learning Objective #2
Evaluate cross-sector collaboration models between healthcare systems, mental health practitioners, and creative arts organizations that expand access to evidence-based behavioral health care through visual storytelling.
Learning Objective #3
Develop actionable strategies to integrate visual storytelling and narrative therapy frameworks into existing behavioral health programs to improve patient engagement and therapeutic outcomes.
Session #
115

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