Insights from TNBI Mental Health Research Workshop


Above is a link to the amazing project from Artie Carden, which shares information about the project, a link to the zine, a screen reader version of the zine and a full transcript. The zine can also be accessed for free here: Are You Talking to Me?

Are You Talking to Me? A TNBI Research project

The aim of the project was to engage with trans, nonbinary, and/or intersex (TNBI) people living in Sussex to learn about their experiences with mental healthcare services. This included general mental health support, gendered aspects of care (where relevant), and any previous involvement in mental health research. A key underlying goal was to offer participants a positive and affirming experience of mental health research itself.

Artie held an online workshop where participants could respond to questions and, and had the option to use collage materials to visually represent their experiences. They were invited to reflect on:

  • their mental healthcare needs,
  • their experiences of mental health services, or
  • their experiences of mental health research.

Following the workshop, Artie also created an online survey based on the same questions.

Most participants had not previously taken part in mental health research. Three of the four participants had experience working in mental healthcare. They shared concerning observations about the sector, including problematic attitudes toward trans people and the gendering of certain mental health issues. These experiences made them reluctant to seek support from mainstream services.

All participants shared that mainstream mental health services lack adequate training to support TNBI people and are often not trauma-informed. Such experiences are likely contribute to hesitation around participating in mental health research.

Learn more about this research project here.

This is one of my favourite pages from the zine. It shows a cut out of a wide open mouth with a microphone up to it. A spikey speech bubble houses black text which reads: I’m not retraumatising myself for your fucking thesis.

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