Welcome to Mind Over Medium, a series where I interview creatives about their work, their mental health, and the interplay of the two. For this edition, I interviewed Jodi Bosin, a therapist with a past life in graphic design.
Who are you? Where do you live?
I’m Jodi. I work in Community Mental Health as an Outpatient Therapist at COMHAR. I am 34 years old and I live in West Philly with my two cats Chico and Ragù.
Do you have any mental health diagnoses (self- or otherwise diagnosed)?
I have been diagnosed with depression, anxiety, and ADHD. I think a diagnosis can be helpful insomuch as it provides validation and direction regarding interventions, but I don’t put too much stock in these unless it’s useful for the individual. A diagnosis describes a collection of symptoms and is never giving a full picture of someone’s experience; they can also be quite subjective and overlapping.
How has mental health, yours or those around you, affected your life?
I don’t think “life” and “mental health” are separate things. I think one’s mental health is shaped by social and cultural context, so these cannot be disconnected. As someone practicing in this field I think it’s important to take a critical view of psychotherapy and ways this has been used historically to blame individuals for systemic problems. That being said, there are still changes we can make on an individual level that are helpful. I’m not sure if this answers your question(?)
How does your mental health affect your work? How does your work affect your mental health?
Being a person in the world is one of the main things that I believe qualifies me to be a therapist. Some providers prefer to be as much of a blank slate as possible but this is not my personal therapeutic style. Transparency and integrity are important values of mine and I believe in utilizing self-disclosure when relevant. I’ve been watching this TV show Severance in which employees undergo a medical procedure that separates their work and non-work selves. I couldn’t do this with my job and wouldn’t want to (which is part of the whole dystopic nature of the show), even if that means that things from work can weigh on me when I’m not there. My life experience and struggle with the same uncertainty and sadness that many people feel is an asset, not a weakness, as a therapist.
How do you work through it?
I would not recommend anything to clients that I would not or have not done myself. We’re all sick of the stupid term “self-care” but it’s important to have other interests and supports outside of work. I think that friends are essential and consistently underrated with all the emphasis we place on romantic coupledom.
Do you have any other creative aspirations?
Before I was a therapist I worked as a graphic designer for many years, a career that seemed “creative” but ultimately was not fulfilling or meaningful. I think that many jobs are creative without being strictly “art” related, including therapy for sure. My artistic pursuits outside of work take many forms including writing, playing in a band, film photography, collage, and zine-making.
I also make zines for use as resources at work, some of these shown below:
Additionally, at work I run a craft group every Monday, which I started because there were almost no groups available and I think that crafting is valuable for anybody.
Do you have a therapist? Tell us about them. What modalities do they use? What do you find most helpful about the work you do together?
I did until I was kicked off Medicaid when the COVID eligibility expansions ended. Since then I have endeavored to find someone covered by insurance, so I can empathize with how this is no easy task. Something I love about my job is that the services are free and none of my clients pay anything for therapy (even if this means I won’t get paid as much because our society naturally does not place economic value on helping others).
What inspires you?
I’m inspired by people who move slowly and build things.
What are you reading/watching/listening to right now?
Right now I’m reading “The Myth of Normal” by Gabor Maté and N.K. Jemisin’s Broken Earth trilogy. Usually I’m reading a few books at once which tend to include something about trauma and something sci-fi, though I read a variety of genres such as comics, novels, and nonfiction.
Has a song or a piece of art ever saved your life? If so, what is it?
I can’t think of anything specific at the moment, but I do think these are important things that help people feel validated and less alone. I love when a client will bring in a song they’ve been listening to or identifying with.
Share some words of wisdom with us.
Our patron saint of Philadelphia Ben Franklin once said: “So convenient a thing it is to be a reasonable creature, since it enables one to find or make a reason for everything one has a mind to do.”
Additionally I will share this tweet:
You can see more of Jodi’s work below:
