The Intersection of Art & Mental Health: A Panel Discussion

Susan Rome, LSCSW Susan is the Deputy Director at Johnson County Mental Health Center, where she has worked for 27 years. Susan is an advocate for persons with mental illness and works to reduce stigma, while emphasizing community needs for behavioral health treatment. She has a special interest in self-care and reducing secondary trauma for those in the helping professions. She was founding member of the KS Law Enforcement CIT Council. She graduated with a BA in Psychology from Wichita State University and a Masters in Social Work from the University of Kansas. Erin Ross, LMLP I have been working with kids

An abstract floral painting

Arts & Mental Health: An Interview With Jessie Burnes

Jessie Burnes is a Chicago based painter. Raised in Kansas City, Jessie received her BFA in Painting at Kansas State University in 2018. She then went to complete her Post-Baccalaureate certificate in Painting at The School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 2019. Jessie is currently an MFA candidate in Painting at The School of the Art Institute of Chicago.  Before Jessie’s time in graduate school at SAIC, she participated in the undergraduate painting program at Kansas State University. Her work in her undergraduate studies focused on abstracted floral imagery with a subtext on trauma and abuse. Now, in her