TPP 392: Cara Bean on Comics and Mental Health for Kids

As my guest said in the episode you’re about to listen to, you don’t have to be a mental health professional to have mental health conversations. In fact, I would say that talking about difficult mental health topics outside of medical settings is not just helpful — it’s necessary in that it both normalizes mental health challenges and reduces the stigma that’s often associated with such struggles.

Author and Illustrator Cara Bean also knows this to be true, and is committed to exploring these topics through her art, specifically comics. Cara sees comics as a powerful tool both for teens to learn about mental health, and for parents to lean on for important conversations about complex topics. Which is exactly why she wrote her new book, Here I Am, I Am Me: An Illustrated Guide to Mental Health.

Every chapter in this therapist-recommended book explores a different aspect of mental health, from the brain and the mind, to feelings and emotions. By portraying complex neuroscience concepts with a cast of illustrated characters, Cara offers an accessible, approachable understanding of what’s going on in the brain that empowers readers.

I really love Cara’s book and so wanted to have her on the show to talk about her process for writing it, and how we can use it to support kids going through hard stuff. So in this conversation, Cara explained the way she visualized thoughts and feelings, why she felt so strongly about including detailed brain science in her book, and the power of metaphors to explain the impacts and struggles of addiction, depression, anxiety, and suicidality, making these heavy topics more relatable and easier to understand.

About Cara Bean

Cara Bean is the author of Here I Am, I Am Me: An Illustrated Guide to Mental Health and Draw 500 Funny Faces and Features. She provides interactive workshops on creativity with people of all ages and backgrounds in various public forums. Cara is passionate about drawing and believes that the simple act of doodling on paper can lead to the investigation of complex ideas.

When she is not teaching, she makes comics that delve into poetic self introspection, playful storytelling and topics relevant to teens and teaching. Cara is currently working on comics projects that speak directly to kids and address mental health. Cara lives in Massachusetts with her husband and their dog Raisin.

Things you'll learn

• How comics can provide an honest and accessible way to discuss complex issues
• The benefits of visualizing thoughts and feelings through thought bubbles and metaphors for enhancing understanding
• Why Cara felt so strongly about including detailed brain science in the book in order to foster understanding of emotional health and reactions
• How Cara leaned into the power of metaphors to explain the impact and struggles of things like addiction, depression, anxiety, and suicidality
• Why Cara wrote her book Here I Am, I Am Me for, and how different readers might approach engaging with it

Resources mentioned

• Cara Bean’s website
• Here I Am, I Am Me: An Illustrated Guide to Mental Health by Cara Bean
• Draw 500 Funny Faces and Features by Cara Bean
• Snakepit graphic pamphlet for adults
• John Porcellino (King-Kat Comics)
• The Breakthrough Years: A New Scientific Framework for Raising Thriving Teens by Ellen Galinsky
• Ellen Galinsky Takes Us Through The Breakthrough Years and Raising Thriving Teens (Tilt Parenting Podcast)
• Graphic Medicine
• Bill Waterson (Calvin & Hobbes)
• The Addiction Inoculation: Raising Healthy Kids in a Culture of Dependence by Jessica Lahey
• Jess Lahey on Her New Book The Addiction Inoculation (Tilt Parenting Podcast)

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