Immigrant creatives and mental health professionals explore identity, resilience, and mental wellbeing across cultures and lived experiences.
Are you an immigrant artist? South Asia Institute initiated the Immigrant Creative Mentorship Program aimed at fostering artistic growth and professional development within Chicago’s Immigrant arts community.
On May 23, 2026, we welcome Joseph Behen, Zeeshan Butt, Rooshey Hasnain and Jitesh Jaggi for a program bringing together immigrant creatives of all genres and mental health practitioners, to create a space for honest dialogue around the emotional realities of sustaining a creative life across cultures and contexts.
Participants will engage one another in a shared exploration of care, resilience, and the complexities of creative practice shaped by migration, to encourage listening, reflection, and collective exchange, fostering a sense of community and mutual support.
The Immigrant Creatives Mentorship is supported by Terra Foundation for American Art.
About the Speakers
Joseph Behen, PhD, is a Clinical Psychologist in private practice in Chicago. He provides psychotherapy for adults and adolescents, as well as marital and couples therapy. He left the School of the Art Institute of Chicago this past November after 31 years, most recently as Dean of Student Wellness.
Zeeshan Butt, PhD, is a licensed clinical health psychologist and healthcare quality leader with nearly 20 years at the intersection of behavioral science, medicine, and technology. His career has spanned several sectors, including academic health centers, healthcare technology, consultation and private practice. Across his work experience, his ultimate goal has remained the same: to champion the voice of patients in order to improve health care. For more information, please visit www.zeeshanbutt.com
Dr. Rooshey Hasnain, Ed.D. is a Clinical Associate Professor and community-engaged researcher in the Department of Disability and Human Development at the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC). She identifies as a Desi-mix woman and a member of the disability community. She has received many awards for her work which is grounded in human rights and disability-inclusive frameworks, and centers on social inclusion, mental wellness, and quality of life—particularly among ethnically, racially, and linguistically diverse communities, including immigrants, refugees, and Asian and South Asian individuals navigating intersecting identities and emphasizes how storytelling and the arts can support mental well-being among South Asian and Asian American artists, families, and communities.
Jitesh Jaggi is an immigrant storyteller, poet, coach and educator from India. A five-time The Moth Story Slam winner, his stories have been featured on NPR and WGN TV. Jitesh’s one-man show “Suitcase Stories” played to a sold-out audience at the Steppenwolf Theatre, The Second City, and at SAI. He is an Oral Historian capturing the stories of the South Asian diaspora living in Illinois since the 1950s and often weaves his own personal tales with those of his immigrant ancestors in his performances. He will share these amalgamated stories as an Illinois Road Scholar for 2026-27.