Authors: Alan Johnson
Year: 2017
Event: 2017 TheMHS Conference
Subject: Lived Experience, Recovery, Clinical Issues, Reducing Stigma and Discrimination,Research & Evaluation Informing Practice
Type of resource: Conference Presentations and Papers
Abstract: AIR (Arts in Recovery) is a community-based arts program that provides opportunities for people who experience mental illness to participate in workshops and exhibitions to promote and celebrate their skills and talent in visual arts. Workshops and an annual exhibition allow social support and skills development whilst engaging the wider community to challenge stigma and develop a positive view of mental health.
The success of AIR is due to the partnerships involved, most importantly it’s because of the people who attend demonstrating that creative occupations can provide meaning and value to those living with mental illness and can contribute to the recovery of people.
Art is used by occupational therapists to develop therapeutic relationships, develop self-awareness and increase communication. Participation in art can also be used to assess and gain information about the client, while enhancing self-expression and awareness.
This presentation is a narrative set to photos describing the use of art as therapy, creative partnerships, artworks, case studies. This is one component of a broader research project which exploring the perspectives of clients and practitioner on the AIR program and art as therapy, to build upon the evidence base which supports the benefits of using art-based interventions in recovery.
Learning Objectives
Learning Objective 1: Participants will learn through the use of case studies that partnerships and art as therapy aid participants’ recovery journeys and that this is in the process of being evaluated to add to the evidence base.
Learning Objective 2: Participants will learn through the examples of literature review that art as therapy and partnerships are essential in promoting recovery, reducing stigma and the reasons the author is evaluating the program from participants and workers perspectives.
References
Lloyd.C, Papas,V. 1999, Art as Therapy within Occupational Therapy in Mental Health Settings: a review of the literature
Perruzza. N, Kinsella. E., 2010, Creative arts occupations in therapeutic practice: a review of the literature, British Journal of Occupational Therapy June 73(6): 261-268
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