Create Well Mental Health
Artlift has been developing this programme of Arts on Prescription with health co-producers and NHS Gloucestershire since 2015.
Specially trained Artist Facilitators work with adults referred by over 70 health and social prescribing professionals.
Courses are available in community venues across the county or online. People currently facing barriers to accessing a group may benefit from working remotely with our Creative Navigator on a personalised Arts on Prescription programme.
How Create Well has impacted
‘Medication controls you; it tends to sit on things. Talking therapy is an inward journey. This course, especially the creative writing, takes you out of yourself. You can be a different person, free of all constraints’
Feedback from last year’s participants tells us…
- 82% of participants reported a significant improvement in their mental wellbeing
- 100% said they will continue practicing creatively to sustain wellbeing
Want to find out more about the positive impact of Arts on Prescription on participants’ mental health?
The last University of Gloucestershire report evidenced the following impact on a dataset of 1,297 participants who’d completed benchmarking and exit questionnaires:
- Average increase in wellbeing +17%
- Average decrease in depression -15%
- Average decrease in anxiety -12%
- Those with multi-morbidities also show improvements
Who’s it for?
Create Well is designed for adults experiencing mental and/or associated physical health challenges. Those referred into our groups must be comfortable in a group setting.
If you can answer ‘yes’ or unsure about any of the following questions, Arts on Prescription (as a non-clinical intervention) may not be suitable for you / your patient or service user (but please speak to us if you are unsure):
- Are you / they currently experiencing any symptoms of psychosis, such as delusional thoughts?
- Is there a possibility you / they may self-harm in a group context?
- Is there a risk you / they may currently be suicidal?
- Are you aware of behaviours that may make other group members and/or the artist highly anxious, deeply uncomfortable and/or put others (or the person being referred) at risk?
What participants experience
Group participants are supported over a 10 – 20 sessions to:
- develop creativity and build social connection through a variety of artistic genres / activities either face-to-face or online
- if they wish, define light-touch goals through a personalised creative health plan, which focusses on what they can do, rather than any real or perceived limitations
- devise Move On plans, including the setup of participant-led groups where appropriate, to enable participants to continue using creativity as a tool in their ongoing wellbeing post-Artlift
Courses, which draw on a range of arts activities from painting and drawing, to creative writing, printmaking and photography, run between:
– April and July
– September and December
– January and March
Artlift didn’t just help me with my depression and anxiety, but also in managing my physical conditions. Artlift has been “my motivation” and something to look forward to during the darkest times of my life. Artlift helped me focus and get organised, transforming my hobby into something way more important
Are you a potential participant?
If you are an individual living in Gloucestershire and would like to put yourself forward for either our Create Well or ICU Leavers programmes, please...
Are you a health professional?
If you are a health, VCSE or social prescribing professional, or are working with a patient / service user who could benefit from Arts on Prescription please...
