ARTS FOR MENTAL HEALTH
We are a non-profit association that provides students who are interested in both arts and mental health the opportunity to explore, experience, and learn together.
We offer a diverse range of activities. Our current activities include art workshops, talks (by academics and professional artists), community-based art programmes and psychoeducation via informative articles, research summary updates and volunteering opportunities.
Feature - Booklet
UCL EDUCATION AWARDs 2023
The "Acing Mental Health Through Art" project funded by UCL ChangeMakers has been featured in the UCL Education Awards 2023 Booklet.
"In 2023, ARTSMH was further supported by the UCL ChangeMakers Continuation Fund to:
1) Sustain the good work and
2) Widen student engagement beyond the Institute of Education ... " Click to read more
Upcoming Event | 06/10 5-7pm
Greet & draw
WHERE CONVERSATIONS PAINT FRIENDSHIPS
What to expect
-
Meet new friends: Engage in lively conversations with diverse individuals. Our fun prompts will spark discussions on everything from passions to dreams.
-
Be creative: Each participant will receive a blank card at the beginning of the workshop. Pair up, get to know each other (around 5 minutes with each new friend), then add your creative flair to each other's card!
Outreach Programme
ARTSMH x outward
via UCL SU Volunteering Service
This program is a collaborative effort between Outward and ARTSMH, facilitated by the UCL SU Volunteering Service. Over the course of two months, we offered a series of engaging art workshops (digital art & painting), psychoeducation and cyber safety education. Click to find out more about Outward. Don't hesitate to get in touch if you're interested in collaborating with us!
Click the button below to see our programme highlight.
Volunteering Recommendation
AUGUST UPDAte
visit the volunteering webpage to learn more about the roles
1. The National Autistic Society
2. Sister circle
3. Bookmark Reading Charity
4. Support Group Co-facilitator Bipolar UK
5. St Marylebone Parish Church Changing Lives Project --
Green Fingers Volunteer
Student Article - September
Could Museums Improve Young People’s Wellbeing-
Insights from a workshop
Do you love visiting museums? I really do! I believe they are the perfect place to endure cold, dark and long winter days. You can tour around the galleries for hours, make some sketches and potentially even touch some historical objects. Furthermore, museums can widen your horizons as you can learn so many things. However, as a psychology geek and a young adult, museums interest me from another perspective. I am curious about the potential of museums in improving young people’s mental health and wellbeing.
In the context of arts and health research, engagement with arts is categorized into five domains: performing arts (e.g., music, dance); visual arts (e.g., sculpture, painting); literature (e.g., writing, reading); culture (e.g., visiting museums, going to festivals); and digital arts (e.g., filmmaking) (Fancourt & Finn, 2019)...
Research Paper Recommendation
Is Art Therapy an Effective Treatment for Eating Disorders? (Emily Weekes)
Discussion primarily based on Griffin et al. (2023) - Art therapy and eating disorders: A mixed methods feasibility study
-
Exploring less traditional therapy options for the treatment of eating disorders could be beneficial in light of the sharp rise of eating disorder diagnoses and high relapse rates.
-
Art therapy may effectively address the feelings of shame experienced by those with eating disorders and help them to non-verbally express their feelings.
-
Nine 18–43-year-old women diagnosed with anorexia nervosa participated in a study conducted by Griffin et al. (2023) that gave insight into the impacts of art therapy.
-
Art therapy sessions are practical to run and facilitate self-expression, accomplishment and flexibility in participants. It allows them to challenge perfectionistic ideals and reduce feelings of shame.
-
However, high attrition rates, missing data, and only one eating disorder (anorexia nervosa) being studied pose limitations to the conclusion. Further research would be beneficial.
TALK - Dr. Nina Polytimou
"Sing for me mama: Musical interactions and their impact on language and socio-emotional development"
PAST EVENT
Dr Politimou focused on two main areas in this talk:
the relationship between music and language the relationship between music and social-emotional development... read more
.png)
.png)
.jpg)
.png)
