'Medicine and psychiatry, both based on science, require the art of caring, using the principles of art in learning and teaching. Sitting with a patient, making sense of their distress, being empathetic in understanding both the symptoms and the person and alleviating suffering needs a human touch. For that, doctors need the soul of an artist and must be aware of the value that arts have for society and the individual.' - from the Foreword by Dinesh Bhugra This comprehensive book explores how visual art, cinema, music, poetry, literature and drama can inform the teaching and practice of psychiatrists and mental health professionals. Edited and written by a team of expert practitioners, teachers and researchers, including both clinicians and users of mental health services, this comprehensive book will provide valuable insights for undergraduate and postgraduate educators with teaching reponsibilities in psychiatry and mental health. Students of the medical humanities, art, music and drama therapists, and educators in occupational therapy and psychology will also find this a valuable and insightful handbook. 'The authors of this wonderful handbook provide a convincing argument that the arts are good for what ails us. They have each used a preferred artistic medium to deepen personal reflection and to enhance their own creativity as physicians , teachers and therapists. Their models are clear, their suggestions practical, but none of the approaches you'll find here is reductive or simplistic. Try some of the reflective exercises and teaching strategies. You will be sure to rediscover something you have always cherished about the art of healing.' - from the Foreword by Allan D Peterkin

'Medicine and psychiatry, both based on science, require the art of caring, using the principles of art in learning and teaching. Sitting with a patient, making sense of their distress, being empathetic in understanding both the symptoms and the person and alleviating suffering needs a human touch. For that, doctors need the soul of an artist and must be aware of the value that arts have for society and the individual.' - from the Foreword by Dinesh Bhugra This comprehensive book explores how visual art, cinema, music, poetry, literature and drama can inform the teaching and practice of psychiatrists and mental health professionals. Edited and written by a team of expert practitioners, teachers and researchers, including both clinicians and users of mental health services, this comprehensive book will provide valuable insights for undergraduate and postgraduate educators with teaching reponsibilities in psychiatry and mental health. Students of the medical humanities, art, music and drama therapists, and educators in occupational therapy and psychology will also find this a valuable and insightful handbook. 'The authors of this wonderful handbook provide a convincing argument that the arts are good for what ails us. They have each used a preferred artistic medium to deepen personal reflection and to enhance their own creativity as physicians , teachers and therapists. Their models are clear, their suggestions practical, but none of the approaches you'll find here is reductive or simplistic. Try some of the reflective exercises and teaching strategies. You will be sure to rediscover something you have always cherished about the art of healing.' - from the Foreword by Allan D Peterkin

This book explores possible approaches to and uses of art therapy in mental health settings. Reflecting the latest scientific evidence, it represents a major step toward the harmonization of practices in the field, filling the gap between the theory and practice of art therapy. The book is divided into four major sections, corresponding to the main artistic domains: visual art therapy, music therapy, dance movement therapy, and drama therapy. Gathering the research and insights of leading professionals from around the globe, the book offers a diverse and balanced mix of perspectives. Accordingly, it will appeal to a broad readership including psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, occupational therapists, psychiatric rehabilitation technicians, nurses, educators, art therapists, and students.

Despite their increasing popularity and reported effectiveness, there is a dearth of evidence-based research on the practices that fall under the umbrella of "the arts therapies". The successful treatment of a variety of psychiatric illnesses through the application of the arts therapies has long been recognized in many countries around the world, including psychosis, schizophrenia, depression and borderline symptoms. Providing valuable data on the effectiveness of the arts therapies, Arts Therapies and New Challenges in Psychiatry fills an important gap in the literature on psychiatric illnesses. Contributors to this impressive volume have carried out research in psychiatry and mental health with patients diagnosed with a variety of illnesses. The international focus of the book shows the global, cross-cultural relevance of the arts therapies, whilst quantitative and qualitative evidence is used to demonstrate the need for art-, music-, drama- and dance therapy in a wide variety of contexts. This book shows that research in these fields can be carried out convincingly using a broad range of approaches, including each field's own professional matrix. Providing a much-needed assessment of the arts therapies, this book will appeal to art therapists, music therapists, dance therapists and drama therapists, as well as psychiatrists, psychologists, psychoanalysts and educators of arts therapy training.

In 2019 the WHO came out with a scoping review related to the evidence on the role of the arts in improving health and well-being. In the last yeast, in fact, literature has recognized the direct and indirect benefits of art in the prevention and promotion of mental and physical health and in the management and treatment of disease. Although some countries have made progress in developing policies that make use of the arts to support health and well-being, many have not yet addressed the opportunities that exist for using the arts to support health, and for others policy activities have been time limited. Nonetheless, the relationship between art and health has existed since the birth of medicine itself and has strongly influenced its history and its evolution. Art therapy is the main expression of art in health care. The integration of art in traditional health assistance paths sustains the need to have a holistic approach to health, wellness, and well-being both of patients and other stakeholders, including caregivers and healthcare professionals. Currently the main area of art therapy application is mental health with especially regards to disability, both in developmental age and in elderly and both to cognitive and physical impairment and dementia. However, it is important to remark that mental health does not only refer to mental illness, but also to people's emotional, psychological, and social well-being. These last cases have particularly worsened with the long lockdown periods due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Narratives of Art Practice and Mental Wellbeing draws on extensive research carried out with mental health service users who are also practicing artists. Using narrative data gained through hours of reflective conversation, it explores not whether art can contribute to positive wellbeing and improved mental health - as this is now established ground - but rather how art works, and the role art making can play in people’s lives as they encounter crises, relapse, recovery or ‘beyonding’. The book maps the delicate ways in which finding a means to tell our story sometimes is the creative project we seek, and offers a reminder of how intrinsically linked our life trajectories are with creative opportunities. It describes the wide range of artistic activity occurring in health and community settings and the meanings of these practices to people with histories of mental turbulence. Drawing on psychoanalytic theory, the book explore the stories and various forms of visual arts practices spoken of, and considers the art making processes, the creative moments and the objects which in some cases have changed people’s lives. The seven chapters of the book offer a blend of personal testimony, theory, debate, critique and celebration, and examine key topics of deliberation within the fields of art therapy, arts in health, community arts practice, participatory arts, and widening participation within arts education. It will be valuable reading for researchers, students, artists and practitioners in these fields.

This book explores possible approaches to and uses of art therapy in mental health settings. Reflecting the latest scientific evidence, it represents a major step toward the harmonization of practices in the field, filling the gap between the theory and practice of art therapy. The book is divided into four major sections, corresponding to the main artistic domains: visual art therapy, music therapy, dance movement therapy, and drama therapy. Gathering the research and insights of leading professionals from around the globe, the book offers a diverse and balanced mix of perspectives. Accordingly, it will appeal to a broad readership including psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, occupational therapists, psychiatric rehabilitation technicians, nurses, educators, art therapists, and students.

Mental Wellbeing and Psychology unpacks the philosophical and psychological need to understand ourselves through an exploration of historical archives and artistic creativity. This focuses on some practical, evidence-based approaches to developing mental wellbeing. The book uses phenomenological psychology to explore the materials developed by the Stiwdio Arts group and offers an understanding of one’s experiences of their world, recognising that these are embodied and perceived within a temporal and relational place. It offers examples for developing mental health and wellbeing interventions for charities, private care and the NHS. It provides an evidence base for the use of creativity and historical resources in mental health care. This book will be of great interest for academics, researchers and post-graduate students in the field of mental wellbeing, nursing and mentalhealth nursing, occupational therapy and social work.