About the Project
The Create for Confidence project aims to develop an art and wellbeing programme which can be delivered in schools to help prevent anxiety and depression in students.
Taking part in art therapy and practising art can help people manage their emotions more easily and increase their self-esteem. This can make them more resilient to anxiety and depression. Recent studies have shown that creating art, and art therapy, can have a positive impact on the mental health of children and adolescents as well as adults. We want to see if we can harness the benefits of making art to help prevent anxiety and depression before they begin.
Schools offer a way of delivering sessions or workshops on art and mental health (an art and wellbeing programme) on a large scale. However, school mental health programmes are often tied to research funding and don’t carry on long-term.
This project will explore whether it is possible to co-create a successful and sustainable art and wellbeing programme to help prevent anxiety and depression in UK secondary school students (aged 11-12).
Our aims
We are working with young people, parents, school staff, researchers, charities, art therapists and mental health professionals to:
- better understand the experiences of staff supporting secondary school student mental health and explore what an art and wellbeing programme could look like
- assess challenges and helpful factors for an art and wellbeing programme in schools
- co-develop an art and wellbeing programme aimed at preventing anxiety and depression in UK secondary schools
- provide evidence on whether the art and wellbeing programme can be implemented in schools
Funding
The Create for Confidence project is funded by a Prudence Trust/Elizabeth Blackwell Institute Fellowship awarded to Dr Naomi Warne.