Keep up to date with our latest news and events.
Latest News
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Lights, Camera, Action
This week the team worked with a film crew to capture the workshop in real time with genuine participants. We intend to provide visual examples of the key ingredients that underpin the design of the therapy, which we hope will be useful for practitioners who are interested in creative therapies, or for health care professionals…
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Journal article published!
Our first article for this research study has been published in Perspectives in Public Health, a link to which is below. The article details how we developed the framework for a new pluralistic ‘meta-approach’ of therapy for depression, based on; an interdisciplinary thematic synthesis of active ingredients, considered specific features implemented in therapy, and client-reported…
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Arts and Psychotherapy event at Edge Hill University
The Arts For The Blues team recently presented their work at an exciting and inspirational Arts and Psychotherapy one day event at Edge Hill University featuring talks, workshops and performances. The event explored the contribution that the arts can make to one’s emotional wellbeing and mental health, and the relationship of the arts and psychotherapy.…
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New journal publication coming soon!
The research team have received confirmation of the publication of their article titled ‘Arts for the Blues – a new creative psychological therapy for depression : a pilot workshop report’ in the Perspectives for Public Health journal. The details of this article concern a pilot intervention workshop and focus group that was held at an…
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Successful funding bid
Exciting news! This January, Arts for the Blues secured funding from the Liverpool Clinical Commissioning Group to develop the study further over the next 12 months. The intention is to explore how the therapy intervention may be modified for other NHS and community services. In particular the team hope to work with NHS cancer care…
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NHS pilot of creative intervention
November 2018 saw the first NHS pilot of the creative therapy intervention. A workshop was held in Manchester for IAPT staff members who experienced the intervention as a participant. Afterwards, a focus group was held to gain insight into the workshop, to determine what was helpful or not and how the intervention could be improved…
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Events
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Arts for the Blues at the House of Lords
Vicky Karkou has appeared at Children and Young People’s Mental Health Roundtable at the House of Lords on 3rd June, hosted by the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Creative Health and the National Centre for Creative Health. Vicky spoke to the group about the Arts for the Blues project and the work of the broader follow-up…
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Arts for the Blues in Riga
The Arts for the Blues team have presented their work in Riga, Latvia at the 7th European Dramatherapy Conference, also the 2nd International Dramatherapy Conference on the 2 and 3 May. The theme of the conference this year was ‘Human and Nature in Dramatherapy’. This was an incredibly well-attended and diverse conference with around 250…
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Next Arts for the Blues therapy group at the University of Salford
We are proud to announce the next Arts for the Blues therapy group will be delivered at the University of Salford starting on Feb 11th 2025. The group will run every Tuesday morning 10-11:30am for 12 weeks, concluding on 29 April 2025. The group, which has limited places, will take place face to face on…
Research Announcements
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Using Creative Arts Therapies to Work with Trauma Developed from Experiences of Domestic Abuse
This book chapter introduces creative arts therapies as a way of working with complex trauma developed from experiences of domestic abuse. Ethical considerations when using creative methods when working with trauma are highlighted. The chapter follows Herman’s stages of working with trauma (1992), linking with Roddy’s (2014) counselling and psychotherapy model for domestic abuse counselling.…
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New publication – Bringing creative psychotherapies to primary NHS mental health services in the UK
Bringing creative psychotherapies to primary NHS Mental Health Services in the UK: A feasibility study on patient and staff experiences of arts for the blues workshops delivered at Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) services. Download our most recent article which discusses a feasibility study undertaken with patients and staff in an IAPT (Improving Access…
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Impact of Dance Movement Psychotherapy on the Wellbeing of Caregivers of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder
Aithal S, Karkou V, Makris S, Karaminis T and Powell J (2021) Impact of Dance Movement Psychotherapy on the Wellbeing of Caregivers of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Public Health. (IF 2.427).