Sharing practices in the use of Art for adults with Mental health problems Erasmus Project

Project Title

Sharing practices in the use of Art for adults with Mental health problems

Project Key Action

This project related with these key action: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices

Project Action Type

This project related with this action type : Partnerships for Creativity

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2020

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Access for disadvantaged; Health and wellbeing; Disabilities – special needs

Project Summary

The need to include mental health among the priorities of the public health agenda has been increasingly recognized by the European Union since the launch of the Commission’s Green Paper on Improving Mental Health in 2005. This recognition is based on the growing evidence and awareness about the magnitude of mental health problems in European countries: mental disorders are highly prevalent in Europe and impose a heavy toll on individuals, society and the economy, representing a significant share of the EU’s burden of disability (European Framework for Action on Mental Health and Wellbeing, 2016). Creative art therapy activities, can be immensely valuable for persons living with or recovering from mental health problems as it helps to express and interpret their experience, rebuild confidence and develop new skills. Art therapy practices often define their practice with orientations such as: psychodynamic; humanistic (phenomenological, gestalt, person-centred); psycho-educational (behavioural, cognitive-behavioural, developmental); systemic (family and group therapy); as well as integrative and eclectic approaches (Jones, 2005). Mental health services in Europe have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Some of the services stopped working while others adapted their operation via the internet or by phone.

A long-range of new tools to tackle mental health is therefore needed. And while art and creative expression has been a core fixture of European culture for millennia, the use of art as a tool for mental health has been scarcely mapped and experiences often not shared. A creative approach to mental health enables a new type of language on mental health to emerge. And given the nature of art, this language is universal across borders, professions, sectors, and segments – and can therefore connect both citizens, informal and formal carers, academians and clinicians alike.

A successful partnership on how to educate people about the importance of art in mental health will offer insight based on the experience that the partners from five different countries bring to the project.

The “Art4Me” consortium consists of organisations covering sectors related to mental health. Noteworthy associated partners such as the Academy of Fine Arts in Rome and the European Federation of Associations of families of people with Mental Illness (EUFAMI) will enhance the quality of the partnership and strengthen the cooperation and networking between the participating organisations.
This project aims to share good practices in art therapy activities for adults with mental health problems. As the year of preparing the project is the year of the COVID-19 pandemic, the project partners, in adapting to the current situation, have realized that they could share virtual interventions in the use of art for adults living with a psychiatric disorder.

The main mission of the “Art4Me” project is to promote mental health through art therapy to adults with mental health problems and highlight the importance of mental health promotion through art with the ultimate goal of improving the lives of millions of Europeans living with psychiatric disorders.

We aim to exchange good practices in managing successful mental health awareness campaigns such as the use of art in mental health festivals. We will conduct a kick-off meeting in Copenhagen (April 2021), a training in Zagreb entitled “Reducing stigma and discrimination of adults with mental illness and facilitating their social inclusion with the use of art” (July 2022), a meeting in Lisbon (October 2022) and a final meeting at the office of the European Parliament in Athens (February 2023). If COVID-19 conditions don’t allow the project meetings to take place physically they will be held virtually.

During the project, we will examine the situation in each partner country (Croatia, Denmark, Greece, Italy and Portugal) concerning the use of art therapy and the use of art in mental health promotion. Our partner Safe Space Associação Saúde Mental from Portugal will organize two festivals on the occasion of world mental health day in October 2021 and October 2022.
We will involve people with mental health problems from Italy, Croatia, Portugal and Greece during the physical or virtual focus groups.
At the end of the project, we will present a “Compendium of good practices in art therapy and in promoting mental health via art” in English, uploaded on the website of the project.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 59146 Eur

Project Coordinator

Komiteen for Sundhedsoplysning & Country: DK

Project Partners

• Klinika za psihijatriju Vrapce
• Greek Carers Network EPIONI
• Safe Space Associação Saúde Mental Portugal
• FONDAZIONE INTERNAZIONALE DON LUIGI DI LIEGRO ONLUS