Author: Katja Stiller
Publication Date: 1.12.2023
Categories: Case Study
Partners: Breathe Creative, SHED – Service for High Risk Eating Disorders, and The Arts for Health and Wellbeing Team, Cardiff & Vale Health Charity
Funders: The Arts Council of Wales, The Baring Foundation and Cardiff and Vale University Health Board.
Introduction:
We were approached by Occupational Therapist, Abigail Williams from SHED (Service for High Risk Eating Disorders), who was looking to engage her services-users in a therapeutic arts project in support of their wellbeing. Together we spoke to Melanie Wotton, Arts in Health Project Manager and Curator, who helped to set up this project as part of the Arts and Minds Initiative supported by Arts Council of Wales and the Baring Foundation.
The Challenge:
Health boards have seen a rise in the prevalence of eating disorders particularly following the recent pandemic. This has put services for vulnerable people under pressure, with far reaching consequences for both patients and staff. Our aim was to demonstrate how the creative arts could help strengthen relationships, improve wellbeing, counter feelings of isolation and provide purpose.
The Approach:
There is strong evidence to show that the creative arts can greatly benefit vulnerable people, and by creating a safe, calm and non-judgemental environment where service-users can join and create art at their own pace, we were also able to build additional support and engagement.
We used a person-centred approach. We created a contract and shared ownership. We introduced mindfulness and EFT to the sessions to help create a safe and relaxing environment. The art became the focus of the sessions; photography, creative writing and drawing became an outlet for difficult to explain emotions.
The participants inspired each other and celebrated each other’s achievements.
During one session we discussed waiting for a hospital appointment, as many find the time in the waiting room very difficult. We talked about what could make it easier for patients to help them deal with anxiety and the sensory overload. The participants created a booklet full of poetry, artwork, images and activities that also acknowledges the challenges of the recovery journey:
I am so proud of you, waiting here is an achievement
It is a really hard thing to do to wait and to keep fighting,
I know because I waited here just like you.’
(First page of the Booklet ‘The Waiting Room’)
The sessions were run in partnership with a member of the SHED team for safeguarding; this was also important for continuity between the sessions and beyond the project.
The Impact:
The sessions shifted the focus from illness to what keeps us well. We built on the participant’s strengths and positive coping mechanisms. Throughout the project we offered different art forms, and celebrated everyone’s achievement. By exploring what could help others, we explored different grounding techniques and coping strategies. The participants spent many hours creating artwork to help other patients (one participant knitted over 300 book marks). The activities and the group gave participants meaning and a purpose.
Feedback from Participant:
‘The art group for me has been a space to breathe, a safe space to just be, I love the variety of ways I can be creative, a relaxing setting, being with people that don’t need any explanation.’
Feedback from our partner organisations
SHED:
‘It is great to see the patients in a different context, they are so much more open, engaged and relaxed and I didn’t realise how talented they all are.’
‘’For the participants the sessions broke their social isolation, offered them new coping mechanisms, and gave them the opportunity to create something meaningful and beautiful.’’
The English and Welsh version of the Booklet and sensory basket are being used in the SHED waiting room area since July 2023.
Arts for Health and Wellbeing Team:
‘We were delighted to be able to work with Katja and Breathe Creative as part of the Arts and Minds project. Katja provided the expertise necessary to work with vulnerable patients alongside SHED staff members. Our OT, Abigail is an artist in her own right, and so it was a perfect partnership. The Waiting Room booklet is an excellent arts outcome, the participants felt a sense of achievement in creating the artwork for the book, and the book itself, knowing it could help other vulnerable people. We are currently exploring the potential of the book project for other waiting rooms on our sites’’
Learning
The project provided learning for all the partner organisations.
We started the sessions online in order to build trust, and then moved to face to face sessions. Even though most participants preferred face to face sessions, for many the travel to and from the session was too much. When regular attendance became erratic, particularly during the winter period, the group decided to run blended sessions, so participants had the choice to join in person or online. The sessions became an important part of the core participant’s week, they often would ask for a theme or something they could do during the week. The patients of SHED have many difficulties to overcome on day to day basis. It was very important to make the sessions as accessible as possible.
The Legacy
The booklets, and the sensory basket are in the SHED waiting room. Patients are invited to take and or to add something to the basket. A creative group meets monthly to create new items for the sensory basket.
Contact details: Katja Stiller [email protected]