Arts for Wellbeing Sessions

Description

Arts for wellbeing sessions for individuals wanting to invest in their own self-care, and for organisations wanting to bring creative wellbeing support to their groups.

Overview

These 2.5-hour arts for wellbeing sessions use clay, drawing, print-making, painting and collage to offer a calm, creative space for adults to relax, express themselves and connect with others. Sessions are designed to be accessible and enjoyable regardless of prior art experience, drawing on themes such as the seasons, nature and colour — and often letting the materials themselves lead the way, such as exploring the tactile, grounding qualities of working with clay.

Who the sessions are for

Joanna has experience delivering to a wide range of participants, including people living with cancer, stroke survivors, older adults living with dementia, and older adults attending lunch clubs and resident in care homes. Ages range from participants in their 20s through to those in their 80s and beyond, with lunch club groups generally made up of adults over 60.

Where sessions are accessed through the arts on referral route via a social prescriber, this has typically been delivered in partnership with CreativeShift (see below). For organisations or individuals enquiring directly, an initial conversation would help establish whether sessions are best delivered independently or in collaboration with CreativeShift.  Get in touch here

Sessions have run in community centres, church halls, learning centres, family hubs, and community spaces within museums, galleries and libraries.

Themes and methods

Sessions draw on themes including the seasons, nature and colour, with activities such as:

• Clay modelling and hand-building
• Simple print-making
• Mark-making and guided drawing
• Watercolour painting
• Collage

Group sizes

Group size is adapted to the setting and participants’ needs:

• Adults experiencing mental health difficulties or dementia: ideal group size 8–10
• Care home groups: 8–10
• Older adult lunch clubs: larger groups of 25–30, often run after lunch in the dining room
• General adult community groups: up to 14, typically 10–12

Duration

Sessions typically run 2-2.5 hours for adults and for lunch clubs the sessions are up to 1 hour.

Client experience

Independently delivered sessions

Joanna has run standalone arts for wellbeing sessions directly for a range of health and community organisations, including:

• Trinity Care Service (Hotwells) — dementia cafe and lunch club sessions
• St Katherine House & St Monica’s – residential care homes
• Stroke Club – St Monica Wills House in Bedminster
• Penny Brohn UK — sessions for people living with cancer in the community art space at their HQ in Pill, Bristol
• WECIL (West of England Centre for Inclusive Living) – at the Vassall Centre in Fishponds, Bristol
• Link Age – Clay Exploration courses in Stockwood and Bedminster, Bristol

Programmes delivered for CreativeShift

Joanna has also delivered sessions as part of CreativeShift‘s artist team, a Bristol-based organisation with many years’ experience setting up arts on referral programmes across the city, working in partnership with local organisations to support health and wellbeing. These were run as structured programmes of 6 sessions x 3 blocks, at:

• Greenaway Centre, Southmead – adults with anxiety and depression
• St Paul’s Family Hub — sessions for parents and carers of young children, with a crèche provided so children could be looked after while parents took part
• St Paul’s Learning Centre — adults with anxiety and depression
• Online – zoom sessions for participants who have already completed a programme of arts-on-referral sessions

Background and qualifications

Joanna brings 16 years’ experience as a project manager for Jane Willis, a creative health consultant, alongside two relevant qualifications from UWE (University of the West of England):

• Diploma in Facilitating the Arts in Health and Social Care (Oct–Dec 2010)
• Diploma in Evaluating the Arts in Health and Social Care (Jan–Mar 2011)