Healing Arts - Public Mental Health
This engaging session brings together national leaders, practitioners, and lived experience voices to explore how creative approaches can support mental health, reduce inequalities, and strengthen prevention across Birmingham and beyond.
⚠️ Please note: this session will include sensitive themes. A content warning will be provided at the start.
Key Highlights
Creative Health & Prevention
- Discover how creative approaches can promote good mental health, and play a vital role in early intervention, prevention and recovery.
National Insight
- Andy Bell, CEO of the Centre for Mental Health will explore why creative approaches are increasingly recognised as essential to improving mental health outcomes.
A Mentally Healthy Birmingham
- Joe Merriman, Service Lead – Mental Health and Wellbeing, Birmingham Public Health will share how creative arts support the Creating a Mentally Healthy City Strategy and local ambition.
Clinical vs Community Practice
- Russell Wall, CEO of Arts Therapies UK will explore the relationship between clinical therapies and community-based creative approaches—and why both matter.
Learning from Workers After Experiences of Burnout, Moral Injury or PTSD: Dr Angela Kennedy, Clinical Psychologist and Director at Trauma Informed Community Action
- Working in the public or charitable sectors can give us much meaning and purpose in our lives. However, when work harms us, how can we find routes out of those situations? Hear from the results of creative non-fiction workshops about how to create and rediscover rewarding working lives.
New Research: Creativity & Suicide Recovery
- Dr Angela Kennedy, Clinical Psychologist and Director at Trauma Informed Community Action will present emerging research examining how creative arts support recovery following suicide attempts among healthcare workers. This research offers important insight into how creative approaches can complement traditional support and strengthen recovery pathways.
Who should attend?
- Public health professionals
- Mental health practitioners
- VCFSE and community organisations
- Creative practitioners and artists
- Anyone interested in mental wellbeing and prevention
Register now!
