Start- art and mental heatlth

http://www.startmc.org.uk/index.php

About Startmc

“Start has taken me back to how I was feeling before I became ill. That’s a nice feeling. I’m doing things I never dreamed of doing.”

Start in Manchester is a different type of NHS mental health service. Our work is based around the experience of creativity. Through art and gardening courses, our team help people to improve and maintain mental wellbeing, develop coping strategies and self-care skills, and regain the confidence to move back into mainstream life.

“ This building, with its beautiful grounds and studios full of amazing artwork, has a creative atmosphere that refreshes you from the moment you walk in the door. You know you are in the NHS, but it’s an NHS that seems to be about health and wellbeing, rather than about illness.”

Visitor comment

Part of Manchester Mental Health and Social Care NHS Trust, the Start team offer an approach that is tailored to each individual service user (student). Our philosophy is that everyone has the potential to succeed, given the right support.

We work with people experiencing long-term mental distress (mental health needs that are called severe and enduring by NHS services). Our team offers a mix of skills that students (service users) say is helpful. These include visual art, horticulture and Occupational Therapy.

I have been fortunate to have Start’s support. Start filled a black hole by enabling me to be myself when I needed help to do that.

I have regained some self-worth through my achievements at Start, so I can hold my head up high and have some pride in who I am…

“Start’s work is about hope, and that’s what all healthcare should be about.”

Professor Aidan Halligan, Director of Clinical Governance for the NHS

Most people who join Start have little prior experience of art except through school, but find that their talents are drawn out by the supportive learning environment.

How creativity supports mental well-being

More and more studies are showing that using our natural creativity can help build and protect wellbeing and speed up recovery from illness. One reason for this is because activities such as art and gardening can help us develop coping strategies and self-care skills. For instance, taking part in creative activity, and visiting art galleries and gardens, can relax and calm us, slowing down our breathing and reducing our blood pressure. Learning to use this effect for our own benefit, at times of stress in our lives, can be very helpful.

Creative activities challenge us to learn new things as well, providing exercise for the mind and body and widening our horizons. As we negotiate new challenges and master fresh skills, so we build self-esteem and confidence. This can improve motivation and help us to both keep active and to feel positive.

Both these effects of creative activity improve our resilience to stress, and this is a very important as stress weakens our immune systems and impacts on our sense of wellbeing.

By working with art and gardening, students at Start experience for themselves the revitalizing effects of creativity as part of their everyday life.

“Art has a positive effect on health because it allows for self-expression when words don't come easy.”

“The artistic creativity encouraged at Start has been a major factor in my illness management.”

A leading Arts and Mental Health organisation

Start is a multi award-winning service that is recognised nationally as one of the leaders in its field. The way we work is based on over 20 years’ experience, and also on what the latest studies tell us about the links between creativity and mental wellbeing. As a team, we are continually developing our work by action research projects and evaluative reports.

“There’s something really unique about Start… The work is pursued in such a professional way, as a specialism…” Dr. David Marshall, Consultant Psychiatrist, MMHSCT

We have regular exhibitions of Start artwork that explore mental health themes, whilst also offering health-promotion information and positive stories of recovery. This is an important element of our work as mental health promotion is a significant target in the National Service Framework for Mental Health.

How Start Works

Start is about regaining confidence and rebuilding skills to move on to wider opportunities in education, training, employment or the community. That’s why goals are discussed from the outset, and students meet regularly with us during their placements at Start to update us as their needs, aspirations and goals change. Everyone is referred to Start through secondary mental healthcare services or social services.

Placements vary in length from person to person. All students try a series of taster courses in the various studios to gain a broad range of experience, and after this, students may specialise in a particular medium for a few months. Groups are small and tutoring is supportive. Everyone learns at their own pace. Projects encourage the development of practical artistic and horticultural skills, plus an introduction to other artists’ or gardeners’ work through books and field visits.