Creative Arts and Mental Health Queen Mary University of London

Overview

This Creative Arts and Mental Health programme from Queen Mary University of London  is grounded in both arts and science methodologies and perspectives.

• Learn how the creative arts can inform research, challenge assumptions and support clinical, social change and activism in mental health 
• Study how theatre, performance, film, literature and visual arts reshape conversations around mental distress
• Consider how arts practice can critique and expand both clinical and popular understanding of mental health and the mental health system
• Learn how mental health professionals, artists and community practitioners collaborate in both clinical and non-clinical environments
• Develop your own specialism through placements, practice-based work and independent research.

What you'll studyExamine mental health theory and practice through a critical approach which establishes the central role of the arts in mental health. Learn about the intersection between health, mental health and social justice; the role of arts intervention for the prevention and treatment of mental distress; the history, theory and practice of the arts for mental health promotion; and the representation of mental health in the arts. The programme is a collaboration between the Wolfson Institute of Population Health and the School of the Arts at Queen Mary University of London. You will study alongside internationally recognised academics and practitioners who bring clinical, creative and research expertise to a programme that centres lived experience, not just clinical systems.  Through practice and critical writing, you will undertake research in your own areas of interest. You will develop your own professional identity while exploring areas such as arts and health, mental health prevention and recovery, creative social interventions, cultural policy, arts education, activism and advocacy.  The course is not clinical, therefore you will not leave with a clinical accreditation in mental health practice or art therapy. Rather, the course is based on practice, research and critical thinking. You will be encouraged to develop your own specialist interest in relation to the arts and mental health, whether you come from an arts or a science background.