PortFolio, a new project from Independent Arts designed to improve mental health, receives funding from Bupa UK Foundation.
PortFolio was originally a pilot project however the £16,000 Bupa UK Foundation grant will support a year-long provision. PortFolio is designed to run over eight weeks providing art workshops and mindfulness sessions specifically aimed at promoting wellbeing for people with mid-life mental health issues.
Portfolio presented in keepsake box
Hannah Griffith, Project Manager, says,
“PortFolio is a series of workshops across several art disciplines including 3D wirework drawing, collage, photography, 3D modelling and painting accompanied by guided mindfulness sessions.
“The central theme is to allow the individual to express themselves creatively within both a social and nurturing environment. At the end of the eight weeks a portfolio of artwork is created and presented in a keepsake box.”
Positive effect on mental health
An estimated one in five GP visits are made for non-medical reasons and a total of 70.9 million prescriptions for antidepressants were dispensed in England in 2018.
Whilst medication is one intervention research has indicated that art therapy can have a positive effect on mental health, especially in cases of depression, anxiety and low self-esteem.
Dedicated to improving people’s lives
Independent Arts, for over thirty years, has been dedicated to improving people’s lives through participation in art-based activities and every week between 500-600 people attend workshops, classes and activities facilitated by the charity.
Participant: A mental health oasis
One participant shares her thoughts on attending a recent PortFolio session:
“I had never tried wirework drawing before. The practitioner showed me some basics and I was gently encouraged to just have a go. Everyone was in the same position and before you knew it there were words of support and encouragement as well as laughter.
“At times I felt a clarity of mind as I concentrated intensely on shaping the wire, a welcome relief from the constant spiral of stressful thoughts and at other times I found myself in conversation or listening as someone naturally shared their frustration with OCD. I left the session feeling uplifted, like I had been to a mental health oasis.”
Get in touch
If you feel that you could benefit from attending the next PortFolio sessions please call 822437 or email [email protected]
For more information please visit the Website.
Report shared by Tracy on behalf of Independent Arts. Ed
