Every form of art is a mirror of life. The arts reflect all aspects of human experiences, even the most complex ones. Expressive arts, for example, thanks to their capacity to respond to human pain and suffering, have been able to enter clinical settings as a sound, supportive and therapeutic tool. If appropriately implemented by trained specialists, arts can definitely be beneficial in this context.
The non-profit organisation “Angels of Joy’’ has been utilising the therapeutic qualities of arts in order to plan and implement a variety of programmes in public children’s hospitals in Athens, Greece, since 2011. Particularly, for people with mental health difficulties, such as the adolescents in the psychiatric units, the arts can offer an important supporting tool that enhances their course of therapy. The two programs that “Angels of Joy” offer in these units are Applied Theatre and Music Therapy.
When working with people with mental health issues in a psychiatric unit, the therapeutic goals are best set in collaboration with the multidisciplinary team. The goals set for these groups with adolescents who are presenting self-harming behaviours or facing eating disorders are: to provide motivation for participation and active engagement, to foster self-expression on a verbal and non-verbal level, to help them accept and understand their condition, to explore their creativity and offer them an alternative way to manage their difficulties.
An Applied Theatre program is offered in one of the child psychiatric units. Applied Theatre is an umbrella term, embracing a wide range of practices developed in non-conventional theatre environments. It utilises many techniques and forms of theatre and drama, and incorporates all the arts – music, dance, painting and even crafting – to achieve team goals. The group works as a team in workshop settings and the importance is given to the process rather than the final product – such as a theatre performance.
Creative work emerges from young people after having reached a level of trust towards their peers but also towards the facilitators. This happens by creating a safe space of acceptance and freedom.“Angels of Joy” work step by step with ice-breaking activities, fun games and drama activities. Storytelling is also an important part, as well as music and sharing personal experiences through stories and/or drawings.
It is impressive to observe how these practices enable the participants to express themselves in ways previously unknown to them, going beyond their own expectations. Young people, who thought they could not perform an act or tell stories, reenact some personal experiences in an engaging and humorous way. It is also noticeable how engagement, in this creative process, breaks, even for a short while, the participants’ public persona – the particular type of character that they seem to have, which is often different from their real or private character. Drama gives them the chance to experiment with new ways of expression, new ways of being present in the space and of relating with others. It gives the chance to imagine a different way of being and to reinvent one’s self.
In another child psychiatric unit, “Angels of Joy’’ offer a Music Therapy program. Music Therapy refers to the use of music and its elements by a trained professional within a therapeutic relationship in order to accomplish individualised goals. Music has certain attributes that allow the formation of a safe environment where positive changes can occur. For instance: i. Music is a universal medium found in every culture so it can be seen as a common language. ii. The use of musical elements as an expressive medium exists before the acquisition of language meaning that humans are born with innate musicality. iii. Freely improvising with musical instruments provides a non-verbal means of communication and helps the expression of the whole range of emotions (Darnley-Smith & Patey, 2003).
The experience gathered so far has shown that implementing free improvisation techniques with the musical instruments while supporting participants to compose their own songs provides a positive contribution to their course of therapy. Some of the participants involved in the Music Therapy sessions delivered by “Angels of Joy’’ played music for the first time on this occasion and they managed to put words to their feelings, something previously perceived as impossible or frightening. In addition, according to the medical staff, music therapy is an intervention that adolescents look forward to every week and always ask for more!
As described above, both Applied Theatre and Music Therapy possess the components through which the creative self of people with mental health difficulties can emerge. Through the StaGe of Mind project, these ingredients find a very fertile ground to be applied, enabling people with mental health issues to explore and discover new creative skills of expression in a safe way.
Participants of the StaGe of Mind drama workshops will have the opportunity to discover their talents and full potential in a safe environment. They will be able to discover different ways of expression through writing, music, dance and acting. Theatre will give them the chance to connect to each other, to experiment and explore, to accept their different qualities, to work together and, of course, to feel empowered and important.
Every opportunity that introduces art into people’s lives promotes its assimilation as an internal feature of the self, as a state of mind.
Bibliographical References:
- Darnley-Smith, R. &Patey, H. M. (2003). Music Therapy. London: Sage Publications
- Kuppers, P. (2007). Community Performance: An Introduction, Routledge, London.p.36
- Levine S. and Levine E. (ed.) (1999). Foundations of Expressive Arts Therapy: Theoretical and Clinical Perspective, Jessica Kingsley Publishers, London.
- Nicholson, H. (2005). Applied Drama: The Gift of Theatre, Palgrave, Basingstoke
Cover photo by mostafa meraji on Unsplash
