Arts-led Approaches to Trauma, Memory and Healing

The Covid pandemic led to a worldwide increase in physical and mental health needs, particularly amongst the young, the elderly and minority groups. There is subsequently a critical bottleneck in supply and demand for mental health services in the UK and further afield, especially for child and adolescent mental health [1]. There is growing evidence that art therapies (including art therapy, music therapy, dance and movement therapy, and dramatherapy) can have direct impact on mental and physical wellbeing [2] however practicing professional art therapists are currently oversubscribed with referrals from the NHS.

Dance and movement therapies, as well as wellbeing-focused dance and movement interventions, position dance as a way to make sense of an emotional state rather than a performance art form (Payne, 2003). There is a wide, published research base supporting this approach, including dedicated journals, however a systematic review of published work found generally poor-quality evidence within published work that is used to support the therapeutic benefits (Strassel et al., 2011).

We are interested in projects that aim to address these shortcomings through well founded and well-structured interventions/approaches. Through this we will create a stronger evidence base allowing for more acceptance of them within the psycho-medical community. These projects might take the form of a targeting of a particular at-need community group, or more general interventions.

We are also interested in supervising projects that investigate the upskilling of front-line community workers to include this kind of work within their own projects. Through this kind of project potentially many more at-need groups could access the benefits than the currently practising professionals can reach.

As a PhD student in the School of Arts at Worcester you will be part of the Arts and Health Research Group, a transdisciplinary community of artists, educators and health professionals exploring the overlaps of art, culture and wellbeing. The Arts and Health group organizes symposia, research events and exhibitions which you can participate in and contribute to. There will also be opportunities to exhibit your work in the Window Galleries at the Art House, with Pitt Studio, a contemporary art organization based at the Art House and at other venues in the city. The School of Arts also works closely with Meadow Arts, a local visual arts organization that creates projects in unusual and unexpected locations and with whom we organize an annual artist talks programme.

1. Almost a quarter of adults with mild-moderate mental health issues have to wait more than 3 months between initial assessment and second appointment with around half reporting that this has led to a deterioration in their mental wellbeing. For young people it can be significantly longer.
2. For example Moula, Z.; Powell, J.; Karkou, V. Qualitative and Arts-Based Evidence from Children Participating in a Pilot Randomised Controlled Study of School-Based Arts Therapies. Children 2022, 9, 890.

Application Process

To begin the application process please go to Art and Design MPhil/PhD Webpage and click on ‘How to Apply’ in the top menu. This PhD could be caried out on a part time or full time basis so please select the relevant application link. On the application form, please make it clear that you are applying for one of our advertised projects so we can direct it straight to the relevant people.

The Interview

All successful applicants will be offered an interview with the proposed Supervisory Team. You will be contacted by a member of the Doctoral School Team to find a suitable date. Interviews can be conducted in person or over Microsoft Teams.

Funding your PhD

For more information about Doctoral Loans please visit: https://www.worc.ac.uk/study/fees-and-finance/doctoral-loans.aspx

During your PhD you can access the Research Student Support Scheme to support dissemination costs associated with your research, up to £500 a year.

Research Group

Arts and Health Research Group

The Arts and Health Research Group is a collaborative, cross-disciplinary initiative combining expertise from the Arts, Allied Health and Community, Education, Humanities, and Medicine which will develop a range of projects investigating the therapeutic potential of the arts and humanities within traditional health and wellbeing contexts and wider social settings.

Areas of focus will include the therapeutic use of arts, culture and humanities for health, mental health and wellbeing in the community; consider how the arts and humanities are applied to enable better understanding about health, wellness and illness; training of medical, therapeutic and arts practitioners in the application of arts-based approaches to mental health and wellbeing services; arts led approaches towards innovative social health solutions and innovations in data collection for quality of life and health outcomes through participation in arts-based activities.

Widening Participation

As part of its mission statement the University is committed to widening participation for its higher degrees. Although most candidates will have an undergraduate and/or a Masters degree, the University is happy to accept applications from candidates with relevant professional qualifications and work related experience.

Supervisory team

Dr John Cussans, Dr Paul Golz, and Dr Daniel Summerville

Director of Studies

Dr John Cussans, Arts and Health Research Group, School of Arts, University of Worcester

Supervisors

Dr Paul Golz, Arts and Health Research Group, School of Arts, University of Worcester Dr Daniel Summerville, Arts and Health Research Group, School of Arts, University of Worcester

Arts and Health Research Group

For further information or an informal discussion on this project, please contact Dr John Cussans (Director of Studies) via email at j.cussans@worc.ac.uk