Arts, Therapy and Mental Health

The Arts, Therapy and Mental Health group promotes an arts-oriented response to research challenges in medical practice. It aims to extend our understanding of health and wellbeing across an individual’s life-cycle and in different communities. A key objective has been the articulation of evidence which demonstrates how creativity can enhance wellbeing at individual, city, regional and national levels.

For this reason, much of its work has focused on evaluating forms of practice-led research developed in close partnership with Liverpool’s thriving cultural sector. This research group therefore moves beyond medical humanities, as it is traditionally understood, to a creative engagement with scientific practice and the distinct therapeutic contribution that the Humanities can make to wellbeing.

Work in this theme draws on an interdisciplinary body of outputs developed by researchers in Architecture, Clinical Engineering, English, Music, Philosophical Aesthetics, Psychology and Public Health, among others, working with partners such as The Bluecoat, FACT, Liverpool Philharmonic, METAL, National Museums Liverpool, Open Eye, The Reader Organisation, Victoria Gallery and Museum, Aintree Hospital, and Tate Liverpool.