Arts Therapy Pilot Project

In 2016, Inside Out Cymru set out to explore how arts therapies might best be delivered within community settings to people who were already accessing mental health services in Caerphilly County Borough. A pilot project was funded through the Community Regeneration Fund by Caerphilly County Borough Council

The aims were to:

• Provide creative arts workshops in a safe, friendly environment, facilitated by professional artists.
• Break down barriers to opportunities and to encourage access to the arts and creative expression to promote mental health and well-being.
• Co-produce specialised projects focusing on the identified needs of target groups and individuals.

Artist Lucy Bateman was appointed Arts Therapy Development Officer to develop and co-ordinate the pilot project. The initial 3 months were spent consulting with IOC’s partner organisations, ABUHB and professional arts therapists to find a suitable model for delivering and evaluating the therapy led workshops.

Drama therapist Beca Lewis Jones and art therapist Emma Wheeler were engaged to facilitate the workshops.

The project included an Occupational Therapist Training event.

Funded through the Community Regeneration Fund by Caerphilly County Borough Council