Journal of Applied Arts & Health - Current Issue

This article traces the history of arts and health in South Australia, using an interview-based methodology to detail how grassroots practice developed into formal arts and health policy. The project interviewed 47 arts and health stakeholders, including former state government ministers, artists and health professionals. South Australia has a long history of arts and health work. However, interviewees describe a lack of momentum for the field since the endorsement of the 2013 National Arts and Health Framework, largely because it did not contain binding commitments which left the field vulnerable to changes associated with political leadership. South Australia thus represents both a case study of how grassroots support can maximize political interest in arts and health to create formal policy as well as a warning on the challenges that occur when this interest wanes.

As part of the ATTUNE project, this article critically appraises the strengths of community dance as a trauma-informed practice and examines areas for development in relation to guidelines on trauma-informed care. In the context of exacerbated mental health problems amongst young people in the United Kingdom, meeting the diverse needs of people who attend community dance spaces requires robust and empathetic enquiry across sectors. This article presents a critique of regularly cited literature from the distinct disciplines of dance and psychology and focuses specifically on the merits of relational approaches within community dance.

Mental health concerns present significant challenges for Australian youth. Arts organizations play a key role in promoting preventative mental health strategies through enhancing the social and emotional well-being (SEWB) of youth. However, little is known about how the arts promote SEWB and the processes and contexts through which this occurs. This article describes a 2021 workshop conducted on the lands of Whadyuk Noongar in Boorloo, Perth, Western Australia as phase 1 of a research project aimed to improve the capacity of arts organizations to promote SEWB. Utilizing tableau, lightbox activities, and focus groups, the workshop employed art-based data-collection to identify approaches used by arts organizations to promote the SEWB of youth. The approaches encompassed developing empowerment and agency, creating safe spaces, connecting, and collaborating and encouraging emotion awareness. Given the high engagement of participants in the data collection process, art-based activities will be used in future phases of the project.

Mental health crisis is on the rise for young people, while suicide is the third leading cause of death among young people worldwide. Theatre-based approaches have been used to encourage social connection and emotional support. This scoping review seeks to map the current landscape of theatre-based suicide prevention programmes for young people, explore programme implementations and youth involvement and examine how evidence is shared. Twelve articles detailed theatre-based suicide prevention programmes delivered to youth. Practitioners and researchers have an optimistic view of the positive impact of immersive experiences created by theatre-based approaches for reducing suicide risk. To optimize theatre-based programmes to promote mental well-being among youth, further research is needed to evaluate effectiveness at promoting help-seeking and reducing social stigma related to mental health. Interdisciplinary teams can collaborate on findings, innovate solutions to challenges and share best practices in this field.

Review of: Art as a Language for Autism: Building Effective Therapeutic Relationships with Children and Adolescents, Jane Ferris Richardson (2023)

New York: Routledge, 214 pp.,

ISBN 978-1-31517-330-6, e-book, $31.96