creativeEmerge
Training in Creative Health Practice
September 2024–May 2025
Who was it for?
We welcomed applications from early career socially-engaged artists, especially those who may be underrepresented in the creative health field. This included those from rural, disadvantaged, or global majority communities; young people, 18-30; people with lived experience such as mental health concerns or disabilities; and those from local grassroots organisations.
In this programme focused on:
- Learning the key principles and practices of creative health programmes
- Developing a capacity to deliver in social prescribing and other health and wellbeing programmes with a variety of community and statutory partners
- Participating in a supportive and sustainable practitioner peer network for continuous learning and collaborative working
- Learning how to reflect on your practice with colleagues, partners, and mentors
PROGRAMME SCHEDULE
- The aims and practices of creative health delivery, including design principles, using co-production and partnership methods, and evaluation tools
- Facilitation skills, including group management, supporting positive and appropriate social engagement, and managing challenging/emergent situations
- Safe and professional practice, including risk assessments and safety protocols, managing health and mental health needs, working with support, managing safeguarding, ethical behaviour
- Emotional safety for facilitators, including understanding the mechanisms of emotion work, managing interpersonal boundaries, self-care, and support.
- Incorporating public health thinking, including social determinants of health/lifestyle/context issues; evidence-based practice; health and social care thinking, expectations and outcomes.
- Understanding the goals and structures of creative and green social prescribing, including how to develop appropriate programmes, and build delivery relationships
- Becoming commission-ready: understanding the requirements of commissioners, developing and negotiating commission proposals, and creating appropriate business practices and infrastructure
| Module | 3hr Workshop (Thurs 9.30-12.30) | 1.5hr Community of Practice |
|---|---|---|
| 1 - Introduction to Creative Health | 5th September | w/c 16th Sept |
| 2 - Creativity and Health | 3rd October | w/c 14th Oct |
| 3 - Creative Health Programme Design | 7th November | w/c 18th Nov |
| 4 - Facilitation skills in Creative Health | 5th December | w/c 16th Dec |
| 5 - Person Centred Creative Health Approaches | 9th January 2025 | w/c 22nd Jan 2025 |
| 6 - Safe & Professional Practice | 6th February | w/c 20th Feb |
| 7 - Partnership Working for Creative Health | 6th March | w/c 20th Mar |
| 8 - Your Creative Health Practice in the World | 3rd April TBC | w/c 21st Apr |
| Review | May | TBC |
| Peer Support & Self-organised CoP | June |
The training team
Julia Puebla Fortier
Julia led the Creative Health Learning Alliance for Arts & Health South West, which offered collaborative learning workshops for creative health practitioners over 2 years. Her doctoral research focused on the experiences, training and support needs of artists working with people with challenging health and psychosocial conditions. She has expertise in the emotional dimensions of creative health work, participatory evaluation, and co-production approaches.
Philippa Forsey
Philippa is experienced in co-creating innovative arts and health solutions within local and regional health and wellbeing agendas. Working with a variety of stakeholders has resulted in successful outcomes for individuals, peer-led groups and community organisations including the NHS, health and social care services, children’s services, education and cultural organisations. As the Creative Wellbeing Service lead for Creativity Works for 20+ years, she managed programmes, events, training, mentoring freelance artists, consultations and fundraising.
Julie Matthews
Julie is cofounder & Director of creativeShift CIC a leading Creative Health organisation in the South West delivering programmes and projects in collaboration with Health, Social Prescribing, Community and Cultural partners. Informed by a background in spatial design and socially engaged arts practice delivery and management, Julie has been at the forefront of Creative Health development and continues to shape the sector through training, mentoring, academic research and consultation. Essentially Julie is a Creative Health Practitioner who delights in the magic of creativity to transform people’s lives for the better.
