Arts for the blues – a new creative psychological therapy for depression

ABSTRACT

Routinely prescribed psychological therapies for depression are not always effective. Arts therapies, particularly Dance Movement Psychotherapy, may offer additional therapeutic mechanisms for depression. Therefore, client-reported helpful factors from various therapy types, along with client preferences, are key in devising new therapeutic interventions. We present a framework for a new pluralistic “meta-approach” of therapy for depression, based on an interdisciplinary thematic synthesis (Thomas, J., & Harden, A. (2008). Methods for the thematic synthesis of qualitative research in systematic reviews. BMC Medical Research Methodology, 8[1], 45) of active ingredients from both talking therapies and creative approaches. Lastly, we offer an illustrative group therapy workshop based on this approach, to be piloted with clients and practitioners within an NHS mental health service. Further research is required to evaluate this pilot and to devise a full treatment for trialling within the service.

KEYWORDS:

• Psychotherapy
• depression
• pluralistic
• arts therapies
• creative approaches

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes on contributors

Ailsa Parsons, BSc MSc MA MBPsS CPsychol RDMP fHEA is a Chartered Psychologist, wellbeing coach and Dance Movement Psychotherapist, who leads the BSc (Hons) Psychology of Sport programme at the University of Salford, UK. Her areas of research interest include lifestyle behaviour change, Dance Movement Psychotherapy, depression, anxiety, obesity, eating disorders and performance psychology. Clinically, Ailsa works with children, young people and adults using Dance Movement Psychotherapy, Motivational Interviewing, lifestyle coaching and other creative methods.

Joanna Omylinska-Thurston is a Counselling Psychologist with the Greater Manchester Mental Health Foundation National Health Service (NHS) Trust, UK, and a co-researcher and member of the steering group for the Dancing the Blues project. Joanna is an experienced counselling psychologist who has been practicing within NHS for the last 20 years providing psychological therapy, supervision and placements for Counselling Psychology trainees at the University of Manchester and the British Psychological Society’s Qualification in Counselling Psychology. She integrates humanistic, cognitive-behavioural and psychodynamic approaches in her work in the areas of learning disabilities, psycho-oncology and mental health.

Professor Vicky Karkou, MD (Honoris Causa), PhD, MEd, PgDip(DMT), RDMP, BEdSc(Honors) is the lead researcher on the Dancing the Blues project. She is currently working part-time for the Department of Performing Arts and part-time for the Faculty of Health and Social Care, also contributing to teaching in the Counselling degree programme. Vicky’s main research area is around arts psychotherapies and the use of the arts (and improvisation) for health and wellbeing which she explores through a range of qualitative, quantitative and arts-based methodologies. She has gained funding from the European Union and from other funding bodies for a number of projects in applied uses of the arts.

Julianne Harlow is working at Edge Hill University, UK. She has 14 years' experience as a senior lecturer in higher education. She has experience of lecturing and programme leadership at undergraduate and postgraduate level in respect of Specialist Community Public Health Nursing (Health Visiting) and Continuing Professional Development (MSc) with specific teaching responsibility for Safeguarding Children. Julianne also has experience of lecturing in Early Childhood Studies and Child and Youth Studies and her particular teaching interests include child and adolescent mental health, safeguarding children, child law, child public health and child development.

Shelly Haslam has worked across a range of care settings which have included children, young people, adults and older adults. As a registered Mental Health Nurse, Shelly also has extensive experience working in forensic, acute, learning disability and long-term care settings. She has a passion for improving the quality of health and social care, having worked in workforce development for eight years prior to moving into lecturing. Shelly currently lectures on the Child Health and Wellbeing degree, but also has input in other subject areas. Shelly is currently undertaking a PhD focusing on Service Quality, happiness and satisfaction in the elderly care setting.

Jessica Hobson, BA MSc is a trained performer and choreographer in contemporary dance. She has gained extensive experience in Trinity Laban’s Dance Science team, carrying out dancer screening and delivering educational sessions. Prior to joining Edge Hill University, Jessica was module leader for Dance, Health and Wellbeing and Dance Science lecturer at the University of Worcester. Jessica has also choreographed professionally and worked with artists such as Pixie Lott and Alexandra Burke and was a Disney Cast Member at Magic Kingdom in Walt Disney World, Florida.

Kerry Nair currently works as a Counsellor and Supervisor in South Manchester IAPT (Improving Access to Psychological Therapies), part of Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Trust, UK. Kerry offers a Person-Centred approach when engaging in a therapeutic relationship with a client. She, also offers the use of creative media with her clients such as the use of art materials, miniature figures and objects, psychodrama chair work and working with emotions in the body using mindfulness techniques. Kerry facilitates Mindfulness groups within the service, and also works alongside secondary care wellbeing provision to provide Art-Wellbeing groups for clients.

Dr Linda Dubrow-Marshall is a clinical and counseling psychologist (The Health and Care Professions Council–HCPC Registered) and a British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) Accredited Counsellor/Psychotherapist. Linda is also a lecturer in Applied Psychology (Therapies), and teaches at both the undergraduate and postgraduate levels at the University of Salford, UK. Linda is an integrative psychotherapist, and incorporates hypnotherapy and Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR) into practice. Her research interests include: Psychology of undue influence and coercive persuasion (e.g. cults and extremist groups), group dynamics and family systems, ethical psychotherapy, psychotherapy outcome, practitioner self-care, CBT and physical health, and single session psychotherapy.

Dr Scott Thurston is a poet, mover and educator working in higher education in Manchester, UK. He is one of four co-researchers and part of the steering group for the Dancing the Blues project. He has published 12 books and chapbooks of poetry, including three full-length collections with Shearsman: Hold (2006), Momentum (2008) and Internal Rhyme (2010). More recent work includes Reverses Heart’s Reassembly (Veer, 2011), Figure Detached Figure Impermanent (Oystercatcher, 2014) and Poems for the Dance (Aquifer, 2017). Scott is the founding co-editor of open access Journal of British and Irish Innovative Poetry and co-organiser of the long-running poetry reading series The Other Room in Manchester. His poetic work responds to ongoing encounters with various dance and movement practices including Five Rhythms, Movement Medicine and Open Floor, alongside Authentic Movement, Qi Gong and Alexander Technique.

Julia Griffin is a freelance dance artist operating in the UK and Europe with extensive knowledge and experience in teaching, performing and choreographing contemporary dance and dance for camera film works. She has collaborated with various artists, dance companies, theatre practitioners, vocational and academic institutions in the UK and Europe.

ORCID

Ailsa Parsons http://orcid.org/0000-0002-3540-5660

Joanna Omylinska-Thurston http://orcid.org/0000-0001-8329-171X

Vicky Karkou http://orcid.org/0000-0001-8986-956X

Shelly Haslam http://orcid.org/0000-0003-2023-6734

Scott Thurston http://orcid.org/0000-0002-5326-593X