About Us

psychART was founded by Psychiatry trainees in 2015 to highlight and celebrate the positive presence of creativity in our speciality. We aim to explore the role that the Arts can play in the lives of those living with mental illness, as well as the rewarding experiences and opportunities available to those working in this field.

Psychiatry training currently faces a recruitment and retention crisis, which needs to be addressed to continue the provision of high quality mental health care. Although slowly improving, negative attitudes towards mental illness are still present within healthcare and society as a whole, placing a burden on mental health patients and professionals. psychART strives to challenge stigma, to highlight the great work already done by arts-based initiatives in the UK and to foster new links as we move forward. Our aim is to increase recruitment and retention by providing a multidisciplinary space for reflection on the relationship between Psychiatry and the Arts.

psychART centres on an annual conference where talks, workshops and artistic experiences run alongside each other. This serves as a platform to allow connections to be made and includes an art exhibition and poster competition, allowing attendees to share their academic and artistic achievements with others. In addition to the conference, psychART is also involved in organising artistic workshops and giving talks to a wide variety of audiences to spread the word about how important the Arts can be in a career in Psychiatry.

Using a range of artistic media, we want to allow doctors to gain a deeper understanding of their patients, to nurture the artistic activities that bring them a sense of wellbeing, and help them to maintain compassion under pressure. We hope that health professionals can learn from - and with -service users about the challenges that result from mental illness and the role that the Arts can play in therapy. We also hope that clinicians already working in the field will be given the chance to reflect on their experience, be introduced to new ideas and therapies and feel rejuvenated by what their career choice has to offer. Through these events, we hope to promote better interdisciplinary understanding, to inspire professionals to use the creative Arts to aid the recovery and continued wellbeing of our patients, and to maintain enthusiasm for professional and personal development for those professionals already working in Psychiatry.