Lynette Callaghan
Mental Health-Creating Program that Integrates Text within the Art Image.
Symposium presentation (via Zoom) 11.30am Thurs Dec 8
Abstract: This investigation was initiated in response to a need, identified during the COVID-19 pandemic, for the provision of life enriching visual arts experiences to facilitate member well-being in an Albury/Wodonga medical, mental healthcare setting. An art therapy group was subsequently formed to fill this regional healthcare gap. As the group’s art therapist and program author the purpose of my study was to determine whether, art making that integrated the use of text within the artwork would act as a healing catalyst for well-being. I exercised critical Post-Structural insight into professional associations’ research on the use of text and of artmaking to enhance mental health. Using myself as the subject I initiated creative, practice-based action research on ‘text in image’ art making to deal with my negative affect caused by the pandemic. A subsequent memory mind-map drawing was undertaken by me to ‘open up’ a creative arts psychoeducational ‘dialogue’ about the efficacy of my art therapy process. To further inform my programming I selected two case studies, the first being a ‘text in image’ secondary document analysis of artist and trauma survivor Tracey Emin’s art work. In the second case study, I documented, post session, a program participant’s psychoeducational art making responses (with the participant’s written consent). I have identified program stages in the art making process when ‘text in image’ can be implemented to externalise an individual’s issues of concern in order to facilitate well-being. The program’s cathartic art making steps enabled the creation of a safe art receptacle for an individual’s COVID narrative. These ‘text in image’ stages when implemented in art psychoeducational practice can improve self-regulation and positively impact a mental health-creating society.
Well-being (Artwork)
Invited artist, HR Gallop Gallery Dec 6-8
Artist’s statement: I have created a cathartic, self-expression art work response around systemic change ‘barriers’ experienced when working as an art therapist in an Albury/Wodonga medical, mental-health care setting. My involvement in this setting was initiated by the healthcare provider, with a view to meeting their members’ need for life enriching visual arts experiences for well-being. This need was first identified during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. I continue to work towards my ‘Crevice Community’ vision of incorporating art therapeutic practice as a mainstream and valued psychoeducational modality for an ongoing mental-health-creating society.
Lynette is an educator, artist and registered art therapist. A former secondary school visual arts and special education teacher Lynette now coordinates university creative arts education subjects and runs art therapy programs in mental healthcare and private practice settings.
Main image: Lynette Callaghan, Wellbeing (Artwork) 2022. Mixed media on canvas. Height 50cm, width 70cm.
