The arts and health agenda has experienced considerable expansion in the UK in recent years, against a backdrop of increasing social inequality and rising incidence of mental health problems. This paper explores the role of community arts in combating social and mental health inequalities as exemplified by one particular project, Art in Mind, in Nottingham, which is funded by England's New Deal for Communities programme and is designed to promote mental health. In describing Art in Mind's conceptualisation and implementation, attention is given to the importance of developing community networks that are designed to build social capital for participating groups and individuals, in order to combat health and social inequalities.

No abstract

No abstract

The majority of publications have concentrated on individual psychological interventions with a limited focus on manualized group-based approaches for those presenting with mental health difficulties following a history of trauma. Survive & Thrive (S&T) is a psychoeducational course designed for survivors of interpersonal trauma which utilizes cognitive behavioural skills training while delivering psychoeducation on how a history of victimization can impact on the survivors’ life. This qualitative study was designed to gain an insight into female survivors of interpersonal trauma experience of S&T and the associated group dynamics component to evaluate this psychological intervention. The participants described their experience of S&T as a journey towards recovery. The study highlights the benefits of group-based interventions in regard to learning experience within a social context whilst also identifying areas for further development based on the participants’ feedback.

No abstract