Snapshots of some ‘Arts on Prescription’ Programs

Genevieve will explore findings from the first controlled trial of social prescribing for adults experiencing loneliness in the community in Australia. Participants were referred to arts, crafts and games programs as a way to address their struggles with personal wellbeing. In this conversation, Genevieve will present snapshots from several "arts on prescription" programs she has evaluated, to share what was learned and what might be the potential of such programs in the future. The variety of these include:

an arts and health program for young adults in hospital
choir singing to address loneliness and wellbeing in international university students during COVID-19
choir and creative writing programs for adults experiencing chronic mental health conditions
choir for people with people with dementia and their carers.

Genevieve Dingle is a registered clinical psychologist and Professor at the School of Psychology, University of Queensland. Her research focuses on how groups and communities influence mental health. She leads two longitudinal studies of social prescribing for community-dwelling adults experiencing loneliness and is co-investigator on an NHMRC funded RCT of the Groups 4 Belonging program which addresses loneliness among adults recovering from substance use disorders.