Statement of support from the British Association of Art Therapists Scotland (BAAT Scotland)
"BAAT Scotland is pleased to offer this statement of support for 'Inside Outsider', an exhibition, in association with in2g8mentalhealth, for mental health professionals and trainees who have lived experience of mental health difficulties. Any one of us may experience difficulties with our mental and/or emotional health, and art psychotherapists are no different. As art psychotherapists we cultivate authentic awareness of our whole selves to work with the whole self of the client. This exhibition is a step towards dissolving the shame and stigma which may arise in relation to dual lived experience, reducing the pressure to split off and hide parts of ourselves so that we may live more authentic lives and become more fully present in our work."
Hear the Project Lead Don McJimpsey speak more about the exhibition
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Opening Night Presenters
Greg Bromley – Art Psychotherapist and former Social Worker
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Image- Collapsing the Wave Function
Artist – Greg Bromley
https://www.facebook.com/greg.bromley.5
Greg Bromley is a recently qualified art psychotherapist who formerly worked as a social worker for 20 years. He is a self-taught artist who found himself compelled to make art after experiencing grief and as a way to cope with his experiences as a social worker. Greg feels that his artmaking enabled him to process his professional experiences of vicarious and workplace trauma. Greg uses monsters as his narrative vehicles, these monsters convey themes of trauma, intrapsychic dispute, liminality, and shapeshifting.
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Mandy Leonard – Art Psychotherapist
Mandy is a University Lecturer on the MA Art Psychotherapy Course at The University of South Wales, UK. She has held the positions of Director of The British Association of Art Therapy and Lead for the Dual Experience Special Interest Group. Mandy was employed as a Lived Experience Practitioner and trainer for the NHS and developed a cross sector background in business, hospitality, education, and mental health. Since pursuing a degree in Fine Art and qualifying as an Art Psychotherapist, Mandy has worked with child and adult mental health, adoption, brain injury, sexual violence, and substance abuse rehabilitation.
Mandy believes that Dual Experience professionals have a two-fold approach. They can bring a service user perspective to research whilst holding the parameters and obligations of funders and research objectives. Mandy’s passion is to break the boundaries of mental health stigma and to increase awareness that those who have “walked the walk” can make a difference from their dual perspective.
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Dr Natalie Kemp – Founder CEO in2gr8mentalhealth CIC
Natalie is Founder CEO of in2gr8mentalhealth CIC, Clinical Psychologist and Clinical Tutor on the Clinical Psychology Doctoral programme at the University of Hertfordshire. in2gr8mentalhealth CIC was born from her breakdown in 2015 as a way to connect with other regulated mental health professionals with lived experience of mental health difficulties, and to challenge systemic stigma. in2gr8mentalhealth CIC is a centre for valuing, supporting and destigmatising lived experience of mental health difficulties in mental health providers. The organisation does this through individual and PeerSpace mentoring, training to clinical academia, consultation to Trusts and other organisations, involvement in policy with professional bodies and Regulators, and creating compelling, public facing campaigns.
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Installation and Opening Night
Donations
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‘We would like to suggest that artists who make a sale and wish to donate to a charitable mental health foundation, would consider the Joshua Nolan Foundation (JNF) and/or in2gr8mentalhealth CIC. The JNF offers support and advice to anyone who identifies as being at risk of or affected by suicide in any way and can include therapy from a JNF counsellor to those who would otherwise have to wait a considerable time for therapy from statutory services. More information about JNF, see here:
https://www.joshuanolanfoundation.org/what-we-do/"
in2gr8mentalhealth CIC has also been instrumental in the Arts Exhibition and is unique in the mental health scene. It has been and continues to be the only organisation in the mental health scene to advocate and offer support to mental health professionals with lived experience of mental health difficulties. Your donations will enable this valuable work to continue. For more information about in2gr8mentalhealth please see their website: https://www.in2gr8mentalhealth.com
