Creative Alternatives is a program in Sefton and St. Helens focused on enhancing mental health through community engagement and creative activities. It offers various services including social prescribing, arts on prescription, and workshops aimed at individuals experiencing mild to moderate mental health issues. The initiative, operational since 2006 and expanded in 2015, emphasizes personalized approaches to wellness, providing participants with tools to improve their wellbeing and maintain community connections post-program.

1. Helen Holden
Project Coordinator – St.Helens
Jessica Bockler PhD
Director
Creative Alternatives
Re-visioning Lives through creative community
in Sefton & St.Helens, Merseyside

2. Understanding mental health
Social & psychological elements play a
key role in mental health:
• The home environment
• Mobility & transport
• Relationships & community
involvement
• Making the most of our potential,
playing a full part in our family,
workplace, community and among
friends & society at large

3. Understanding mental health
• To take time out and take revitalise
• To socialise & make new friends
• To build resilience & confidence
• To build new skills
• To experiment & play
• To revision who they are and what they
can do and create in their lives.
Creative Alternatives aims to enable
people …

4. In both St.Helens and Sefton Creative Alternatives is part of a tapestry
of social prescribing services & self-help offers which provide a range of
activities that support adults to manage their own wellbeing.
Services include:
• Reading Well (Books on Prescription)
• Learn to Grow (Learning on Prescription)
• Lifestyle Referral
• Citizens Advice Bureau: Health Outreach
• Active Reading
• Active Lifestyles
• Relax & Revive
Social prescribing & ‘arts on prescription’

5. Arts on prescription
Multi-modal arts activities for adults experiencing mild to
moderate stress, depression and anxiety.

6. Background to Creative Alternatives
• Established in Sefton in 2006
• Funded by Public Health & the Council’s Arts Service
• Led by a multi-skilled team of arts professionals with experience and expertise in
psychology, counselling, health & psychological therapies.
• Creative Alternatives won the 2011 North West Public Health Award
• In June 2015 the service expanded to St.Helens, starting a year-long pilot scheme
supported by St.Helens Public Health Department (and part of the Cultural Hubs - Arts in
Libraries programme)

7. Referral Process
• Someone interested in joining the Creative Alternatives programme can be
referred by a health or social care professional or they can self refer (with
a professional reference to accompany their form).
• Once referral forms have been submitted (and if they meet the referral
criteria), they will be invited to a taster session.
• This is then followed up with an informal 1-1 telephone assessment with a
CA referral officer.
• Through these steps we assess whether the programme is right for the
person & if so they will be offered a place on our programme.
• In St.Helens we offer a continuous 12-week long workshop programme.
• In Sefton we offer 20 workshop sessions, arranged over four 5-week blocks
within 6-month period.

8. Referral Criteria
• Over 18 years of age and live in
St.Helens or Sefton
• Experiencing mild/moderate
stress, depression and/or anxiety
• Prepared to attend the
programme independently on a
weekly basis and work in a group
• Keen to improve their wellbeing
and feel they can commit to the
programme

9. What’s on offer?
 A person-centred approach
 5 Ways to Wellbeing
 Mindfulness practice
 Think Differently Cope Differently

10. What’s on offer?
 Sculpture & ceramics
 Painting & drawing
 Creative writing
 Photography
 Expressive arts & play
with movement & voice

11. You-nique:
exploring personal beliefs, dreams and aspirations through
mindfulness, body work and expressive arts
 To increase body-mind
awareness
 To nurture calm & equanimity
 To offer opportunities
for expressive movement and
dance in a group context
 To use expressive writing and
sketching for exploration of
sources of inspiration,
motivation and aspiration
Mindfulness and
Creativity

12. What’s on offer?
 Museum tours
 Gallery tours
 Photo walks
 Reading groups
 Wellbeing events
 Nature activities

13. Creative Alternatives:
Economic Benefits
• WEMWBS (short version)
• Lifestyle Scale
• COOP Charts
• HADS
A ‘Social Return on Investment
Analysis’ of Creative
Alternatives’ impact indicated
a value of
£6.95 for every £1 of investment
(SROI Analysis, 2012)

14. What happens when people leave?
• They remain a part of the
community!
• They are signposted to a wide
range of local arts activities and
wellbeing support services
• They volunteer & take up further
education & jobs!
• They join ‘Go with the Flow’

15. Participant Feedback
“The freedom of being able to move around a space and feel safe
was lovely. Everyone was open, friendly and enjoying their time in
the session. The mindfulness exercises were amazing. I found that I
went deeply within myself and found real peace. The session was
completed with a free art exercise. This made for a positive and
rewarding experience. It was my favourite two hours of the week.”
“It opened up my mind and body to new ways of acting in a group
situation. The group also helped unleash latent creativity which I
knew lurked somewhere.”
“I am finding confidence to speak to strangers, to have opinions,
and to find a little courage to face my fears. I am becoming more
involved again, and less withdrawn.”

16. Challenges?
For health professionals:
• Lack of consultation time
• Uncertainty around the terminology & scepticism
 “What is social prescribing?”
 “Is this arts therapy?”
 “How do we know this works?”
• Lack of easy access to an up-to-date directory
• Lack of dissemination of service results/outcomes

17. Challenges?
For arts on prescription services:
• Inappropriate referrals
• Remoting working & building a skilled and dedicated team
• Limited resources
• Offering appropriate participant support (waiting lists,
suitability assessment, on-going emotional support)
• Financial uncertainty: where will the money come from?

18. Helen Holden & Jessica Bockler
jessica@creativealternatives.org.uk
helen@creativealternatives.org.uk
www.creativealternatives.org.uk