Scottish Mental Health Arts Festival’s (SMHAF) new Mental Health Arts Network presents a workshop with Emma Hagen of the Artist Wellbeing Company, on ‘working with autobiographical challenging material’, followed by a networking session.
The Mental Health Arts Network is a new year-round initiative by the Scottish Mental Health Arts Festival to bring together a community of artists interested in making creative work about mental health.
Throughout 2025 they are curating a series of free online gatherings, each exploring a different topic or theme in partnership with guest experts, while also providing opportunities for artists to meet and talk.
Their first gathering, on 24 January 2025 at 12pm, will offer a short introduction to the Mental Health Arts Network, followed by a two-hour workshop with Emma Hagen of the Artist Wellbeing Company, on the subject of ‘working with autobiographical challenging material’.
If you want to learn how to tell stories about mental health, drawing on personal experiences, while safeguarding the mental health of you and your creative collaborators, this event is for you.
Emma Hagen is a UKCP accredited Psychotherapist, Supervisor, and Senior Trainer who has worked with organisations as varied as Glasgow Women’s Aid, Freedom from Torture, and the National Theatre of Scotland. She is currently an associate Wellbeing Practitioner for The Artists Wellbeing Company.
Following the workshop, there will be an informal (and optional) chat and networking session from 2pm, with members of the SMHAF team, where we’ll discuss wellbeing strategies and creative plans for the new year. How are you preparing for the challenges of 2025?
For further information, please contact aeaton-lewis@mentalhealth.org.uk (Andrew Eaton-Lewis) or visit https://www.mhfestival.com/events/mental-health-arts-network-artist-wellbeing-workshop-with-emma-hagen/.