Creative Mental Health Recovery

This fascinating text achieves its intention of providing an accessible and informed perspective on the relationship between creativity and mental health recovery. The content is evocative and challenging and seeks to arouse the reader to explore their own relationship with creativity, whilst enabling the storyteller’s narrative to explore how creativity has influenced their recovery. The authors’ mutual respect for one another’s lived experience is evident and provides a unique perspective.

--Annette Feakes, Senior Lecturer, University of Brighton

This book shows how lived experiences constitute an invaluable source of knowledge. It is a book of showing and telling, and of making meaning of the past, present, and possible futures. These concepts are beautifully woven together through the tapestry that this book offers, demonstrating how creativity is something lived, personal and accessible, providing a powerful resource to mental health and well-being.

--Trude Klevan, Professor of Mental Health and Substance Use, University of South-Eastern Norway

This book opens up exciting new vistas in understanding mental health recovery, by extending the Connectedness, Hope, Identity, Meaning and Empowerment (CHIME) Framework to incorporate the transformative and healing potential of Creativity (C-CHIME). Skillfully weaving individual accounts of how creative activities have impacted on recovery, a particular strength is the balanced focus both on benefits and possible harms. This book shows how creativity can bring light to the darkest of mental health experiences.

--Mike Slade, Professor of Mental Health Recovery and Social Inclusion, University of Nottingham