A groundbreaking initiative that is part of the new Cultural Prescription project and uses theatrical expression to aid mental health.

 

The first phase of the groundbreaking National Theatre of Greece and Therapy programme has been highly successful during its first three months. The aim of the initiative, which was introduced on a pilot basis in April 2024 and will be completed in December of the same year, is to aid mental health and improve quality of life through theatrical expression. The initiative is part of the Ministry of Culture’s Cultural Prescription Project and is being implemented in partnership with the University Mental Health Research Institute (EPIPSY). It is financed by the Greece 2.0 National Recovery and Resilience Plan.

The NTG Theatre and Therapy programme offers free theatre and dramatherapy workshops at the National Theatre of Greece and is designed for people facing mental health problems. For three months, three groups of participants made theatre part of their routine, meeting once a week with artists and mental health professionals at the Rex Theatre to work with them in a spirit of collective creativity. Using applied theatre and dramatherapy, the workshops aimed to strengthen self-awareness, self-knowledge, social awareness, and acceptance of self and others. The NTG Theatre and Therapy Programme is run by the Head of the Young People’s Stage, Maria Manganari.

What is Cultural Prescription?
Cultural Prescription is a pilot research project funded by the Recovery and Resilience Fund, which has been launched in Greece under the auspices of the Ministry of Culture. It involves the use of cultural activities to bring about a positive effect on mental health. The object of the project is to create an organisational framework for the inclusion of Cultural Prescription as a supplementary treatment for people with mental health problems or who have suffered mentally as a result of chronic illness. Through the initiative, the programme has been designed and piloted, the benefits to patients of contact with art and culture have been studied, and ways have been devised for both patients and cultural institutions to take part. Finally, the programme will be optimised through has been monitoring and evaluation. It should be pointed out that the initiative does not equate to psychotherapy through art, but focuses on the therapeutic effect of its various forms on those participating in the programme.

The research is carried out by EPIPSY and specifically by the Research Team led by the Scientific Officer, Nikolaos Stefanis, Professor of Psychiatry in the Medical School of the University of Athens.

 

 

NTG Theatre and Therapy is implemented by the Ministry of Culture’s Directorate of Performing Arts and Cinema, with financing from the Recovery and Resilience Fund, as part of the “Cultural Prescription as a Supplementary Treatment in Mental Health” project.

Latest updated: 20/09/2024