AnDY Research Clinic transformed with welcoming artwork from local school

Wednesday, 13 December 2017

Budding art students at a local school will be having their work showcased in a specialist clinic for young people with common mental health problems.

Local specialist art college, Theale Green School, donated student artwork from their annual exhibition to transform the clinic environment in the AnDY Research Clinic at the University of Reading, which provides assessment and treatment for young people with depression and anxiety. 

The AnDY research group and Theale Green School have an ongoing relationship from working together to evaluate a brief talking therapy (‘Brief BA’) for adolescent low/mood depression within the school.

Catherine Newell, AnDY’s Research Advisory Group co-ordinator said:

“I love the new clinic – the artwork really brightens up the place. It’s really great that the art was donated by Theale Green school as the students who created the artwork will be the same age as a lot of those who will be using the clinic. It was a real privilege for the Research Advisory Group to be able to help choose the artwork as it’s made up of previous service users and family members.”

Following the opening of the AnDY research clinic in December 2016 on the University campus, Andrew Wilson (Head of Technology and Art) at Theale Green School offered to loan some of the artwork from their annual exhibition to the clinic, to be refreshed every year. 

Carers and service users from the AnDY Research Advisors Group (RAG) who work alongside the research clinic were then invited to help select the artwork, considering what artwork will be best for children and young people using the service.   

Professor Laurie Butler, Head of the School of Psychology and Clinical Languages Sciences, said: 

“I’m so proud of our staff, who are able to offer children and young people access to the very latest treatments for anxiety and depression, and we are very grateful to Theale Green School for the fantastic artwork – it will really help our visiting families to feel at home.”

The artwork selected from Theale Green students will be displayed throughout the clinic to create a friendly and supportive atmosphere. 

The AnDY Research Clinic, based in the School of Psychology and Clinical Language Sciences, supports and treats young people aged 7-17 for anxiety and depressive disorders, alongside research into these conditions. 

The AnDY Research Clinic have also been collaborating with Theale Green School on a project evaluating the feasibility and effectiveness of delivering Brief Behavioural Activation (Brief BA, a psychological treatment) in schools for adolescents with low mood/depression. 

Dr Laura Pass, Research Clinical Psychologist: Adolescent Depression said:

“Brief BA is a structured, practical talking therapy for low mood, that aims to help young people identify what is personally important to them (their values), and plan their time to increase the amount of time spent doing value-based activities. The idea is not just to do more, but to do more of what matters to them.  

“The AnDY research group have been successfully piloting this in NHS CAMHs, and are now in the middle of a 3-year project evaluating the delivery of Brief BA in schools. Theale Green School is one of the main sites for our project, and they have been incredibly supportive and influential in shaping the work as we have progressed.

Mrs. Linda Stevens, Head of SEND and Head of Year 10 at Theale Green school said:

“Working alongside the Brief BA Project at Theale Green school has allowed us to support some of our most vulnerable students with their mental health needs.  The team have understood the complexities of adapting their sessions to match the demands of secondary school life and have fostered and developed vital links between student, school and home, increasing everyone’s understanding.”