The Hospital Research Foundation Group Impact Report - Flipbook - Page 61
MILITARY AND EMERGENCY
SERVICES HEALTH
Research shared on the world stage
MESHA’s extensive research program is highly-regarded worldwide and led to
the team presenting at a number of international conferences in 2023, including:
•
The European Society for Traumatic Stress
Studies in Belfast
•
•
UK Military Families Symposium in London
•
Canadian Institute for Military and Veteran
Health Research Forum in Ottowa
•
Frontline Mental Health Conference in the
Gold Coast
Our topics covered the mental health
challenges of female personnel, impacts
of a parent’s PTSD on children, benefits
of assistance dogs, service identity and
culture, bereavement and art therapy.
•
Leisure Conference in New Zealand, and
International Society for Traumatic
Stress Studies in Los Angeles.
The team also brought back cutting-edge
insights to share here. Congratulations all!
Benefits of art therapy for mental health
Police officer Cat King found so much
benefit from art therapy while battling her
mental health challenges, she has since
become a program facilitator.
“I found talking to a psychologist and
psychiatrist quite confronting, and felt quite
drained after appointments,” Cat said.
"Where with art therapy, I didn’t have to go
in there knowing there was going to be those
awkward conversations.
“Having PTSD, depression and anxiety, you
sort of feel like your cup is overflowing all the
time, whereby going into art therapy, it was
time for my brain to switch off and it gave me
that time to recover.”
Art therapy is proudly offered to
veterans and first responders through
MESHA and The Hospital Research
Foundation Group - Creative Health.
For more information, please
contact programs@mesha.org.au
or (08) 7002 0880.
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