HEALTH – BELGIUM:
 Adolescents in psychiatric care

Summary

A multi-year programme for adolescents with mental health problems, which started in 2019 in Brussels, Belgium, in collaboration with psychiatric hospitals and mental health centres, and the Commission communautaire française (COCOF).

Where

Psychiatric hospitals and mental health centres, Brussels (Belgium)

When

From 2019 onwards

Type of mission

Group art therapy intervention

Participants

Adolescents facing mental health issues 

Context & objectives 

Although the coronavirus pandemic is now behind us, it continues to have an impact on the mental health of people, and especially young people, as the WHO noted in 2022. Seventy-five per cent of mental health problems develop before the age of twenty-four, and disadvantaged young people are two to three times more likely to develop them. 

This initiative aims to provide psychological support, through art therapy, to young people with mental health problems. The aim is to provide support that complements that provided by the partner organisation, thereby enhancing patients’ day-to-day well-being and improving their mental and emotional health.   

Impact 

“The workshops helped me to get to know others better and to clarify my thoughts. Cian, participant. 

 
“Generally speaking, the sessions were therapeutic. This can be seen in the reflections shared by the young people during the regular one-to-one meetings we have with each of them. The variety of media used, as well as the climate of trust, has enabled some of them to let go of both their bodies and their creativity. ” Damien, staff within a partner organisation. 

Partners 

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