Creative Words for Wellbeing in Scotland
Libraries, public organisations and practitioners across Scotland are collaborating on Creative Words for Wellbeing in Scotland, a new project using reading and writing to improve the health of the nation.
‘Bibliotherapy’, which can be any literary activity (writing, reading or storytelling) that helps people to assume more control of their health and wellbeing, has a long history that goes as far back as Ancient Greece. Today, bibliotherapy projects such as Creative Words for Wellbeing in Scotland, are often undertaken with the aid of a facilitator, either one-to-one or in a group format.
The aims of the project are:
- Map current words for wellbeing projects and initiatives across Scotland.
- Facilitate the co-creation of a jointly owned vision and action plan across stakeholders.
- Lay the foundations for a collaborative, multi-sectoral network of bibliotherapy services across Scotland.
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If you are working in the Creative Words for Wellbeing space or have an interest in the subject, please contact Project Co-ordinator Ruth Stevenson to have a chat (ruth@ruthlessresearch.co.uk) or click here to join our mailing list and find out about developments with the project.
Project Co-ordinator
Ruth is an experienced consultant and researcher, who started her career at IpsosMORI in London and subsequently moved to Edinburgh where she managed the research departments of audience development agency The Audience Business and mental health charity Scottish Development Centre for Mental Health. For the past nine years Ruth has provided freelance strategic support to not-for-profit organisations through her business Ruthless Research.
Ruth has a particular professional interest in the intersect between creativity and wellbeing, and while at SDC Ruth received an award for outstanding contributions to arts and health inequalities research from the Royal Society for Public Health for a programme of work exploring the wellbeing impacts of the arts. Ruth continues to work in this area through Ruthless Research.
Ruth holds an MA (hons) in Sociology from the University of Edinburgh, a BA in Business and Enterprise from Napier University, and the Diploma of the Market Research Society.
Contact Ruth by email: ruth@ruthlessresearch.co.uk
Who is funding this project?
This project has been funded by the Scottish Libraries and Information Council’s Innovation and Development Fund, and is managed by the Scottish Poetry Library in partnership with LAPIDUS Scotland.
Thank you for your presentation at the SLIC Showcase event on Friday. The session was really inspirational and I know from feedback I have received and comments in the chat that attendees were blown away by the impact of your project. It was so refreshing to hear about one of the IDF projects which has really made a difference to people in the community – Creative Words for Wellbeing really does this!! I look forward to seeing what you do next.
Pamela Tulloch, CEO at the Scottish Library and Information Council
The Context for a Creative Words for Wellbeing network Reference Group has published its findings.
Creative Words for Wellbeing in Scotland: What we’ve found out so far (January / February 2020)
Appendix 1: Literature Review (Summary for August 2019 Reference Group meeting)
Appendix 2: Provider Survey (Summary for November 2019 Reference Group meeting)
Appendix 3: Mapping the Way Forward for Creative Words for Wellbeing
in Scotland (March 2020)
Appendix 4: CWW Presentation for Rountables
Appendix 5: CWW Roundtables attendance