Creative project helps to bring families together in Plymouth

Our Time’s workshop format often includes time for making drama and art. Play and opportunities for fun and joy are an important part of the sessions, alongside time dedicated to discussion and learning more about mental illness. Our Time also frequently works with writers and theatre projects on a larger scale, helping to raise awareness of the issue of parental mental illness more widely.

Sparked by a parent who has attended one of Plymouth’s family workshops with her children for several years, in 2023, the workshop facilitators implemented a new creative project that would run for the whole school year. For Plymouth, the goal was to create an opportunity to show others the artwork that often emerged, including sound pieces, writing, art, and theatre.

Andrew Hartley, an educator at Plymouth Learning Partnership, shares his reflections on the past year and how this way of working has impacted the group.

Embedding creative activities in family workshops 

The whole workshop was involved, creating opportunities for exploration and creative responses based on a list of activities and topics of conversation that parents felt had made the biggest difference. The workshop room became an art studio, where parents and their children engaged in creative conversations and collaborations.

A calendar year of workshops was mapped out in this way, where each fortnight, the group would discuss and respond to a topic.

“We found that our families responded positively to a combination of the regular, familiar workshop structure, with a regular whole-group creative session to bring thoughts and ideas together. 

“Often the subjects and themes we explored were challenging, yet our groups were committed to finding ways of expressing themselves. For many children and parents these were new experiences of making their voices heard” – Andrew 

Exploring parental mental illness through creativity

The discussions had during the year helped each person to focus on their thoughts and feelings about themselves, their needs, their relationships, and their understanding of the realities of parental mental illness.

“We explored anxieties, the connection between our brain, mind, and body, our ‘windows of tolerance’, and our image of ourselves.”

What’s next

Fascinating and powerful creative work has emerged from the project, and many positive outcomes shone through. Individuals and family groups worked with honesty and bravery.

“The project gave our workshop year a sense of cohesion and purpose. As we assessed all of the work together at the end of the summer term, there was a strong shared sense of achievement. As the parent who initiated the project said ‘we want people to understand our lives and experiences, and see what we can do’.”

The outcomes of the project will be exhibited in the new year.

Our Time family workshops

For more than 10 years, Our Time has been improving our shared understanding of the impact of parental mental illness on children, and developing innovative ways of providing support, including through our unique, family-centred workshop model KidsTime.

We know that the impact of the poor mental health of a parent can be serious and long-lasting, but that relatively small interventions can make a big difference.

Our family workshops take place around the UK, supported by local authorities, NHS bodies, and charities. But we want to do more. You can support us by making a donation, or partnering with us.

The Plymouth KidsTime Workshop 

Delivered by Plymouth Learning Partnership, Plymouth has supported two Our Time family workshops for several years, bringing children and parents together every fortnight during term time in partnership with primary schools and providing a crucial source of support for hundreds of families.