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Changing children’s lives through art therapy

How Wendell Park Primary School is using art to help children improve their mental health and resilience.

From stress and anxiety, to eating disorders and depression, mental health issues are on the rise, including amongst children. According to the NHS, around one in five children aged 8–16 have a ‘probable mental disorder’.

There are many reasons for poor mental health, including cyber bullying, family breakdowns, academic pressure and the impact of the pandemic. Socio-deprivation also plays a role; children with a probable mental health disorder are more than twice as likely as their peers to live in a household that has fallen behind with rent, bills or a mortgage.

Early intervention can have a huge impact on a child’s life, helping them to learn coping mechanisms and to increase resilience before a mental health issue becomes a crisis. However, CAMHS (children and adolescents mental health services) are struggling to meet demand, which has led to long delays for support. While the average waiting time is 108 days, some children are forced to wait for two years or more before accessing government-funded support. Many children do not qualify for CAMHS support at all, even if their day-to-day life is being impacted by poor mental health.

Without support, mental health issues can worsen, escalating from relatively mild symptoms to crisis point. More than one in four young people under 25 reported that they’d tried to take their own life as a result of having to wait for mental health support.

Wendell Park Primary School

Image shows Karissa Patel, an art psychotherapist Wendell Park Primary School has been offering art therapy to pupils in need for almost a decade. The one-to-one sessions are led by Karissa Patel, an art psychotherapist.

Karissa shares, “Many of the children who are referred to me have experienced some kind of trauma, which has a knock on effect on their self-esteem and confidence, particularly with children who have experienced some form of bullying. Some children might also question their self-worth if they’ve experienced being taken into care. Anxiety may heighten and seep into how a child engages with adults and peers if they have experienced or witnessed domestic violence. Additionally, trauma can also be experienced through loss of a loved one, whether that’s through bereavement or being removed from their parent(s). Overall, adverse childhood experiences have affected their day-to-day life. Art therapy helps to support children to voice their questions and make sense of their experiences; to create understanding rather than thinking, ‘It’s my fault that this happened.’

“Referrals are often times identified by behavioural, social or emotional challenges. For instance, the child might be acting out in class, unable to focus or to control their anger; they could start to withdraw and isolate themselves from their peers, refusing to socialise and engage, sometimes to the extreme of refusing to come to school.”

Art therapy

Image shows painting of an elephant, with the following written in a child’s handwriting: “When I am sad, scared or sick, I think about elephants and draw them. They remind me of strength because they are big and strong. They feel more sad and scaredy but still stand strong.” As Karissa explains, “Art therapy uses creative processes to help the child to express and explore their thoughts, feelings and experiences, and to understand how their experiences affect everyday connections. It’s a non-judgmental, non-threatening space where the child can figure out who they are and learn to be more compassionate towards themselves.

“Art making can consist of drawing, painting and working with clay, plasticine, play-doh, sand and so on. There’s also an element of play involved, particularly for younger children. There isn’t a huge difference between art and play for young children, and it’s through these creative means that they develop their main way of communicating during their early years.

“Sometimes, it’s about giving children who may have had to grow up too quickly a chance to just be a child again. For example, they might be a young carer or an elder sibling who is given a lot of responsibility. They might act very mature but need help to catch up emotionally or psychologically.

“I take a child-led approach. Children have very little say in major decisions that affect them, such as where they’re moving to or who they’re going to live with. They lack control in their day-to-day life. So, the child tells me what they want to do. Once trust has developed, they will start to open up and include me. We can then work towards finding the right coping tools so the child is able to articulate and identify feelings in a healthier way. The overall aim is to help foster emotional resiliency.”

Karissa works with each child for between two terms and a year, during which time the child’s mental health and behaviour will usually improve. Rosie Peters, Head of Wendell Park Primary School, says, “Therapy profoundly impacts vulnerable children, fostering greater confidence and resilience. We receive positive feedback from parents, teachers and the children themselves. We see the impact art therapy makes on a young person’s self-confidence, on their ability to try and believe in themselves, and, overall, on them having a better sense of self-awareness.”

Grant funding

Karissa’s work with the children at Wendell Park Primary School is funded through a Hammersmith United Charities grant. Karissa shares, “It’s only because of charities like HUC that we can provide early intervention mental health care. It allows for those children who may not meet the criteria for CAMHS or who are facing a long wait list to be seen sooner, rather than having that long wait time where their symptoms might otherwise get worse.”

Image shows drawing of a girl and the following words typed out: “I’ve shared my sad feelings by talking, painting, drawing and writing. It has been extremely helpful to let out my emotions. Art therapy is comforting and a fun place; it makes me happy. I’m not scared about saying anything. I couldn’t have asked for a better art therapist.” Child, aged 8

Find out more

You can find out more about art therapy and Karissa Patel on her website.

If you or your child are awaiting a CAMHS referral, the following charities may be able to offer support:

If you work in a school and want to support your pupils’ mental health, you can visit the Anna Freud website to download educational resources, including templates and toolkits.

Barons Court Project

“Our work is about loving people who may not love themselves and who don't always feel loved.”

Mental Health Awareness Week runs from 12 to 18 May 2025. This year’s focus is on celebrating the power of community. One charity that truly understands the importance of a supportive community is Barons Court Project. The charity manages Hammersmith’s only day centre for people who are sleeping rough and/or experiencing mental ill-health. According to Crisis, mental ill-health can be both a cause and a consequence of homelessness. Eight out of 10 people sleeping rough have been diagnosed with a mental health issue.

Michael Angus is the Director of Barons Court Project. He shares, “We focus on three areas: ‘Body’, ‘Mind’ and ‘Spirit’. Body comprises all the services that we offer to cater to our guests’ physical needs, such as showers, meals, laundry, podiatry, dental work, haircuts and so on.

“Mind is about one-to-one support for people who may not have the capacity to do everything by themselves. That might include filling out benefit forms and housing applications, writing a CV, searching for jobs and getting started with volunteering.

Image shows man painting. The painting is of the sea or a lake. Colourful 3D fish are in the foreground of the painting. “Spirit is about the things that enable people to live life in all its fullness – art, football, 10-pin bowling, and trips to museums, the theatre and Brighton, for instance. Enabling people to have a fuller life is particularly important for rough sleepers, because if you’re a male rough sleeper, your life expectancy is just 43.

“We also have a women’s support group, where women can get peer support and check in with each other. If someone has had a bad week, there’ll be people to say, “Did you try this?” or “What are you looking forward to for the coming week?” Just being part of a supportive community can really help people’s mental health.

“Many of our guests live with mental ill-health. Some have been coming here for many years and have been in and out of psychiatric wards. As an example, we had one lady in her 70s who said she wanted us to come to her funeral and for me to sing Jerusalem. When she died, I couldn’t make the funeral date, but her daughter said, ‘This project was such an important part of my mum’s life and recovery and wellness. We will move the funeral so that you can come.’”

“Our work is about loving people, often people who don’t love themselves and who don’t feel loved. It’s about trying to lift people’s spirits and show them that there’s hope, that things can improve. If they relapse, we’ll pick them up and carry on the next day.”

Mental Health Awareness Week

Michael feels that Mental Health Awareness Week plays an important role in acknowledging that “we’re all human and not every day is a good day.”

He says, “We’ve come a long way in terms of being more open about mental ill-health and understanding that it’s normal and nothing to be ashamed of. Years ago, people lived with the whole stiff upper lip, pull yourself together attitude, which is so damaging.

“We need to take care of each other. It’s not about wrapping people up in cotton wool, but about accepting that we’re all different and that we all express ourselves in different ways. We shouldn’t be fearful of mental ill-health or the people who are experiencing it.

“Our guests are some of the most beautiful, talented, extraordinary, wonderful people that I’ve ever had the privilege to meet. And it’s a joy to spend time with them.”

Hammersmith United Charities’ support

Barons Court Project has recently received a £10,000 grant from Hammersmith United Charities. It’s using the money to help pay for a project worker.

Project workers greet guests at the day centre, provide one-to-one and group support, and offer advice and assistance on accommodation, benefits, employment, volunteering and other services.

HomeLess Made

Image shows card featuring a tree painted in a rainbow of colours. Barons Court Project sells greetings cards and gifts featuring artwork by some of its guests. The money raised is split between the artist and the charity. Michael shares, “HomeLess Made started as a lockdown project. When I first suggested it to our guests, they said ‘Our art isn’t good enough. We are not good enough.’ The project has helped to show them that their art is good enough, and that they are good enough and they deserve this. We’ve seen the artists increase in confidence, self-esteem and dignity.”

One of the artists is Guan. Around 15 years ago, Guan was managing a shop in Oxford Street, but he was made redundant when the shop closed. His father then passed away in Malaysia, and Guan couldn’t afford the airfare to go to the funeral. Michael shares, “He wasn’t able to grieve properly and had a lot of shame and guilt at not being there to support his mum and his siblings. That led to him having a massive mental-health breakdown and becoming homeless.

“Guan was placed in Crisis House. While there, someone gave him some paint and paper and brushes. He’d never painted before in his life. When he started, his work was very angry – dark brown and black and grey. But each day, he went to the park. When spring came, he saw the trees starting to come back to life, and he said to himself, ‘If these trees can come back from the dead, why can’t I?’ That was his inspiration to use colour. And so, he painted a rainbow tree as a symbol of hope and new beginnings, which we made into a card.

“We’ve since sold lots of Guan’s cards, which has earned him thousands of pounds. He’s now got a stable home and recently spent two months in Malaysia reconnecting with his mum and siblings.”

Get involved

Do you have a skill you could share with others? Whether you’re an artist, a whizz at knitting or just enjoy singing, woodwork, pottery, cookery or another activity, Barons Court Project would love to hear from you.

Michael explains, “We’ve had volunteers in to teach drumming, yoga, creative writing, drama and all different things. If you have time to help us run activities, then we’ll be able to offer even more opportunities to our guests.”

Email services@baronscourtproject.org to find out more.

You can also donate to Barons Court Project through its website and support the charity and its guests by buying your greetings cards through HomeLess Made.

Watch Guan talking about his artwork

Celebrating National Gardening Week

You don’t need a private outdoor space to reap the many benefits of gardening.

Image shows woman gardening

Organised by the RHS each year, National Gardening Week helps to raise awareness of the mental and physical benefits of gardening. Not everyone has their own private garden in Hammersmith, but most people can access a balcony, window-box or shared green space and just two hours in nature a week can improve wellbeing.

Our two almshouses – John Betts House and Sycamore House – both have large shared gardens. They’re managed by a team of three gardeners – India, Lucy and Victoria (known as V). The gardens are much loved by the people who live here.

As one resident, Ann, shares, “The garden is wonderful and I have a gorgeous tree just outside my front door, which gives me huge pleasure. It’s a marvellous setup really – a wonderful oasis in the middle of a busy city.”

As well as the shared gardens, a few residents at Sycamore House have their own gardens. We also have four allotment beds at John Betts House and five large planters specifically for residents, most of which are used for growing vegetables. Many of the residents also keep flowerpots outside their front doors.

The benefits of gardening

V with roses Numerous studies have shown that gardening can be hugely beneficial for both physical and mental wellbeing. It’s a great way to keep fit and active, and can help to reduce sleep problems, stress, anxiety and depression. India says, “There’s a lot of evidence that being able to enjoy green space can help certain health conditions and increase life expectancy. I definitely believe having nature in our lives is good for wellbeing, even if you’re just walking through it, sitting outside or seeing it from your window. And the fact that residents know they can be involved in the space and take part in activities is so good for them.”

V adds, “Residents who don’t get involved in gardening still enjoy being able to see the garden and sit out in it. There’s a lot of research now showing that even just being able to see the colour green can have a positive benefit on mental wellbeing.”

Gardening for older people

Gardening can be particularly beneficial for older people, as it can help to maintain fitness levels, dexterity and independence. According to the gardening charity Thrive, “Time in nature has been shown to improve emotional state, physical health, verbal expression and memory.”

V shares, “Residents will often talk to me about a memory they have of a garden or outdoor space that they had growing up. Sometimes, there will be a particular plant that a relative loved, and so they want to put one in their pot or plant it somewhere in the garden to remind them of that person.”

Gardening together

When people garden together, as is often the case at Hammersmith United Charities, it brings added social benefits. Our residents support the gardeners with a number of jobs, including watering pots and clearing leaves.

We also hold gardening workshops for residents most months. V explains, “We had a seed sowing workshop in March, and are planning a hanging basket workshop for May.”

Get involved

The focus of this year’s National Gardening Week is new gardeners. Whether you have a balcony, a shared garden or just fancy growing some house plants, you’ll find lots of beginner guides to help you get started at rhs.org.uk/get-involved/national-gardening-week
There are several community gardens dotted around Hammersmith, most of which are run by Hammersmith Community Gardens Association (HCGA) . The charity is always keen to hear from people who have time to help out. You don’t need any experience of gardening to take part.
Some GPs are now able to prescribe gardening instead of, or alongside, medication to ease stress, anxiety and depression. Patients are referred to a community gardening scheme, where they take part in a range of activities, from sowing seeds to pulling up weeds. Ask your GP for more information.

Gardening for the planet

Held on April 22nd every year, Earth Day mobilises people across the globe to take action to protect our shared planet.

Image shows gardener Victoria Cripps There are so many ways that every one of us can take action, from choosing locally produced food, to reducing waste and sowing wildflower seeds.

At Hammersmith United Charities, we’re fortunate enough to care for two award-winning gardens at our almshouses. The gardens are managed by a team of three gardeners – Victoria (known to most residents as V), India and Lucy. Many of our almshouse residents are also keen gardeners so often support V and the team with tasks such as deadheading, watering and sowing seeds.

V says, “We’re always trying to think about the planet and how we can support wildlife in the almshouse gardens.”

If you have space to grow plants, whether in a garden, on a balcony or in your home, here are a few tips for growing with the planet in mind.

Compost your food waste

Producing your own compost from garden and food waste both helps to reduce that waste and also reduces the need for buying plastic-bagged compost.

V shares, “We compost the majority of our garden waste on site. We have a large compost bay for each garden. We also have a Bokashi composting bin in each shared kitchen. Every layer of food waste is added to with a layer of Bokashi bran, which speeds up the fermentation process. Once the bin is full, the waste gets added to the compost bay.

“All the compost we generate is used as a mulch for our flower beds. The residents can also help themselves to it for their own garden areas or pots.”

Conserve water

Mulching the beds helps to improve the soil quality and also reduces the need for watering as it helps the soil to hold onto moisture. UK summers are expected to become hotter and drier as our climate changes. Reducing the need for watering and increasing the use of rainwater will become more and more important.

V shares, “Lucy, India and I recently went to a networking day at Kew Gardens. Water was the big topic of the day, and we’re trying to be more ‘water-wise’ at the almshouse gardens. For instance, we used to keep some small trees in large pots but have planted them in the ground instead, so they now need much less watering. We’re also currently looking at how we can utilise any overflow from our water butts, perhaps by connecting them to a planter or water feature.”

When choosing new plants for the gardens, V considers how well they can cope with rising temperatures and periods of drought. However, as she explains, “It’s more complex than just considering drought tolerance, because we now have extremes of winter downpours and much hotter, drier spells in summer. So, we need to be thinking in terms of plants that can cope with both extremes.”

One of our gardens

Plant for pollinators

More than half of UK butterfly species are in long-term decline, and pollinating insects in general are struggling. One of the main issues is habitat loss, so planting pollinator-friendly plants is crucial. Anyone with even a small amount of outdoor space can play their part, as you don’t need to rely on large shrubs to attract bees and butterflies.

V says, “We had a huge buddleia that was taking up too much space and overhanging the walkway, so we had it removed. Buddleias are beloved by butterflies, so we’ve replaced it with several other pollinator-friendly plants. We grew some of these from seed, such as Lepechinia hastata, bought new plants including Scabiosa ‘Butterfly Blue’ and were given several hardy geraniums by the residents.”

Consider local wildlife

Pond Offering easily accessible water is an easy way to support local wildlife, including birds and hedgehogs.

Our Sycamore garden already has a pond and the gardening team is considering creating a water feature in the John Betts garden. However, you don’t need to have a large garden to help wildlife, as even a shallow dish of water on a balcony will be appreciated by the birds.

V shares, “We get dragonflies around the pond at Sycamore House and I’ve seen the hummingbird hawk moth at both sites. We don’t have bird feeders up, but we try to create natural food sources through our planting. As a result, we have a lot of common garden birds, such as sparrows, robins, wrens and blackbirds, as well as the Eurasian jay. One resident even saw a heron here!”

Get involved with nationwide initiatives

Nationwide events, such as the Big Garden Birdwatch (January) and the Big Butterfly Count (18th July – 10th August) are crucial in helping charities to monitor different species. Many of our residents and staff members take part in both events.

If you have a couple of hours spare a month, you could also register to be a Bee Walker and count the number of bees you see on a set walk each month.

Find out more

For more information on Earth Day, visit: earthday.org/earth-day-2025
The RSPB has a wealth of information about wildlife-friendly gardening. You can also find advice on the Wildlife Trusts and RHS

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Sheltered housing

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