Arts on Prescription Receives Warm Welcome at European Mental Health Conference in Antwerp

From 10–12 September, representatives from the Interreg BSR project Arts on Prescription in the Baltic Sea Region attended the 13th European Mental Health Conference in Antwerp, where their work on Arts on Prescription (AoP) was met with enthusiastic interest from delegates across Europe and beyond.

Presentation of the Arts on Prescription project at the 13th European Conference on Mental Health, Antwerp 2025

The AoP approach, which integrates creative activities into mental health support, resonated strongly with attendees. Several attendees reached out the following day to learn more about the research and AoP Baltic Sea Model.

A chance meeting by the Swedish partners with a local politician at Antwerp Central Station led to an unexpected visit at the conference on Thursday, when Fauzaya Talhaoui made time in her busy schedule to come and hear more about AoP. She was particularly pleased to receive one of the first printed copies of the newly printed Introduction to Arts on Prescription guidebook.

Fauzaya Talhaoui, Member of the Council of the Province of Antwerp, receives the Introduction to Arts on Prescription guidebook.

The conference provided a valuable platform for the partnership to share insights and experiences – not only with a European audience, but also with delegates from the United States, Canada, and Chile, promoting awareness of AoP and underscoring the growing international interest – not just as a community-based approach to promote mental wellbeing, but also in its potential to be integrated into healthcare and psychiatric services.

Representing the AoP in the Baltic Sea Region project were Elias Sandling, Sweden and Millie Kealy-Jensen, Denmark joined by close collaborator Paula Bergman, a researcher who has been successfully working with AoP for over 12 years. in the Region of Jönköping, Sweden. Interested readers can connect with these and other AoP specialists through the Find a Mentor theme in the online Arts on Prescription guide.

Elias Sandling, Millie Kealy-Jensen and Paula Bergman joining at the 13th European Conference on Mental Health in Antwerp

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