Art and Wellbeing

Conference: Art Therapy and Physical Conditions

Took place on Thursday 5th February 2009 at Dragon Hall,
17 Stukeley Street, London

Biographical Notes of Speakers

(In order of their appearance)

SIR MICHAEL BURTON is a High Court Judge (since 1998). He was a King's Scholar at Eton and then a scholar at Balliol College, Oxford, where he obtained a BA/MA in Classics and Law and was Balliol JCR President and first President of the Oxford Student Union. Called to the Bar in 1970, he became a QC in 1984, and was Head of his Chambers from 1991-98. He was President of the Employment Appeal Tribunal from 2002 to 2005. He has been a GLC and Parliamentary candidate. He is a Fellow of Eton College and an Honorary Fellow of Goldsmiths College, University of London. He is a widower with four children and two grandchildren. He is a Trustee of the Corinne Burton Memorial Trust, set up as a memorial to his late wife. The Trust raises funds for the education and placement of Art Therapists, funding students for their art therapy courses at Goldsmiths College and for two years thereafter, and the employment of an art therapist at Barts Hospital.

DR CHRIS GALLAGHER is a consultant medical oncologist at St Bartholomew's Hospital, Barts and the London NHS Trust. He specialises in Gynaecological and Breast cancers. He has led the development of Cancer services for Barts and the London NHS Trust within the North East London Network and the development of clinical trials, education and training. With the support of the Corinne Burton Art Therapy Trust he has supervised an art therapist to work with cancer patients for the past fifteen years and has seen the benefits for patients and staff.

MEGAN TJASINK is an Art Psychotherapist at St Bartholomew's Hospital, Barts and the London NHS Trust. Her work with cancer patients at the hospital is supported by the Corinne Burton Art Therapy Trust. Megan is also an Art Psychotherapist and Therapies Manager at Claremont Project, a community based arts and mental health charity in Islington. Megan played a key role in developing a range of low cost community-based psychotherapies, arts therapies, and arts-in-health projects and workshops at Claremont, making it the first centre of its kind in the UK.

PROFESSOR DIANE WALLER, OBE is President of the British Association of Art Therapists. She is also Professor of Art Psychotherapy at Goldsmiths College, University of London, Vice-President of the International Society of Expression and Art Therapy, a Council Member of the World Psychiatric Association's Section on Art and Psychiatry, and a Council Member of the Health Professions Council. Diane is a group analyst registered with the United Kingdom Council for Psychotherapy and her research interests are in sociology of professions in the UK and Europe, art and group psychotherapy, intercultural therapy, addiction and progressive illness. She has written several books on these subjects. Diane is a member of Council of the Health Professions Council and Chair of the Professional Liaison Group that will bring psychotherapists and counsellors into regulation.

DR JOHN WINFIELD, Consultant Rheumatologist, Sheffield Teaching Hospitals, Hallamshire Hospital Sheffield.

SALLY WESTON, Art therapist since 1990 has worked in psychiatric and neurological settings in the NHS. Currently works for Sheffield Health and Social Care Foundation Trust. She is a member of the BAAT Council and is the coordinator for the BAAT Special Interest Group on Neuro–Rehabilitation. She is also involved in the Arts in Health Special Interest Group.

IRIS VON SASS HYDE, Art Therapist, set up art therapy in the neurological rehabilitation service in Lincoln and has made a systematic study of one hundred patients as a research project with in-patient and community patients.

MALCOLM LEARMONTH is Lead Art Psychotherapist and Arts and Environments Development Lead for Devon Partnership NHS Trust, Arts and Health Lead for the British Association of Art Therapists, Director of Insider Art, an independent arts and health training organisation, and Chair of Trustees for the Self Heal Association, an arts and health charity. He has worked in community arts, art psychotherapy and education for twenty-five years.

DR SIMON OPHER is a GP in a medium sized General Practice in Southern Gloucestershire and has been using a series of artist in residence since 2001. Types of therapist include writers, painters, ceramicist, felt workers, poets, dramatherapists and dancers. The artist becomes a member of the primary health care team and also runs workshops for staff.

JOANNE BISSONET qualified as an Art Therapist in 1978 and as a Social Worker in 1994. She has worked with children since 1978 and since May 1997has been a Senior Art Psychotherapist in the Community Psychology Team, Norfolk Primary Care Trust, which is a Service for Acute and Community Paediatrics. Joanne is a BAAT Registered Supervisor and a Member of Creative Response. She is also a BAAT Regional Coordinator for her area.

DEBBIE MICHAELS is an art therapist and psychotherapist. She is a core lecturer for the Art Therapy Northern Programme and has a private practice in Sheffield working with adults. Her interest in the links between therapeutic and creative processes as well as the relationship between mind and body is also applied through her explorations and endeavours as a singer/performer and artist.

GILL THOMAS has been heading up the psychosocial team for the last two years. She is a registered Art Therapist but currently her clinical work is as a Hypnotherapist. The psychosocial team is made up of social work, bereavement service, spiritual care, art therapy and community and digital artists. She is the Chair of Creative Response, the British Association of Art Therapists' Special Interest Group for Art Therapists working in Palliative Care, Aids, Cancer and loss.

CATHY MAYLIN has been at Trinity Hospice for just over a year in the position of Community Services Manager. In this post she leads a team of Clinical Nurse Specialists and Complimentary Therapists and has responsibility for the Outpatient Department. Previous positions have included Clinical Director of a hospice in Houston, Texas, a hospital based Macmillan Palliative Care Team Leader and a District Nurse to mention but a few.

SARAH SMITH is the social work and bereavement service team leader and her area of special interest has been working with children experiencing loss. Sarah has been working at Trinity Hospice for the last three and a half years and has been developing the services that are provided to families, children and young people experiencing a serious illness and supporting them throughout their grieving process after a death has occurred.

MICHELE WOOD, Art Therapist (Marie Curie Hospice, Hampstead) is a Senior Lecturer at Roehampton University Art Therapy Training and a Cancer Experiences Collaborative (CECo) Scholar 2008. Michele was awarded a research scholarship by the CECo to undertake this work, and was supported by the mentorship of Professor Alex Molassiotis (Manchester University) and Professor Sheila Payne (Lancaster University)

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