W&K-Forum – Conference: “Future Perspectives and Critical Reflections on Research in the Arts for the Mental Health of Children and Adolescents.”

Thursday 30th of April I 8.00 am until 7.00 pm I Schloss Leopoldskron I Leopoldskronstraße 56-58 I 5020 Salzburg & online I Flyer

The Interuniversity Organization Arts & Knowledge (University of Salzburg/Mozarteum University Salzburg), in cooperation with the Salzburg Global / Health Programme and Education Programme, SIAM – Salzburg Institute for Arts in Medicine, and the International Network for the Critical Appraisal of Arts & Health Research are pleased to organize this day conference to reflect on the latest developments in this field. Building on the previous conference on the value of arts for health and arts in medicine in 2025, this event will address one of the most pressing global issues: the mental health of young people and the contribution of the arts. The aim is to raise awareness of this topic in Austria and internationally, and to learn from best practices and current developments globally.

Mental health problems in children and adolescents represent a major global concern. Over the past decade, the number of controlled research studies on music- and art-based therapies and programs on the mental health of young people has increased to such extent that a considerable number of reviews, including systematic reviews, Cochrane reviews, and even meta-analyses, have been published that assess the quality of the evidence and summarize the established knowledge. Further relevant development is the growth of social/arts prescribing for children and young people.

However, there are also some concerns raised for the quality of existing evidence on the effects of creative arts programs and therapy for young people with mental health challenges. Therefore, we want to engage in a productive discussion about the current state of research into the use of the arts to promote mental health in young people, as well as future directions for research, policy and practice. The presenters and discussants invited to the symposium are leading experts and authors of landmark publications in the field. The event is expected to draw wider attention of practitioners, artists, students, medical doctors, policy makers and researchers alike, who are interested in high-quality research and state-of-the-art discussions with respect to the future in this growing domain at the intersection of arts, science, and medicine.

•  Link to Registration
• Link to Programme

In addition to the members of the network, numerous national and international experts were invited, including: Andreas Bernhofer (Uni Mozarteum), Katherine Boydell (York University, University of Toronto), Stephen Clift (Sidney De Haan Research Centre for Arts and Health, Canterbury Christ Church University), Rosemarie Demelmeier (Uni Mozarteum), Nicole D’souza (University of Ottawa), Daisy Fancourt (UCL), Tasha Golden (Consultant, Artist, Behavioral Scientist; Adjunct Faculty: University of Florida Center for Arts in Medicine), Nicola Holt (University of the West of England, Bristol, UK), Anita Jensen (Lund University), Vicky Karkou (Edge Hill University), Marie-Christine Klettner (Universitätsklinik für Kinder und Jugendpsychiatrie Salzburg), Lisa Mayer (Gesundes Österreich), Valerie Oberleithner (Choreographin und Tänzerin, Paris), Mary Helen Pombo (Salzburg Global Health Program), Dominic Regester (Salzburg Global Education Program), Dame Janet Ritterman (England) sowie Leonhard Thun-Hohenstein (Salzburg Institute for Arts in Medicine), Thomas Stegmann (MDW, Wien, AT), Andrea Häupl (Universitätsklinik für Kinder- und Jugendheilkunde, SALK/PMU, Salzburg, AT)