Mental Health
Supporting better mental health through heritage interactions.
AMPHORA guidelines for involving people with mental health challenges in heritage projects
Taking part in heritage projects, like archaeology, has become a really popular way to improve mental health and wellbeing and they really can help people. But there can be times when projects might not have the right set up to make sure that the participants and the historic remains are well looked after.
A UKRI MARCH Network Plus funded project, carried out between November 2020 and May 2021, in partnership with Historic England, saw an expert panel develop best practice guidelines for organisations offering heritage projects as interventions for people who live with mental health issues. This was achieved through a Delphi process, utilising the skills of those with lived experience of mental health issues, as well as mental health and heritage professionals, bringing together their expertise to create a practical and beneficial tool based on real-life experience.
The research study was conducted by Dr Karen Burnell (Solent University), Dr Paul Everill (University of Winchester), Dr Louise Baxter (Bournemouth University), Eva Makri (Solent University) and Dr Kathryn Watson (Co-Researcher).
The guidelines are called AMPHORA - Authentic and Meaningful Participation in Heritage or Related Activities – and they focus on projects that offer active participation to help improve the mental health of individuals who live with complex mental health challenges.
There are three sets of guidelines or ‘toolkits’, which have been written for project providers, social prescribers, and potential participants.
