The objectives of this project were to provide EU adult education actors with quality training for the use of art as support for voice hearers and MH care users, promote the training and attract potential participants, pilot the training in order to ensure quality, and raise awareness on the subject of MH, human rights of voice hearers (and MH care users) and the potential of alternative approaches to the treatment of MH issues. During different phases of the project, we achieved the objectives set in the project application, exceeding some as well. The LTT activity in Sarajevo gave us an opportunity to pilot the training with the group of 30 participants- experts by experience and experts by profession (psychologists, psychotherapists, occupational therapists, etc.) and it turned out to be a great success (please see evaluation results in the LTT section). This success led to reaching more objectives- dissemination of the project was carried out more successfully then planned- we carried out the whole training on two more occasions- on Mentalfest in Rijeka, annual festival of MH and on the World Hearing Voices Congress in Paris, reaching a wider audience, potential future participants and rising awareness on the subject of MH.
Since the '90 war and crises and especially after the pandemic, mental health problems are a burning issue in the region of ex- Yugoslavia. According to the WHO regional EU office report (2014), there is a large treatment gap in low- and middle- income countries in South Eastern Europe where up to 50% of affected people do not receive care for their condition, Healthcare systems in high income countries provide a combination of care, medication and psychosocial interventions which successfully helps people affected by MH issues to lead a productive life and be integrated in society. However, LMICs have neither the funding nor enough qualified staff to provide such specialized services and unfortunately MH care is based mostly on using psychiatric drugs. The Balkan Hearing Voices Network, together with the UK partner Mind in Camden- experienced consortium in the field of community MH, recognized an urgent need to implement effective, low-cost and easily deliverable interventions to expand access to MH care and alleviate the suffering of psychiatry survivors and their families. The Art of voices training supports MH care practitioners with new skills through an innovative, integrative, multidisciplinary approach.