Co-Production of Arts Therapies Provision: A Grounded Theory Study

  • Research type

    Research Study

  • Full title

    Co-Production of Arts Therapies Provision: A Grounded Theory Study

  • IRAS ID

    346685

  • Contact name

    Catherine Purcell

  • Contact email

    purcellc2@cardiff.ac.uk

  • Sponsor organisation

    Joint Research Office, Cardiff University

  • Duration of Study in the UK

    1 years, 4 months, 28 days

  • Research summary

    This research project aims to develop a theory of how organisations that provide arts therapies can be co-produced: how can these be directed, designed, and delivered with and by the people these organisations aim to support?

    Co-production is one potential avenue for building more inclusive and equitable provision. Co-production is beginning to attract scholarly attention in arts therapies, including Pickard (2020), Melhuish, Grady & Holland (2019), Nelligan, Hayes & McCaffrey (2020), Springham & Xenophantes (2021), and Myerscough and Williams (2022). Co-production features prominently in Welsh Government (2016, p. 3) literature on Prudent Healthcare. NHS England (2022) in collaboration with the Department for Health and Social Care also refer to co-production.

    The arts therapies include art (psycho)therapy, dance movement psychotherapy, dramatherapy, and music therapy.

    Adults involved with an arts therapies setting which uses co-production practices are eligible to take part. Participants can be service users, service providers, or work in partnership with the service (for example as advocates).

    This research will take place at locations where the arts therapies setting normally operates. The researcher will join in with and observe participants in their day-to-date activity in the setting. They will talk to research participants about what they notice during observations. A group of participants will also spend time playing music with the researcher, providing an example of creative co-production in action. The data collection period is planned to finish in September 2025. (The researcher may contact participants in the following months to clarify details. Write up is planned to finish in June 2026.)

  • REC name

    Wales REC 6

  • REC reference

    25/WA/0007

  • Date of REC Opinion

    14 Feb 2025

  • REC opinion

    Further Information Favourable Opinion