Aesthetics in Mental Health

Contemporary Western aesthetics embraces aesthetic experience that is participatory, immersive and connective with oneself and through this, with others and the environments we meet them in. Such encounters are central in healthcare practice. This seminar will address why awareness of such aesthetic experience matters in mental health and wellbeing. This daylong seminar will include a range of speakers covering underpinning ideas and aspects of other fields that may be relevant to healthcare care.

The seminar will be hybrid (in person and online) and is organised by the Aesthetics in Mental Health Network of the Collaborating Centre for Values-Based Practice in Health and  Social Care, St. Catherine’s College, Oxford, Sigmund Freud University, Vienna. 

Upcoming seminars – Save the date

11th February 2026 – Values in Psychiatry: Managing Complexity and Advancing Solutions (book launch) – insights for clinical practice and research

4th March 2026 – Mental Health in Contemporary Western Aesthetics: Expanding the Field of Aesthetic Engagement into Healthcare and Wellbeing’

25th March 2026 – Communicating about spirituality in health and social care using values-based practice

Aesthetics in Mental Health Network (AiMH)

Aesthetics in Mental Health (AiMH) is a lively trans-disciplinary network that seeks to extend and enhance aesthetic responsiveness in the context of healthcare and thus to improve mental health and wellbeing among both service users and service providers