The first program of its kind in Australia, ReMind: Creativity on Prescription, is an evidence-based program that uses creative practices, like drawing, cooking, music, writing, and craft, to support mental health recovery and wellbeing. Created by the training organization MakeShift, the program gives people with PTSD, depression, or anxiety diagnoses the tools to shift out of heightened anxiety, numbness, vigilance, or other symptoms and use creative practices as a means of self-care. Many participants are first responders such as police or paramedics.
Before the COVID-19 pandemic hit, ReMind was delivered exclusively face-to-face. However, the pandemic suddenly made that, no longer possible and the team needed to quickly pivot to deliver the program virtually without sacrificing what made it so successful.
MakeShift, which specializes in education and support for mental health and wellbeing, knew they needed to develop a powerful virtual learning solution. The team was acutely aware that if the digital program was frustrating for the participant, it would take away from the value of the experience and further burden them.
Simply delivering the content digitally wasn’t an option because they needed the experience to be as smooth and easy as possible. The virtual experience also had to be just as engaging and valuable as the face-to-face experience. The approach could not be content based, rather it needed to be completely centered around the mindset and needs of the learner.
The MakeShift team opted to pivot the program to a virtual and digital delivery combination through how-to videos and live Zoom sessions. Participants received their creative tools (such as paint and paint brushes or a ukulele) through the mail, allowing them to develop their creative practice at home. When it came to leveraging technology to support application, MakeShift used a conversational intelligence (chatbot) solution.
THE APPROACH
The chatbot, Coach M, was used to complement the learning delivery, acting as a side-by-side companion throughout the program to prompt action, support learning application, and keep participants on track. Learners could slow down and reflect on their specific learning commitments, by initiating two-way coaching conversations with Coach M that were, tailored to the individual.
THE GOAL
The goal was to create a completely safe space where participants could engage without judgment. Using a chatbot is an excellent way to keep participants accountable without sacrificing psychological safety. The bespoke scripts Coach M used were based on 20,000 human coaching conversations and constantly updated in line with new conversational inputs from participants.
MakeShift was also able to capture detailed data on participants, while keeping that information private and secure. This was extremely helpful for supporting individual participants as well as informing program delivery going forward.
When the program was delivered face-to-face, participants would often forget to bring their workbooks home so they could complete their reflective exercises. Using Coach M, MakeShift was able to shift that reflective piece to the individual’s own mobile device, significantly improving engagement with this process.
THE RESULT
Based on data collected, 75 percent of participants indicated that Coach M was essential for maintaining a self-care plan and building new habits, and 85 percent of participants found the tools introduced by Coach M to be highly useful. When asked specifically about changing behaviors, participants reported that their follow through on specific nominated actions and self-care practices was 33 percent higher when working with Coach M, rather than if they had no transfer follow up.
Let’s consider what impact these changes in behaviors created. The program was designed to help participants improve mental well-being and emotional regulation through creative practices. While the changes weren’t converted to tangible benefits, participants did share their reported impact:
- “I am using those creative outlets to calm my mind and focus on self-care.”
- “I’m much better at acknowledging when I’m agitated or anxious. I feel more accepting of my mood changes because I know I have options to try and improve my mood.”
- “It [(the program]) has made some improvement to my mental health.”
This program is an excellent example of how using technology in the learning transfer process can prove extremely powerful.
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