Supporting youth mental health through soothing imagery

Could a simple photograph help us feel calmer and support our wellbeing?

In this webinar, Professor Stella Chan, Chair in Evidence-based Psychological Treatment at the Charlie Waller Institute, shares the 10-year journey of Project Soothe – a global citizen science project that has co-created more than 800 soothing photographs from around the world and demonstrated how they can be used to support mental health.

Stella shares what her research tells us about the mood benefits of soothing imagery, including the role of nature, visual appeal and positive memories. She’ll also shares how Project Soothe has been used in more than 20 schools, in national organisations including Girlguiding, and within teacher training programmes. The latter half of the session involves a discussion between Stella and Dr Hannah Vickery, our CEO, to consider how the research can inform simple, accessible activities that can become part of everyday approaches to supporting young people’s mental health and wellbeing.