Celebrating 25 years of delivering arts therapies in 2018!

What is BCAT?

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The Birmingham Centre for Arts Therapies (BCAT) is a registered charity which was set up in 1993 to provide an accessible arts therapies and more recently an arts in health service throughout the Midlands, the UK and extending to an international service. We assist children and adults who are experiencing mental health, behavioural or emotional issues.  

The centre, a former Cadbury building, is unique in that it brings together art, drama, music, dance movement and play therapy which can be accessed both here and in an outreach capacity.

BCAT documentary feature

The documentary above, produced as part of a MA study in journalism by Siddarth Kumar, looks at mental health and music therapy. This gives an excellent insight into our organisation and features numerous members of our staff and service users across arts therapy and arts in health. 

In the documentary Siddarth highlights the importance of arts therapies as an intervention to those with mental health. 

BCAT News

National Autism Show, NEC 
We had a fantastic weekend at the National Autism show that was attended by approx 2000 people over 2 days. BCAT led the arts therapies workshops that were all very popular. We met amazing people doing wonderful things for Autistic needs, and the weather was shining too! 

Thank you to allto all those who came to visit us, staff and therapists who donated their time to support this event. 

Summer Reading Challenge is on its way!
Get ready for a busy summer! BCAT in partnership with Birmingham South Libraries will be bringing you Mischief Makers as part of the Summer Reading Challenge 2018. We will be hitting Kingstanding, Perry Common, Frankley, Weoley Castle and Kings Norton libraries from the end of July!

Chinese Community Centre
BCAT are delighted to have been asked to support the summer programme for the Chinese Community Centre that will start on 26 July. Over 5 weeks the children will be supported with sensory workshops, led by our arts in health facilitators. 

We are always on the look out for talented individuals to join our team so give us a call and you could potentially be working with great communities too. 

Upcoming Community projects

Annual report 2016-2017

BCAT's annual report 2016-2017 is now available.

Dr Angela Fenwick Director of BCAT states, 'Personally, I am so proud that we have come
so far - weathering storms together and rejoicing in the good times we have had
and services we have been able to provide. Thank you so much to everyone.'
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File Size: 1218 kb
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May newsletter 

Special edition on Dance Movement Psychotherapy
may_newsletter_2018__1_.pdf
File Size: 3176 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

BCAT arts experientials and courses

If you are looking to gain the necessary knowledge before completing an advanced course in art therapy or arts in health; or are looking for new techniques that therapists use to apply to your own work, then BCATs courses will be of interest. Our 2018 courses in ART, DANCE, DRAMA and MUSIC plus ARTS IN HEALTH are now available to book.  
Further details here.

'Amelia was very engaging and pitched the course at the right level...I have been wanting to do this for ages and it has given me the push to apply for Dance Therapy.'
Anne, Autumn Dance Movement Course 2017
'I thought the course was informative and inspiring. Angela was particularly knowledgeable and enthusing.'
​Susie, Spring Music Experiential 2017

Bringing arts therapies to the workplace
Our interactive, engaging and fun training days are designed to educate and inform on the techniques that therapists use in each discipline to address their clients needs. These techniques can be used for a number of employee needs including building confidence; coping with stress and anxiety; presentation skills; team building and relations, or providing a therapeutic session designed to improve the overall health and well-being of your employees.
​If you would like further details please click here. 
Volunteering at BCAT
We are very lucky here at BCAT to work with fantastic volunteers from all walks of life. Over 2016/17 we had 133 people attending one of our monthly meetings.

At the moment we are looking for volunteers to help with fundraising, and any experienced arts facilitators for paid workshops. 

If you would like to join our Volunteer Development Programme (VDP) please contact Liz Beech at lizbcat@gmail.com
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Hello from Angela, Richard, Liz and Mark

Services

​Book an arts therapist

Book an arts in health facilitator for your workshops

Art installations and graphic design service

Training days for the workplace

Dates for your diary​
January
February
March
April
May
June
6 BCAT Information evening
27 Bake Sale, BLF
22-23 AUTISM SHOW at NEC
30 St Mary's Car Boot
July
4 BCAT Information evening
7 Greenholm School Arts Festival
14 Foxyards Primary School Summer Fete
28 Arts in Health workshop, Northfield
August
1 STARZ at Frankley library for 5 weeks
6 Safeguarding Training
10 GDPR Training
13-18 BCAT STARZ Film Summer Workshop, Northfield Library
September
1 Sea Scouts Car Boot, Sutton Coldfield
3 STEP ON at Frankley library for 6 weeks
5 BCAT Information evening
6 STEP ON at Kings Norton library for 6 weeks
17 STEP ON HIGHGATE begins
October
1 Introduction to Drama therapy begins (3 weeks)
3 Art experiential begins (10 weeks)
3 BCAT Information evening
4 Music experiential begins (10 weeks)
6 STARZ at Kings Norton Library for 6 weeks
November
5 Introduction to Dance and Movement Therapy begins (2 weeks)
7 BCAT Information evening
December
1 Housing & Care Christmas Fayre
5 BCAT Information evening 

    Want to hear from BCAT?

Thank you to our supporters

Donate to BCAT

Help support our arts therapies for children and adults with mental health and also support our arts in health community work.
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Shop and donate to BCAT!
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Make a donation, start your own fundraising. join our monthly BCAT Friends programme.
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Text BCAT £1 to 70070 to support our POUND FOR ARTS campaign. You can donate up to £10.
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Recycle your ink cartridges and raise money for BCAT
“It was not only the children who benefited from the Arts Therapies sessions!  Their parents also participated and gained considerable new insight into their children’s behaviours and how strategies might be developed to facilitate greater understanding between themselves and their children. We hope that BCAT can continue to find sufficient funding to continue to work with us”.        
Manager of under 5yrs. Child Development Centre