The process and outcomes evaluation of a pre-academic music and arts program for individuals with mental health conditions: A mixed methods longitudinal study

Introduction: The emergence of the recovery-oriented approach has impacted mental health policies
worldwide. One related initiative in Israel is the Garage pre-academic music and arts school for people
with musical and artistic abilities who are also coping with mental health conditions. This program
aims to enhance musical and artistic skills, as well as socio-emotional abilities to facilitate participants’
integration into higher education and work. Objective: This presentation will discuss the findings of
our mixed-methods longitudinal study, funded by the National Insurance Institute in Israel, which
sought to understand how and whether the program contributes to participants’ community
integration and meets its goals. Methods: This mixed-methods study primarily involves qualitative
data and secondary, complementary, quantitative data. Qualitative data on the experiences of
students and graduates were collected from three cohorts through six focus-groups, each comprised
of 8-12 people. Quantitative data were collected from 42 students via questionnaires before, during
and after the program. The data were analysed based on the Grounded Theory approach (for
qualitative analysis), correlations, paired tests, and regression (for the quantitative analysis) and
merged analysis (for integration). Discussion: The discussion centres on how and whether the program
contributes to participants’ personal recovery, creative self-concept, and community integration.
Conclusion: The findings shed light on how music and arts training, production, and expression can be
incorporated into community services and contribute to social and personal recovery processes. This
work may also provide a scientific basis for promoting the implementation of similar programs in other
locations and fields of learning.