WORKING from
SCRAPS Could scrapbooking have applications as a form of therapeutic intervention for people living with mental illness, dementia, or other health concerns?
THERAPEUTIC SCRAPBOOKING Scrapbooking is a fun, crafty hobby, and much like crossstitching and adult colouring books, it has a multitude of positive benefits that can help people experiencing poor mental health, among a multitude of other things. Research from Joanna King et al from the Therapeutic Recreation Journal showed that scrapbooking is an excellent way for people to help navigate grief, and can be incorporated into healthy grief rituals to help people who have experienced loss to connect with their feelings, verbalise their hurt, and connect with people. Jenny Douge’s research in Procedia from 2010 explored the benefits of scrapbooking as an application of narrative therapy, where scrapbooking helped children living with physical disabilities or difficulties surrounding their emotional behaviour, encouraging them to externalise problems and gain new perspective through crafting. Scrapbooking may also have applications benefiting older people in a variety of ways. It might be beneficial to people living with dementia as it provides not only a way to preserve memories, but both a stimulating crafting activity and a memento that can be treasured and engaged with whenever the participant likes. It can also be used as an aspect of other kind of interventions: scrapbooks can be as tactile as the creator desires, using a whole host of materials which feel nice, make noise, sparkle, and twinkle. They can also be used as a kind of journal to chart feelings, thoughts and happenings, making them a powerful tool for both memory and self-exploration. As with many art-based interventions, scrapbooking also may assist in the promotion of community, too. 32
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