The growing role of photography as a therapeutic tool for trauma recovery and community healing was on display at the Healing Through Photography conference.
Belfast Exposed hosted the conference 7-8 April 2025 at the MAC in Belfast, which attracted 180 mental health professionals, artists, academics, community representatives and individuals with lived experience.
The Community Relations Council supported the event through its CR/CD Smalls Grants Scheme. Additional support was provided by Arts Council NI, Belfast City Council and the Baring Foundation.
Keynote speakers included Judy Weiser, a pioneer in Phototherapy, and Rosy Martin, an iconic artist and psychological therapist known for re-enactment phototherapy. Other talks explored the theme of “Trauma and the Art of Recovery” through the lens of those with lived experience, expert practitioners, academics and more.
Damien McNally, an Evaluation Officer with CRC, spoke at the event.
The programme also featured hands-on workshops with expert tutors, such as the SHOWeD method and therapeutic collage sessions led by Belfast Exposed’s Engagement Manager Mervyn Smyth and Engagement Officer Samantha Robb. Guided photo walks through Belfast’s Peace Walls, the Maritime Mile, the Ulster University’s School of Art, and the Ulster Folk Museum offered participants opportunities to explore identity, memory, and place through photography. For early risers, a sunrise walk at Cavehill gave delegates the opportunity to capture beautiful photographs and forge important connections.
Exhibitions at Belfast Exposed’s gallery showcased powerful works like Seen/Unseen by David McKinney, reflecting on his mental health journey, and In The Shadow of the Butterfly Bush by Gareth McConnell, commissioned by NI Alternatives to mark 25 years of restorative justice in Northern Ireland.
Health Minister Mike Nesbitt praised the event, saying: “As a society, we need to continue to provide opportunities for individuals and communities to look after their own emotional wellbeing and mental health, and it is encouraging to hear new innovative ways we can approach this, including through the medium of photography.”
Elsewhere, Hugh Nelson, Head of Community Wellbeing at the Northern Health and Social Care Trust, spoke about the power of creative solutions in healing communities. “We have established what has become a solid partnership with Belfast Exposed. Their work fits so well with our Arts and Wellbeing Strategy, Creating Healthy Lives Through the Arts. Our work together is a central strand of our creative solutions for individual and community healing. Belfast Exposed’s Therapeutic Photography Programme is leading the way in showing how this art form makes a major contribution to improving the mental health of our community.”
Deirdre Robb, CEO of Belfast Exposed, emphasised the conference's significance: “After the success of our 2023 conference, we’re delighted to be welcoming back speakers and delegates from all over the world to Belfast. Northern Ireland’s past has left us with a legacy of mental health issues, and this conference is all about exploring how recovery and resilience can be aided by looking at things through a different lens.”
Belfast Exposed’s therapeutic photography programme continues to support individuals facing challenges such as PTSD, depression, addiction, and isolation, offering creative avenues for expression and connection. Through collaborations with health trusts, charities, and community groups, the organisation remains at the forefront of integrating art and mental health support in Northern Ireland.