The most significant impact… was the return of joy into my life. With joy came a clarity that life can continue outside of the military if I take the skills learned on the program and use them when facing bad days – Donna

I think the most significant impact on my life (from the program) was the confidence and courage to show anybody what I can achieve with the use of the written word – David

(Through creativity) I have learnt not to pass judgement on others, and not accept judgment on myself from people who were never in my shoes – Scuba

The immediate benefits at the time were remarkable… it provided a welcome removal from my woes, by providing a safe welcoming environment and re-introducing me to the pleasures of artistic activity – Kingsley

The opportunity to engage with the most amazing and knowledgeable staff not only helped me rediscover my artistic passion, but taught me more in a short period of time than I had learned in my entire life. Also being able to share your story and experience with others who have experienced similar things, without any judgement or expectations, outside of that military environment was refreshing and healing – Darren

Undertaking the program made me understand how angry I was and how isolated I felt. It helped me understand that I was not alone, that I was not in the wrong and that I needed to take action to help look after myself – Liza

The program gave me awareness that the Arts are a great way to refocus attention from negative thinking traits, such as anxiety and depressive thoughts, into constructive outcomes or expressions. The resultant satisfaction gained for me was like medicine, allowing me to promote my self-esteem and feel more normal in a complex world of emotions – Brad

Being able to rely on skills from the program and re-engage my self creatively again is the most significant impact. Being mentored and lead by industry experts/professionals in a creative non-judgemental environment and being able to be part of a dynamic team again were the benefits – Nathan

Painting, the writing, the tutoring and guidance in it… the course is great, and it was facilitated fantastically. The creative juices are flying, so to speak. So in spite of the conditions that you’re under and things that are going on in your life, there’s still a lot of creativity – Adrian

I no longer think that my depression and how I dealt with it was shameful. (Music) helped me banish some negative self thoughts and showed than even when I was at my lowest point, the stuff I put into the world could be useful. It could be turned into something beautiful and people would listen to it and enjoy it – Caitlan

I (now) have a constructive and creative outlet that also brings balance. This means for me that I engaged with others, working together. This is significant since writing is a very personal thing and allowing others to see it, let alone be a part of it, is huge in terms of trust – Mark

Engaging in the creative process with a group of familiar strangers helped me see people in a new light. I got to connect with myself and the other participants on a deeper level… it taught me empathy and acceptance – Chris

The main benefit was the non-judgemental space that was provided, and the common grounds across all the other participants within that group, being able to talk freely knowing that we weren’t being judged about certain things in our life and career – Cherie

This program proved to me that I can do something other than soldiering, and to reconnect with the therapeutic benefits of playing guitar. It also gave me the courage to create and pursue a new profession – Pat

A term I use a lot since leaving is re-lens. It’s a film term… you can actually change the lens on the camera to get different vision. And on a film set that’s common, physically take the lens off and put a new lens on and change the shape, colour, focus of the thing. I don’t know if my PTSD injury experiences would have played out differently from (doing) the ARRTS course, but it gave me better skills to re-lens, review, analyse those things – Damon

Gaining trust in myself again was the biggest one impact—being able to believe in my abilities again. I was pretty over everything, I didn’t really know what to do, so it was good to get out of that environment, and then be in a trusting environment again. I just really bonded with a couple of people straight away, and it wasn’t just the guys, it was mentors too – Scott

Working with a new group of people had its challenges initially, but I found common ground through art in one way or another. Working with other military personnel through music and art was a new experience for me. I had not related to other soldiers in this way before, and it made me feel normal – Name withheld on request

Under wonderful, supportive instruction I found a way to release my creative energy into writing poetry. Through poetry I can express myself without feeling insecure and without judgement. The relationships I built strengthened my character—I was not alone in my struggles – Vicky

I just had time for myself, and I was able to work on myself. It’s nice to actually do something that can have my creative side come out—to become me and be able to do what I want to do. I now want to start a photography business because I actually enjoy going out – Mark