2020 Recipient of the Alumni Achievemnet Award for her work in Occupational Therapy From the University of Toronto
ARTS BASED WELL-BEING SERVICES
Creative Resilience, Community Building and Wellness Online Workshops for Team, Staff, Artists and Students
Art based Well-Being & Arts Based Occupational Therapy Online training for health professionals and Artists
Online Group Program for visual arts and songwriting and singing groups
Online and Outdoors Individuals and Group Supportive Coaching and Counselling
Grant writing, Visioning and Partnership Building
HISTORY:
Isabel Fryszberg is the founder of Creative Works Studio, the innovative, arts based, occupational therapy program which she ran for over twenty years in her role as creative lead at St. Michael’s Hospital for adults living with mental health and addiction issues. Applying her professional skills as an artist, filmmaker, musician and occupational therapist Isabel fluidly intergrates these disciplines to help people build resilience and health by engaging their creative abilities.
“When I’m doing the music, I’m never sick,” says band member Courtney Marshall, who has bipolar disorder and depression. “I’m right there, doing my job as an artist. It’s just what I want to do.”
In collaboration with research scientist Janet Parsons at St. Michael's Hospital, and the members of the studio she produced and directed the one hour feature documentary film, What's Art Got To Do With It? which aired on CBC documentary channel and was featured at the Female Eye Festival. You can check out the 5 minute trailor version on Youtube.
She also facilitated the creation of a music album called "Coming Out of Darkness"
(See reviews)
KNOWLEDGE TRANSLATION:
Isabel is an adjunct lecturer in the Department of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy, University of Toronto and is a consultant for the department’s student led initiative, The Art of Keeping Well, a creative hub for Graduate Students to promote mental health. She provides multimedia presentations in Arts and Wellness within the department of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy and for the Arts and Humanities program Scarborough Campus.
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HEALTH AND FILM:
As a filmmaker her documentaries are both personal and educational celebrating the strength of the human spirit . In Search of Joy ; Memories that Sing; and What's Art Got To Do With It?
These films which have been broadcast for television are also used at colleges, universities and public gatherings as inspirational educational and knowledge translation tools.
HONOURS AND AWARDS:
2020 Alumni Achievement Award for Occupational Therapy, University of Toronto.
2016 Acknowledging AWESOME ACTS in Occupational Therapy - OSOT
2011 Advancing Occupational Therapy Practice Award, University of Toronto,
2010 - 2011 Health Disciplines Clinical Excellence Award, St. Michael’s Hospital
CURRENT PROJECTS:
Thrilled to be awarded by the Ontario Arts Council http://www.arts.on.ca/grants/general-granting-information/grant-results/2019/march/multi-and-inter-arts-projects to develop sustainable Arts Based Approaches and Wellness Toolkit for Artists working in Healthcare !! This will provide the opportunity to create training tools, templates, workshops and webinars for artists and art based professionals working in healthcare. Thank you Ontario Arts Council!
Last year Isabel led two successful How to Create and Sustain an arts based program for Occupational Therapists through the Canadian Association of Occupational Therapist CAOT. This year she has gone online providing CAOT with dynamic 6 week courses.
Calgary: https://www.caot.ca/viewEvent.html?no_header=true&productId=10321
Isabel has applied Arts Based Well-Being into new frontiers. In collaboration with St. Michael's Hospital Research Team (Clara Juando-Prats, Janet Parsons, Flora Matheson) Isabel has created and implemented arts based well-being approaches and programming, working with women with gambling issues and training staff at Jean Tweed Center and Fred Victor Mission.