A program using art as therapy to help injured defence personnel has proven so successful it has been guaranteed for five years.
The Arts for Recovery, Resilience, Teamwork and Skills (ARRTS) program is run by the Australian Defence Force twice a year in Canberra.
It is open to Defence members from across the services suffering physical or psychological injuries.
Army Sergeant Jason Kent, a participant in the program, described the past three years of his life as a "train wreck".
"I was witness to an incident in Afghanistan. I attempted suicide in Afghanistan," he said.
On his return to Australia Mr Kent was diagnosed with severe depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder.
He has spent the past four weeks in Canberra taking part in the ARRTS program.
"It's been hard. It's been confronting in a lot of things for me," he said.
"With my health conditions it's very hard to go outside of your comfort zone."
As part of the program's music strand, Mr Kent was coached in writing, composing and performing songs based on personal experience.
The program was led by Brigadier Wayne Goodman who has relied on the arts to help his own recovery from a brain injury.
"By telling their story whether it be singing, painting or just talking to their mates I believe that is what part of the recovery is all about," he said.
"That really helps their self-confidence, then it leads to a thing called resilience and next minute they've got a smile on their face again."
Artistic director Geoff Grey said the course was a life-changing experience for participants which gave them the skills to move forward.
"It's about creating a legacy skill set to be able to call on in the future for when the black dog might come calling again," he said.
"What we see at the end is the realisation of hope."
Sergeant Kent said he would encourage other injured defence members to take part.
"In the long run this is the best medicine you can do," he said.
