What is Arts in Health?
United States
This educational video introduces the field of arts in health, highlighting how creative practices are integrated into both clinical and community settings to support health and wellbeing. From hospitals to neighborhoods, discover how the arts are transforming healthcare and enriching lives.
Posted byCherry Ng
Pending staff verification
Notify
Abstract/Description
What is Arts in Health, and is Art Therapy the same thing? While they may differ, both play a crucial role in enhancing well-being and work together effectively in healthcare.
An artist in residence who practices in the field of Arts in Health in a healthcare setting is a practicing, professional artist in an artistic discipline such as visual art, music, dance, theatre, or writing. Art therapy, on the other hand, is a mental health-based profession that utilizes an artistic discipline specifically for the purpose of psychotherapy. The expertise of an arts in health professional is to facilitate a creative process using their artistic discipline in a healthcare, community, or clinical setting. Art therapists are experts in assessing, treating, and evaluating an individual using their artistic discipline of training to facilitate a psychotherapy session. This can be accomplished with dance, art, drama, or music therapy.
The distinction between the two disciplines comes down to the objective of engaging a patient, loved one, or clinician. Art therapists engage an individual for therapeutic goals, serving as an integrated, interdisciplinary healthcare practitioner. An arts in health professional engages an individual for the purpose of making art together to enhance health and uplift the body, mind, and spirit through the experience of making art. While an arts in health professional is also an integrated team member in a healthcare setting, they do not serve the healthcare team in a clinical capacity, nor do they make mental health assessments or set psychotherapeutic objectives. An artist in residence has the clear and pure task of facilitating the creative art-making process.
An artist in residence who practices in the field of Arts in Health in a healthcare setting is a practicing, professional artist in an artistic discipline such as visual art, music, dance, theatre, or writing. Art therapy, on the other hand, is a mental health-based profession that utilizes an artistic discipline specifically for the purpose of psychotherapy. The expertise of an arts in health professional is to facilitate a creative process using their artistic discipline in a healthcare, community, or clinical setting. Art therapists are experts in assessing, treating, and evaluating an individual using their artistic discipline of training to facilitate a psychotherapy session. This can be accomplished with dance, art, drama, or music therapy.
The distinction between the two disciplines comes down to the objective of engaging a patient, loved one, or clinician. Art therapists engage an individual for therapeutic goals, serving as an integrated, interdisciplinary healthcare practitioner. An arts in health professional engages an individual for the purpose of making art together to enhance health and uplift the body, mind, and spirit through the experience of making art. While an arts in health professional is also an integrated team member in a healthcare setting, they do not serve the healthcare team in a clinical capacity, nor do they make mental health assessments or set psychotherapeutic objectives. An artist in residence has the clear and pure task of facilitating the creative art-making process.
