Creating a vital healing community: A pilot study of an art therapy employee support group at a pediatric hospital

Abstract

The purpose of this pilot study was to survey participants in an art therapy pediatric hospital staff support group to assess their sense of wellbeing in the workplace. The primary goal was to explore the value of using the ProQOL measure to evaluate outcomes of art therapy engagement for staff. Art therapy is an effective application of holistic wellness to combat stress and provide the powerful rewards of respite, personal growth, and emotional support while building a healing community in the workplace; it also helped with improving focus and productivity despite the strain of providing care to complex and challenging patient and families. Potentially the encouraging outcomes of this study can be used to improve availability of art therapy services for healthcare system employees.