Creative arts therapy programs can help health care workers dance, write and draw their way through burnout and on-the-job stress

Creative Arts Therapy Programs Can Help Healthcare Workers Dance, Write and Draw Their Way Through Burnout and On-the-Job Stress

Doctors and nurses rarely learn in school how to tell a family that their loved one is not going to survive. Yet, healthcare professionals face the immense burden of tragedy, illness, and dying in an intensely stressful setting as a routine, ongoing part of their jobs. Long before the COVID-19 pandemic, research was documenting rampant stress and burnout among healthcare professionals.

The Crisis in Healthcare Workforce Well-being

The effects of this crisis are widespread in the U.S. In 2022, Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy raised concerns about the alarming levels of burnout in the healthcare community in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. Studies show that if current trends continue, the U.S. will see a shortage of 1.1 million registered nurses, 3 million other healthcare workers, and over 140,000 physicians by 2033.

Resilience in Healthcare Professionals

For nearly two decades, our research group has focused on understanding the impact of work-related stress on healthcare workers. In our experience, almost every healthcare worker has a story about navigating the times when the weight of the profession is just too much to bear. To help address this issue, in 2019, we established the Colorado Resiliency Arts Lab, or CORAL.

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Measuring the Healing Power of Art

From 2020 to 2023, we carried out six cohorts of our 12-week clinical trial of creative arts therapy interventions involving healthcare professionals working at least half-time. Participants were randomly assigned to one of four creative arts therapy groups: art, music, dance/movement, and writing, with 12 weekly sessions lasting 90 minutes each. We measured participants’ levels of anxiety, depression, burnout, PTSD, and job satisfaction through validated questionnaires and asked the same questions again after the conclusion of the intervention.

Findings and Conclusion

Our findings add to the growing body of evidence that creative arts therapy can be an effective tool for dealing with healthcare worker burnout across the globe. We believe that creative art therapy is effective because it allows healthcare professionals to be imperfect – freedoms that can be healing in and of themselves. They can use these opportunities to speak the unspeakable through an art form, which becomes a vehicle to help explore and recover from trauma.

FAQs

Q: What is creative arts therapy, and how does it help healthcare professionals?

A: Creative arts therapy is a form of psychotherapy that uses creative processes such as art, music, dance/movement, or writing to help individuals explore and express their thoughts, feelings, and emotions. It helps healthcare professionals to manage stress, anxiety, and burnout by providing a safe and supportive environment to process their experiences and emotions.

Q: How did the study find that creative arts therapy impacted healthcare professionals?

A: Our study found that healthcare professionals who participated in creative arts therapy experienced significant reductions in burnout, anxiety, depression, PTSD, and emotional exhaustion. They also reported improved job satisfaction and a reduced desire to leave their jobs.

Q: Is creative arts therapy a suitable replacement for traditional therapy?

A: While creative arts therapy can be an effective adjunctive therapy, it is not a replacement for traditional therapy. It is essential to note that creative arts therapy is not a substitute for medical treatment or medication. It is designed to be used in conjunction with traditional therapy to provide a holistic approach to mental health treatment.

Q: Can anyone participate in creative arts therapy, or is it limited to healthcare professionals?

A: While our study focused on healthcare professionals, creative arts therapy is not limited to this group. Anyone can benefit from creative arts therapy, regardless of their profession or background.