The CACTI Blog: Healing Through Art - The Transformative Power of Creative Expression in Health and Well-being

By Leslie Maria Rivera, 2024-2025  Undergraduate Certificate in Developmental Disabilities

Art has been an important way for people to express themselves and heal throughout history. On the University of Arizona campus, there is a program called ArtWorks that shows how art can help our health and bring people together. ArtWorks is part of the Department of Family & Community Medicine and the Sonoran Center. It offers many different kinds of art activities.

I was lucky to do my internship at ArtWorks while I was a trainee in the Sonoran Center’s certificate program. In each art studio, you can see beautiful and original artwork made by adults with intellectual or developmental disabilities. Every studio works on daily art projects that encourage creativity, good mental health, and personal growth.

Visiting each week made me feel like part of the community. After a while, many of the participants learned my name and became my friends. This made me feel connected and welcomed. Many participants also have close friendships with each other that they have built over the years.

As I got to know each person better, I saw how art brings people together and helps create a safe and friendly space. When you walk through the studios, whether you are volunteering or helping with a bigger project like scrapbooking, you can see how art makes people smile and feel good.

Most of my time was spent helping with a large scrapbooking project. The project had different worksheets and modules for people with disabilities. Some topics were about culture and celebrations, safety plans, personal strengths, challenges, and more. I worked with the program’s director, Dr. Yumi Shirai, who helped guide me. My job was to make the worksheets easier to read, use clearer language, and find better pictures to include. The project has eight modules in total. I also translated all of them into Spanish. These changes will help the project be used in workshops for disability programs in the community and possibly around the world in the future.

Working on scrapbooking taught me how important it is to focus on each person’s needs, encourage self‑expression, support independence, and help people advocate for themselves.

My passion for medicine comes from wanting to support all people. This interest led me to study developmental disabilities and join the Sonoran Center’s undergraduate certificate program, which brought me to ArtWorks. Learning about the health barriers people face has inspired me to take classes, do research, and work with organizations that help people with disabilities. These experiences are helping me grow as a person and prepare to become a caring future nurse.

This program also made me curious about how art affects the brain, especially for people with disabilities, and whether art could help us create a healthier future. Art programs around the world already show that art can help people emotionally, socially, and mentally. A Linked Frame article called How Art Therapy Has Evolved: A Historical Insight, explains that art can help people understand and express feelings that are hard to put into words, creating a healthier mind. It says:

“Through the creative process, participants can uncover and articulate aspects of their personality and experiences that may be difficult to express in words.”

I believe art therapy can help create a healthier future for everyone, especially people with disabilities. There is still so much to learn and study about art therapy. It could be used in many healthcare settings, such as hospitals and local community centers, to support person‑centered care.

There is still a lot more to explore about the connection between art and health, and it requires teamwork from many different professionals. Bringing more art into healthcare can lead to healthier lives. My internship at ArtWorks has helped me build new skills while working with people with disabilities and with a team from different fields.

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