The John L Grove Rehabilitation Centre is seeking an artist to facilitate the My Journey, My Story program, which will use art to help improve patient outcomes. 

“A lot of time when people come in to do exercise they really focus on the physical achievement ... rather than thinking about the other part. We are a person, we are a holistic being,” John L Grove social worker Hui-Yu Yao said. 

“Through talking and doing this artwork people sometimes can realise that they have other strengths or other abilities that was not being recognised.”

There has been a rise in the use of art as a therapy and wellbeing tool, the University of Tasmania even runs a course on art and health. 

UTAS unit co-ordinator in art and health Eliza Burke said art can be used in a range of areas, from clinical settings, to expressive therapy, to community health. 

Dr Burke said art can cut through barriers like language and can help people process difficulties and trauma.

“Some expressive therapies and art therapies can be incredibly beneficial especially for people suffering from trauma or abuse or very, very difficult experiences where language can be just too painful,” she said.

A drive towards more holistic health care that recognises more than just clinical medicine is partly behind to uptake of art as a therapy tool believes Dr Burke. 

“There's a greater awareness of where the clinical system fails us in terms of our mental health and our capacity to deal with health and illness in a holistic way,” she said. 

“We need a broader set of strategies to deal with the holistic side of health and to support people as best as we can.”

She adds that there is an extensive and growing body of research and literature behind the effectiveness of art therapy in its own right. 

Launceston based art therapist Wendy Nash said it is a powerful tool to improve physical and mental health and wellbeing outcomes.

“For me the whole idea of art therapy is that it brings together the mind, the body and the spirit,” she said.