A hospital stay rarely affects only the body. Even in short admissions, people sit with fear, boredom, grief, anger, and often a sense of lost control. In longer or more complex stays, those emotions can be as overwhelming as the illness itself. That is the space where art therapists and music therapists do some of their most important work.
I first saw this clearly on an oncology ward. A woman in her forties, usually stoic, had just heard her treatment was not working as hoped. The medical team adjusted her chemotherapy plan. The psychologist on the team scheduled psychotherapy for the next day. The social worker checked on practical needs. What shifted her in the moment, though, was a quiet guitar, a familiar song from her childhood, and the chance to paint what she could not yet say aloud. That combination did not change her diagnosis, but it changed her night, and it changed how she could meet the days that followed.
Hospitals are full of such small, pivotal moments. Creative arts therapists build their practice around them.
What art and music therapists actually do in hospitals
Many people hear "art therapist" or "music therapist" and imagine a pleasant diversion, closer to a craft session than to clinical treatment. In a hospital, that stereotype misses the point.
Art therapists and music therapists are mental health professionals and rehabilitation professionals who use creative processes very deliberately. They assess, plan, and document their work. They are part of the treatment team, not the entertainment schedule.
An art therapist might sit by a patient’s bed with pastels, collage materials, or clay, but they are not there simply to keep someone busy. They are listening closely to the language of color, symbol, and gesture. They notice how a patient approaches the page, where they hesitate, what stories emerge as they draw. That information feeds directly into a treatment plan and into conversations with physicians, nurses, social workers, and psychologists.
A music therapist might use live singing, recorded music, simple percussion instruments, or even guided lyric writing. With a child on a ventilator, the music may focus on calming breathing patterns, rhythmic stability, and parent bonding. With an adult in pain, it may support relaxation and help reduce perceived pain intensity. With a person in rehabilitation after a stroke, tempo and rhythm can help retrain gait or speech rhythm, working alongside a physical therapist or speech therapist.
In most hospitals, these therapists:
- Receive formal referrals from doctors, nurses, or a clinical psychologist. Conduct an assessment, including emotional state, cognitive status, physical limitations, and cultural or musical preferences. Define clear goals, such as reducing anxiety before a procedure, supporting adjustment to a new diagnosis, improving tolerance for physical therapy, or strengthening a child’s coping skills. Provide individual or group therapy sessions at the bedside, in playrooms, day rooms, or dedicated therapy spaces. Document their sessions in the medical record, just as a psychiatrist, occupational therapist, or licensed clinical social worker would.
This is not a drop in with a guitar and hope for the best. It is structured, evidence-informed clinical care.
Training, licensing, and how they fit with other mental health professionals
Families often ask, "Are you like a counselor?" Or "Are you a psychologist?" The answer is usually, "We share some skills, but the training path and tools differ."
Art therapists and music therapists typically complete a specialized master’s degree that includes coursework in psychology, counseling theory, human development, and psychopathology, as well as extensive training in their specific modality. They also complete supervised clinical hours, similar to what is expected of a mental health counselor or marriage and family therapist.
Depending on the region, they may be:
- Licensed as creative arts therapists or similar titles. Licensed under broader categories such as licensed professional counselor or licensed clinical mental health counselor. Credentialed through professional boards specific to art therapy or music therapy, with national board certification.
They work alongside:
Psychiatrists
Medical doctors who can prescribe medication, perform diagnostic evaluations, and manage complex psychiatric conditions. They may refer patients to creative arts therapy as part of a broader treatment plan, especially when trauma, anxiety, or depression complicate medical care.
Psychologists and clinical https://www.wehealandgrow.com/contact psychologists
Professionals trained in assessment, diagnosis, and psychotherapy, including approaches such as cognitive behavioral therapy, behavioral therapy, and trauma focused work. An art therapist may coordinate with a psychologist to reinforce coping strategies or to provide a nonverbal avenue when talk therapy is stalled or overwhelming.
Social workers and licensed clinical social workers
Often the backbone of hospital mental health, social workers address family dynamics, discharge planning, and crisis intervention. An art therapist or music therapist might invite a social worker into a session if intense grief, conflict, or safety concerns emerge.
Occupational therapists and physical therapists
These colleagues focus on functional skills, mobility, and activities of daily living. Creative arts therapists often co-treat with rehabilitation staff. For example, a music therapist can work with a physical therapist to use rhythm as a cue for walking after a brain injury.
Speech therapists
In patients with speech or language disorders, music can offer alternative pathways for expression or help rebuild prosody and articulation. Joint sessions between speech and music therapy are common in stroke and pediatric care.
The overlap can be confusing from the outside. An art therapist might be doing what looks like talk therapy integrated with drawing. A music therapist may work on anxiety much like a psychotherapist would, but with the addition of structured music experiences. What matters is the fit between the patient’s needs, preferences, and the skills of the clinician.
How creative arts therapy looks on different hospital units
Hospital culture changes from floor to floor. The way an art therapist or music therapist practices in each setting reflects that.
Pediatrics
Children often do not have the vocabulary to describe their fear, pain, or confusion, and even when they do, they might refuse direct questions. A child therapist on a pediatric team might use talk therapy or play to elicit themes. An art therapist adds another powerful layer.
On pediatric wards, you might see:
A five year old waiting for surgery painting a "brave shield" that they can hold when they go to the operating room, transforming a terrifying transition into a story of courage.
A teenager in oncology writing lyrics with a music therapist about what they miss from home, then recording the song for friends, reclaiming a sense of identity that is not defined by illness.
A child in intensive care responding to soft guitar and a parent’s singing with slower heart rate and more rhythmic breathing, which the nurses can see in real time on the monitors.
These are not just sweet moments. They reduce procedural anxiety, support attachment, and help staff complete essential care. When a child is calmer, blood draws, imaging, and physical exams often go more smoothly, which is a tangible benefit to the medical team.
Adult oncology and medical units
Adults sometimes enter the hospital with a lifetime of coping patterns. Some have used talk therapy or worked with a counselor before. Others have never seen a therapist and feel uneasy with anything that resembles psychological treatment.
Art and music can offer a less confrontational way in. I have watched:
A man who insisted he had "nothing to say" sit in silence while a music therapist played piano, then begin to talk spontaneously when a particular song reminded him of a turning point in his life.
An older woman who dismissed psychotherapy as "not for me" gradually reveal her fear of burdening her adult children while she worked on a collage about "what I want them to know."
Here, creative arts therapy frequently supports:
Adjustment to chronic illness.
Grief related to functional loss.
Treatment decisions that involve values, not just medical facts.
Family communication, especially when relatives are divided about the best course of action.
Intensive care units
In intensive care, alarms beep constantly, sleep is fragmented, and delirium is common. People can be disoriented, restrained, or heavily medicated. It might seem like a poor environment for therapy sessions.
In practice, thoughtful use of music can be remarkably helpful. Research and clinical experience show that:
Live music calibrated to a patient’s respiratory rate and heart rate can help stabilize vital signs in some cases.
Familiar music chosen together with families can reduce agitation and support orientation.
For patients who are sedated, family led singing with guidance from a music therapist helps relatives feel less helpless and more connected at the bedside.
Art therapy in ICU is more limited by equipment and space, but it still has a role, particularly in cardiac and step down units. Patients sometimes create small pieces about their experience of suddenly facing mortality, which can then be used later in psychotherapy or with a clinical social worker when they transfer to a lower acuity floor.
Rehabilitation and neurology
In rehabilitation hospitals and units, art therapists and music therapists move seamlessly between mental health and functional goals.
A behavioral therapist might focus on increasing participation in rehab tasks through reinforcement. A music therapist might pair those same tasks with rhythm or preferred music to increase engagement and repetition. For instance, using a metronome or drum to pace steps for a person relearning to walk.
Art therapists support:
Fine motor skills, such as grasp and release, through drawing or sculpting.
Visual spatial skills through collage, painting, and structured design tasks.
Cognitive rehabilitation, asking patients to plan multi step art projects, which can reveal executive functioning strengths and limitations.
This is where the line between "mental health professional" and "rehabilitation professional" blurs. Someone may be working on both depression and right hand dexterity in the same session, because in real life those issues intertwine.
How creative arts therapy complements other forms of psychotherapy
Creative arts therapy does not replace talk therapy. Instead, it expands options. Some patients respond very well to cognitive behavioral therapy or standard individual counseling. Others feel stuck with purely verbal work, or they simply cannot tolerate long, abstract conversations in the middle of demanding medical treatments.
Art and music provide:
A way to externalize emotions.
Instead of describing grief, a patient might depict it as a landscape or choose music that "sounds like" their fear. Once it is outside of them, it can be examined without the same level of internal collapse.
A bridge across language and cultural barriers.
When a patient and therapist do not share a first language, music or imagery can carry meaning that words cannot. Working through a translator is still important for informed consent and safety, but the heart of the session can rest in shared sounds or images.
A regulated nervous system.
Sometimes a person is too activated to benefit from insight oriented psychotherapy. Rhythmic strumming, humming, or repetitive mark making can help lower arousal. Only then does traditional talk therapy become feasible.
A different narrative.
People in hospitals are often reduced to diagnoses. "The stroke in 412." "The trauma case in 6B." When someone creates an image or composes a short song, their story broadens. They are an artist, a writer, a musician, or at least a creator of something that exists beyond the IV pole.
Good teams negotiate who takes what role. A psychologist might handle complex trauma therapy, while an art therapist provides supplementary sessions focused on coping in the present. A marriage counselor or family therapist might lead a structured family meeting about communication, while a music therapist runs a family songwriting session that lets teenagers say what they cannot voice in a formal conference.
A closer look at a session: what actually happens
From the outside, a therapy session that involves paint or a guitar can look freeform. On the inside, the therapist is making constant clinical decisions.
Consider an adult patient on a cardiac unit, recently surviving a heart attack, referred for anxiety and difficulty sleeping.
The art therapist introduces themselves as part of the team, explains confidentiality within the hospital context, and asks about the patient’s interests. The patient mentions that he "used to draw in high school."
The therapist might suggest a simple drawing task such as "draw how your heart feels today" or invite free drawing while gently asking about the hospital experience. If the patient freezes, the therapist can shift to collage with pre cut images, which often feels less intimidating.
During the session, the therapist tracks:
Affect: Does the patient look more agitated, more settled, or numb as they work?
Thought patterns: Are there themes of catastrophe, guilt, or hopelessness that could signal depression or trauma?
Behavioral cues: Does the patient persevere, give up easily, or show signs of pain that the nurse should know about?
At the end, the therapist might connect insights back to concrete coping tools. If the patient drew a fragile, cracked heart held together by bandages, they might explore what "bandages" represent in his life. Family support? Faith? Medication adherence? That conversation can reinforce healthy behaviors and inform the medical team about what matters to him.
Music therapy sessions follow a similar arc: orientation, assessment, intervention, reflection, and integration. The content simply lives in sound instead of imagery.
Where creative arts therapy makes a particular difference
Two broad patterns show up repeatedly in hospitals when creative arts therapy is available.
First, it helps with experiences that are difficult to verbalize: trauma, body image changes, medical procedures that feel invasive, and anticipatory grief. A trauma therapist trained in talk based methods can collaborate with a creative arts therapist to sequence care. For example, starting with music supported grounding, moving to symbolic art about the trauma, then, when the patient is ready, discussing the story in more direct language.
Second, it often brings in family members more naturally than standard sessions. Many relatives are reluctant to sit in what feels like "family therapy" with a stranger, especially in a crisis. Yet they will readily join a 20 minute music session at the bedside, choosing songs or writing a short lullaby for a baby in neonatal intensive care. The therapeutic alliance can grow in that less formal environment, which later makes deeper conversations with a clinical social worker or psychotherapist more acceptable.
Here are a few hospital situations where creative arts therapists are frequently consulted:
- Pediatric oncology and hematology, for long admissions and repeated procedures. Palliative care, where issues of legacy, meaning, and saying goodbye are central. Neurology and stroke units, to address both emotional impact and functional recovery. Burn units, for pain management, body image, and trauma. Addiction treatment units within hospitals, using music or art to address cravings, shame, and identity, in tandem with an addiction counselor.
In these contexts, art and music are not a luxury. They are sometimes the only languages that feel safe enough for patients to use.
Evidence and limitations
The research on creative arts therapy in hospitals is growing. Studies, while often small or focused on specific populations, have shown:
Reductions in self reported anxiety and pain in many patients who receive music therapy before or after surgery.
Better engagement and participation in rehabilitation when therapy activities are paired with music, particularly in stroke and Parkinson’s disease.
Many clinicians also rely on what they see day after day. A nurse may comment that a patient who usually refuses care became more cooperative after two music therapy sessions. A physical therapist might notice increased stamina when sessions include live drumming or rhythmic cues.
At the same time, creative arts therapy has limits.
It is not a substitute for urgent psychiatric care. When a patient is actively suicidal, psychotic, or severely agitated, a psychiatrist, psychiatric nurse, or on call mental health crisis team must lead. An art therapist may participate later, but safety comes first.
It is not a cure for serious mental illness. Patients with major depression, bipolar disorder, or complex trauma still need comprehensive treatment plans that can include medication, structured psychotherapy, and community support.
It is not always welcome. Some people simply do not like art or music in a therapeutic context. Skilled therapists respect that, offer alternatives, or step back. Informed consent and respect for patient autonomy apply just as they do in talk therapy.
Resource constraints are also real. Not every hospital has the staff or funding to provide creative arts therapy on every unit. Even in well resourced centers, therapists often triage referrals, prioritizing patients with high distress, long stays, or complex family situations.
Working together: creative arts therapists and the rest of the team
The strongest programs treat art and music therapists as core members of the clinical team, not as optional extras.
That means:
Regular participation in multidisciplinary rounds, where therapists can flag patients who are struggling emotionally or who might benefit from other services such as psychiatry, psychology, or family therapy.
Joint treatment planning, where goals are aligned. For instance, if a behavioral therapist is working on increasing participation in self care, the art therapist can mirror that goal by structuring projects that build autonomy and mastery.
Consultation both ways. A marriage and family therapist might ask a music therapist for input on a couple that communicates better through shared songs than through conversation. Conversely, a creative arts therapist can request support from a marriage counselor when a family conflict that emerges in a session needs focused relational work.
When collaboration is strong, patients receive coherent care. They are not hearing one message from the physician, another from the psychologist, and a third from the art therapist. Instead, creative arts sessions reinforce medical education, coping strategies, and realistic hope.
When creative arts therapy is especially helpful for patients and families
Because hospital resources are finite, teams often ask when to prioritize art or music therapy referrals. Some patterns tend to predict benefit:
- Children and adults who are highly anxious about procedures, especially when previous attempts at preparation have not helped. Patients who struggle with traditional talk therapy, either because of age, cognitive impairment, language barriers, or personality style. Families facing long or repeated hospitalizations, who show signs of burnout, conflict, or emotional withdrawal. Patients with a history of trauma for whom bodily procedures and medical environments are triggering. People in palliative or end of life care who want to create legacies or find ways to express important messages.
In these situations, a single well timed session can alter the trajectory of a hospital stay, even if it does not change the medical outcome.
How hospitals can better support art and music therapy programs
Hospitals that want to build or strengthen creative arts therapy services often underestimate what is required. Hiring one enthusiastic therapist and giving them a cart of supplies is not enough.
Key supports include:
- Clear role definition and inclusion in the mental health and rehabilitation departments, with appropriate supervision and career ladders. Access to electronic health records for documentation, and the ability to read relevant notes from physicians, nurses, and other therapists. Stable funding so that positions are not vulnerable to every budget fluctuation, which erodes trust among staff and patients. Orientation for medical staff about when and how to refer, and what to expect from a therapy session. Attention to therapist wellbeing, since creative arts therapists absorb significant emotional material and can be at risk for burnout just like social workers, psychologists, and nurses.
When these elements are in place, art and music therapists can practice at the level of their training, not as hobbyists on the margins of clinical care.
The quiet power of creative work in medical spaces
Hospitals excel at lab results, imaging, procedures, and protocols. Those tools save lives every day. Yet any clinician who has spent time on the wards knows that two patients with the same diagnosis can have very different journeys.
One might feel isolated, misunderstood, and reduced to a room number. The other might find ways to stay connected to themselves and their loved ones, to experience beauty, to process fear without being consumed by it. Art therapists and music therapists sit at that junction where medicine meets meaning.
They are not the only professionals who offer emotional support in hospitals. Counselors, psychologists, psychiatrists, social workers, spiritual care providers, nurses, and physicians all play critical roles. What creative arts therapists add is a particular set of tools that bypass some defenses, speak across cultures, and make room for expression when words are too small or too sharp.
In an environment built around measurable outcomes, it can be tempting to view a painting or a song as secondary. Yet anyone who has seen a child smile for the first time in weeks while drumming with a music therapist, or a previously withdrawn patient describe the story behind a drawing, understands that these moments are part of healing.
When hospitals treat creative arts therapy as integral to care, not as an optional extra, they acknowledge a simple truth: patients are not only bodies to be repaired, they are whole people. Art and music give those people a voice within the machinery of modern medicine, and that voice matters.
NAP
Business Name: Heal & Grow Therapy
Address: 1810 E Ray Rd, Suite A209B, Chandler, AZ 85225
Phone: (480) 788-6169
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Heal & Grow Therapy specializes in anxiety therapy
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Popular Questions About Heal & Grow Therapy
What services does Heal & Grow Therapy offer in Chandler, Arizona?
Heal & Grow Therapy in Chandler, AZ provides EMDR therapy, anxiety therapy, trauma therapy, postpartum and perinatal mental health services, grief counseling, and LGBTQ+ affirming therapy. Sessions are available in person at the Chandler office and via telehealth throughout Arizona.
Does Heal & Grow Therapy offer telehealth appointments?
Yes, Heal & Grow Therapy offers telehealth sessions for clients located anywhere in Arizona. In-person appointments are available at the Chandler, AZ office for residents of the East Valley, including Gilbert, Mesa, Tempe, and Queen Creek.
What is EMDR therapy and does Heal & Grow Therapy provide it?
EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) is a structured therapy that helps the brain process traumatic memories and reduce their emotional impact. Heal & Grow Therapy in Chandler, AZ uses EMDR as a core modality for treating trauma, anxiety, and perinatal mental health concerns.
Does Heal & Grow Therapy specialize in postpartum and perinatal mental health?
Yes, Heal & Grow Therapy's founder Jasmine Carpio holds a PMH-C (Perinatal Mental Health Certification) from Postpartum Support International. The Chandler practice specializes in postpartum depression, postpartum anxiety, birth trauma, perinatal PTSD, and identity shifts in motherhood.
What are the business hours for Heal & Grow Therapy?
Heal & Grow Therapy in Chandler, AZ is open Monday from 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM, Wednesday from 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM, and Thursday from 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM. It is recommended to call (480) 788-6169 or book online to confirm availability.
Does Heal & Grow Therapy accept insurance?
Heal & Grow Therapy is in-network with Aetna. For clients with other insurance plans, the practice provides superbills for out-of-network reimbursement. FSA and HSA payments are also accepted at the Chandler, AZ office.
Is Heal & Grow Therapy LGBTQ+ affirming?
Yes, Heal & Grow Therapy is an LGBTQ+ affirming practice in Chandler, Arizona. The practice provides a safe, inclusive therapeutic environment and is trained in trauma-informed clinical interventions for LGBTQ+ adults.
How do I contact Heal & Grow Therapy to schedule an appointment?
You can reach Heal & Grow Therapy by calling (480) 788-6169 or emailing [email protected]. The practice is also available on Facebook, Instagram, and TherapyDen.
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