Healthy Living Mural at JHMC
The Department of Psychiatry at Jamaica and Flushing Hospitals recently celebrated Creative Arts Therapies week by displaying the artwork made by their patients. From March 17 to March 21, Jamaica Hospital showcased an exhibit titled “Me” in the hospital lobby, while Flushing Hospital’s “Wishing Tree of Life and Hope” and “Healthy Living” murals were displayed on easels in the lobby.
The “Me” exhibit featured over 20 pieces, all depicting the personal expressions of how patients viewed themselves. The artwork includes self-portraits and landscapes.
Each of Flushing Hospital’s murals spanned 30”x40” and were created by patients from the Chemical Dependency Unit and inpatient psychiatry unit. The “Wishing Tree of Life and Hope” mural consisted of a tree full of leaves. Every leaf highlighted a personal value that patients found helpful in their recovery from drug use. The “Healthy Living” mural was a collage of images that patients felt defined healthy living. Some of the images included healthy food, exercising, and sleep.
Over 300 individuals, including Councilman Ruben Willis, visited the
Wishing Tree Mural at FHMC
exhibits and in some cases, wrote words of encouragement and support for creative arts therapy and acknowledged the benefits it provides patients.
“Creative Arts Therapies Week supports creative expression as a cornerstone of mental health and a happy, fulfilled life,” said Elim Mak, Creative Arts Therapist at Flushing Hospital. “Art therapy allows our patients to tap in or reconnect with their creative inner selves. It is a life-affirming intervention because we humans are, by nature, an imaginative and creative species.”
According to American Art Therapy Association, art therapy uses art media, the creative process, and the resulting artwork to explore feelings, reconcile emotional conflicts, and foster self-awareness. It also manages behavior and addictions, develops social skills, improves reality orientation, reduces anxiety and depression and increases self-esteem.
“Arts therapy is an essential part of treatment for mental health patients because the process of making art is therapeutic,” said Michelle Hololob, Creative Arts Therapist at Jamaica Hospital. “When a person doesn’t have words or when words are too painful, art becomes inspiration.”
“Additionally, every population can benefit from art therapy,” said Heather Grey, Creative Arts Therapist at Jamaica Hospital. “We provide all of our patients with a safe space. Our rooms are warm, friendly, inviting, and display remnants of home.”
"Me" Exhibit at JHMC
Mental health patients admitted to Jamaica or Flushing Hospital participate in creative arts therapy through group sessions. They also receive medication therapy, psychotherapy, and emotional support. The hospitals’ collaborative and comprehensive approach to treatment provides patients with the best chance at functioning in society.
The “Me” exhibit was featured in the Queens Chronicleand the New York Daily News.