Improving Health and Human Services Engagement through Art

Many health and human services programs, especially those catering to marginalized populations, face challenges related to low attendance rates, early dropouts, and insufficient levels of active engagement. Participation in health and human services programs is more than just attendance; it signifies active engagement, a willingness to invest in the process, and a commitment to achieving desired outcomes. Literature suggests that service engagement is a multidimensional construct that encompasses the behavioral, attitudinal, and relational domains. To maximize their benefits, programs must create environments that are not only accessible but also deeply engaging across these multiple domains.

Art forms, with their inherent capacity to connect with individuals on emotional, cognitive, and social levels, offer a powerful means of enhancing the quality of participation in health and human services programs. For example, collective music-making enhances participants' engagement in health and human services interventions by fostering community, emotional expression, and active participation. It provides an accessible and enjoyable way to build connections, reduce stress, and encourage self-expression, while also strengthening cognitive and social skills. Similarly, poetry can foster active engagement by providing a creative outlet for self-expression, emotional healing, and storytelling. It helps participants articulate their experiences, build connections, and find meaning, making programs more interactive and personally relevant. Additionally, poetry can amplify marginalized voice and promote diversity. And dance brings the additional component of physical activity through movement and embodied connection experiences. As such, art forms serve as powerful catalysts for enhancing the quality of participation in health and human services programs, an area in need of more study in social work intervention research. As health and human service providers seek to create more engaging and impactful programs, integrating art forms emerges as a vital strategy for transforming passive recipients into active agents of change.

This roundtable will be co-led by four researchers conducting intervention research on health and human services programs that have integrated various art media to enhance participant engagement. The panelists will elaborate on the application of art in their respective programs. For example, the first panelist will describe the use of music in Cognitive Enhancement Therapy (CET) for adults with schizophrenia. The second panelist will describe the use of West African drumming and dance in mental health interventions for African American seniors with Alzheimer’s disease, while the third panelist will discuss the use of poetry in parenting programs aimed at African American fathers. The fourth and final panelist will address the use of Black church music within a culturally tailored, spiritually integrated framework, combined with Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) for mental health training directed at African American faith leaders. Subsequently, all panelists will engage participants in discussions about the impact of various art forms on service engagement, relevant research methodologies to assess this impact, and future directions for research in this area.