IEATA's 14th Annual International Conference

This presentation introduces participants to some of the key components of an online Expressive Arts-based Wellness Project at a County Hospital in California providing practices from expressive arts, mindfulness and yoga to reduce stress and promote well-being amidst healthcare workers amidst demanding work responsibilities. Using a blend of slide presentations and experiential activities, we will demonstrate how we incorporated resourcing activities for 20 minute online staff groups and created videos and worksheets to enhance wellness practices. Challenges and obstacles as well as benefits of engaging staff during work hours will be discussed, as will challenges and benefits of utilizing a very brief 20 minute group format. Participants will be lead through a flow of muli-modal arts exercises as well as simple yoga and breathing practices that are reflective of what we utilized with hospital staff for this project. A majority of the activities focus on tools for coping with burnout, compassion fatigue, grief, anxiety, depression and other responses to the pandemic amidst health care providers. Space for reflection discussion around how this approach could be incorporated or adapted for other healthcare facilities or in other settings in which staff are in need of support and resourcing.