"As a young adult, Chris Appleton struggled with his mental health and emotional well-being-a breaking point that led him toward sobriety at 19. Along the way, he found that the healing power of the arts became a key part of his long-term recovery. Today, Appleton has turned that personal experience into a research-based approach to supporting college students' mental health."
"In 2022, he founded Art Pharmacy, an Atlanta-based health care services company that uses social prescribing-the practice of referring patients to community-based activities such as dance workshops, art classes, museum visits and nature walks-to address student well-being, including mental and behavioral health and loneliness. "Connecting students to life-affirming, life-enriching resources and making it easier for them to participate gives young people a permission structure," Appleton said. "This isn't just extracurricular programming-it's integrating these community-based activities into a care pathway.""
Chris Appleton experienced severe mental health struggles and reached sobriety at 19, with the arts becoming a key element of recovery. He founded Art Pharmacy in 2022 as a health care services company applying social prescribing to college student well-being. Social prescribing connects students to community-based activities such as dance workshops, art classes, museum visits and nature walks to address mental and behavioral health and loneliness. Campus counseling and student affairs offices issue electronic referrals to Art Pharmacy care navigators, licensed clinical social workers who assess needs and link students to community partners. The model allows students to bring friends to activities to boost connection and belonging, and early results suggest the approach is helping students.
Read at Inside Higher Ed | Higher Education News, Events and Jobs
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