Motivated by challenges she faced during the COVID-19 pandemic, Zepf Center Wellness & Resiliency Coach Sarah Dinius found a renewed sense of comfort in art and began painting. Three years later, she passionately advocates for the use of art to aid client treatment at Zepf Center. 

Art is a powerful tool that has been used alongside substance use disorder and mental health treatment for decades. Fitting seamlessly with Zepf Center’s integrated care model, wellness groups like those led by Dinius ensure treatment is available for a client’s physical, mental and social needs.

 “Art is a never-ending process, and it takes time—just like healing,” Dinius said. “To watch someone go outside of their box and try something new…If I could, I would do art every day with all the individuals we serve.”

Zepf Center Wellness Groups promote clients' health and wellness through support, fitness, skill building and more. Clients simply need a referral from their provider at Zepf to join these groups—from there, a member of the Wellness team will follow up and schedule their group involvement.

The “Artistically Visualizing Recovery” group Dinius hosts each week empowers clients’ artistic expression to help them uncover new tools and support their treatment journey.

Dinius has been leading this group since January 2022 but has facilitated peer art groups in the community since 2016.

As Dinius mentions, some groups require clients to try new things and step outside of their comfort zone. Gently pushing their boundaries, these groups can empower clients to achieve far more than they could with traditional treatment alone.

“[A client] came to [my group] to learn new skills and socialize,” Dinius shared. “After five weeks of attending this group, the client self-reported they went out of the house to the store for the first time in years to get the flowers they wanted for the art group project. That was the start.”

Dinius observed the client continue to grow, step out of their comfort zone and learn how to advocate for themselves. The progress achieved through group attendance ultimately led to the client regaining the confidence to drive by themselves for the first time in several years.

Though groups are often limited to a specific timeframe, Zepf Center Wellness Team constantly evaluates group effectiveness, popularity and outcomes to ensure the best client experience.

“Anyone receiving mental health services can do Wellness Groups,” Dinius said. “[The individual] just needs to go to intake, become a Zepf Client and request health and wellness programming.”

Even if someone is receiving mental health services somewhere else, they can come to Zepf just to attend wellness groups after a short intake process. Dinius’ group, “Artistically Visualizing Recovery”, will begin their next Wednesday session on June 28 and Tuesday session on August 1. Dinius is currently accepting referrals for both.

For more information about these groups, contact the Wellness Center team by calling 419.841.7701. Zepf Center clients should speak with their Zepf provider to get more information about wellness programming and explore group referral options.