Art meets healing

UC’s College of Design, Architecture, Art and Planning offered the perfect mix of fine arts and co-op opportunities, and staying close to home felt right to the Centerville, Ohio native. But even as a freshman majoring in fine art, Burch was already asking the big question: What can I do with this degree?

That curiosity led to research — and to art therapy. “My mom worked with special education students, so I was comfortable with that population,” Burch said. A visit to an art therapist at Hospice of Dayton sealed the deal. “I loved how they were using art and tools to help patients process challenges with diagnoses and grief.”

From there, doors opened quickly. A friend mentioned UC’s Pre-Art Therapy certificate, a collaborative program between DAAP and UC Clermont. Burch jumped in — landing an internship as a freshman. Alongside mentor and UC Clermont psychology Professor Meera Rastogi, she visited a retirement facility in Hyde Park, spending an hour each week doing art therapy with a resident living with Alzheimer’s.

“If I could just focus on this one thing for a bit, I could look at something I made,” Nerl said. “The act of making something with your own two hands is very rewarding.”

That realization led Nerl to UC’s Pre-Art Therapy program. She earned an associate degree in psychology in 2023 and will graduate this December with a bachelor’s degree in psychology and the certificate. Her internship at UC’s Gardner Neuroscience Institute, where she works with Rastogi, has been transformative.

“The group focuses on multiple sclerosis and movement disorders, like Parkinson’s and tremors,” she explained. “Even if patients weren’t having a good day before, by the end of the session, people start to lighten up. Art takes their minds off their challenges for a bit.”

Like Burch, Nerl credits Rastogi for guidance and support. “She’s so patient and loves what she does,” Nerl said. “She understands where people are coming from and always makes time to listen.”

For both students and others like them, art therapy isn’t just a career path — it’s a calling. And their passion exemplifies the heart of UC’s pre-art therapy program: giving students the tools to combine creativity with compassion to make a difference.

“Anyone can do art,” Nerl said. “You don’t have to be good at it. You become better because you like doing it. Art can’t solve all our problems, but it can help carry us through them.”

Learn more about UC’s Pre-Art Therapy certificate.

Top featured image: UC Clermont Professor Meera Rastogi (right) and Pre-Art Therapy student Malia Nerl at the UC Gardner Neuroscience Institute, where they use art to help patients handle the effects of movement disorders, like multiple sclerosis.