New Article Feature: Interrogating the Philosophical Grounds for Advancing Equity-oriented Arts-based Spiritual Support in Canadian Healthcare
- Krista Heide
- Apr 8
- 4 min read
Updated: Apr 14
Featured Research Team Members: Dr. Kendra Rieger, Dr. Sheryl Reimer-Kirkham, Dr. Anne Tuppurainen, Dr. Myron A. Penner, Alysha McFadden [1]
We are excited to share a newly published article from members of our Arts for Equity research team that explores the philosophical foundations of arts-based spiritual support in healthcare.
As arts-based spiritual care continues to grow across Canada, this research helps deepen our understanding of why these approaches matter and how they can be implemented responsibly. Considering the juncture of art, spirituality, health and equity, this paper addresses three important questions:
What are the philosophical grounds for integrating art and spirituality for health and well-being in an equitable way?
How has the relationship between art and spirituality been theorized?
What is the interplay between social identity factors and arts-based spiritual support in relation to inequities in healthcare?
Healing Beyond the Biomedical Model
Arts-based spiritual support recognizes that healing is not only physical. Creative practices such as visual art, storytelling, music, poetry, and movement can provide meaningful ways for individuals to express identity, navigate illness, and explore spirituality. Across healthcare settings, these practices often help create spaces where patients feel seen, heard, and connected to themselves, their communities, and sometimes to something sacred or transcendent.
Recognizing the Importance of Context and Equity
This research also highlights that art within healthcare is never neutral. Arts-based spiritual initiatives exist within broader social, cultural, and historical contexts. Without careful reflection and engagement, even well-intentioned programs can unintentionally reproduce systemic inequities. The article encourages practitioners and organizations to consider how power, access, culture, and history shape patients’ experiences with both art and spirituality in healthcare settings.
Grounding Practice in Equity-Oriented Care
The paper emphasizes the importance of embedding arts-based spiritual support within equity-oriented frameworks. These include trauma- and violence-informed care, intersectionality, decolonizing approaches, and meaningful community partnerships. By centering lived experience and honouring diverse spiritual and cultural traditions, arts-based spiritual support can contribute to healthcare environments that are more responsive, compassionate, and inclusive.
Implications and Potential Paths for Equitable Arts-Based Spiritual Support in Healthcare
This paper proposes four paths forward, which show how equity-oriented arts-based spiritual support can actually be practiced:
First, we need to have a commitment to equity and decolonization — meaning we must intentionally dismantle colonial assumptions, embrace spiritual and cultural diversity, and practice cultural humility. This includes engaging Indigenous Elders and respecting Indigenous knowledges as sources of wisdom. Also, developing religious literacy about various religions and understanding the meanings behind different art forms allows us to meet people where they are.
Second, we need to take an intersectional lens — recognizing how race, class, gender, disability, and religion interact to shape people’s experiences of both care and exclusion. Art and spirituality initiatives must move away from “one-size-fits-all” models and instead reflect the lived realities of marginalized groups. This includes economic accessibility, cultural representation, and rejecting Eurocentric, ableist, or heteronormative assumptions in art and healing
Third, a trauma-and-violence-informed approach can inform our work at all sites— creating safe, inclusive, and empowering environments where participants maintain choice and agency. Recognizing how systemic and personal trauma influence experiences in art and spirituality helps avoid re-traumatization and fosters genuine healing and belonging.
Finally, authentic partnerships and community engagement are essential — working with communities. This means co-creating programs with knowledge keepers, patients, community, and diverse practitioners to ensure cultural safety, respect, and relevance.
Ultimately, the message is that equitable arts-based spiritual care requires a continuous process of critical reflection, humility, and collaboration. This work provides a strong foundation for all of our work.
Continuing the Conversation
We invite readers to explore the full article and reflect on how arts-based spiritual support is shaping healthcare practice, research, and community collaboration. As this field continues to evolve, the Arts for Equity team looks forward to sharing ongoing insights, stories, and partnerships that advance meaningful and inclusive spiritual care across Canada.
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[1] Dr. Kendra Rieger, lead author of this article, is an Associate Professor of Nursing at Trinity Western University and Health Research BC Scholar, and a lead investigator on our Art and Spirituality Research Team.
Dr. Sheryl Reimer‑Kirkham, co-author of this article, is the Dean of the School of Nursing at Trinity Western University, and a lead investigator of our Art and Spirituality Research Team.
Dr. Myron A. Penner, co-author of this article, is a Professor of Philosophy at Trinity Western University, and a research team member of our Art and Spirituality Research Team.
Alysha McFadden, co-author of this article, is an Assistant Professor of Nursing at Trinity Western University, and a research team member of our Art and Spirituality Research Team.
Dr. Anne Tuppurainen, co-author of this article, is the Director of Spiritual Health and Pastoral Care at Providence Health Care, and a lead investigator of our Art and Spirituality Research Team.
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