Experience Rx

What is Experience Rx: Social Prescribing at Michigan?

Social prescribing is a health-promoting approach to connect people with non-clinical experiences—such as the arts, movement, nature, service and shared meals—to support their overall well-being. These personalized “prescriptions” foster meaningful social connections, reduce isolation, and enhance quality of life both individually and at the community level.

Social prescribing expands upon more common clinical remedies, like seeing a therapist or physician. All prescriptions will be intentionally curated as part of the Experience Rx catalog of offerings. Examples include:

• Engaging in a hands-on artmaking workshop
• Taking a group hike through the Arb
• Joining an intramural pickleball team
• Enjoying a chef-prepared cultural meal
• Participating in a volunteer experience

Prescription Principles

Social prescriptions are:

• Personalized to align with individual wellness goals, values, interests, and resources
• Collaborative, involving partnerships across sectors to both enhance and amplify partners’ existing work 
• Accessible, with low or no cost to participants
• Designed to foster meaningful and engaging experiences that prioritize social connection 

Collaborating Partners

This initiative is a collaborative partnership among key U-M units and programs, including:

Active Initiatives

History of Social Prescribing at U-M

Inspired by decades of social prescribing research and practice in countries like the United Kingdom and Singapore, which demonstrate the tangible benefits of art, movement, and nature on human health, the University of Michigan is committed to advancing this work. Our goal is to improve the lives of our campus community while contributing to the international body of research on social prescribing.

U-M has already taken steps in this direction. The Nature Rx initiative, launched in 2018, began as a student-led effort to promote the mental health benefits of nature. It gained further momentum during the COVID-19 pandemic with the release of the Nature Rx App. Building on this success, the Arts Initiative in collaboration with UHC administered an Arts and Loneliness in College Students survey in Winter 2025 to better understand the potential impact of social prescribing on campus. 64% of survey respondents indicated that they would be more likely to attend an arts event if their clinician or therapist prescribed it.

Arts Rx launched in Fall 2025. The program has been rolled out in both clinical and non-clinical settings, including with select Wellness Coaches, CAPS counselors, and Let’s Talk facilitators for initial pilot testing. The program is currently undergoing an evaluation to better understand its feasibility.