Thanks for all the comments! I think if I worked in an institution, I'd try doing it as an artist residency, and that way maybe it wouldn't be so regimented and frustrating. Also I was definitely thinking more on the lines of theater as therapy and dance, though I know those two things don't work for everyone.
I can imagine it must be difficult to feel like anyone is helping you when you cannot leave a place. My dad was stuck for a short time in a public hospital wing, and he was miserable there, which I don't blame him for. I wish I had been old enough to take care of him myself... his therapy is playing music but he couldn't have his trumpet in the hospital...
I know I made a lot of breakthroughs two years ago during a theatre workshop, which was a lot like group therapy because we incorporated our emotional lives into the piece. Everyone has different flow states... some find it through writing, some through painting, others through singing and dancing.
I'm gonna roll with this. I might first do a workshop to raise money for an organization that supports mental health. Then maybe I can meet some professionals who use theatre pieces as therapeutic journeys