Back to the Basics

I enjoy my job so much more when I'm using art with my students. Art therapy offers new ways of looking at problems and solutions, and it feels more interesting, more helpful. But for some reason, sometimes I fall out of practice. I begin encouraging my students to sit in the comfy chair rather than at the art-making table. I think it feels safer to me, and I think it protects my students from having to get out of their comfort zone and try something new.

But recently, I started Brene Brown's Living Brave Semester. And one of the "Arenas," (Arena = area of life where you want to practice courage and authenticity) that I identified was: I want to be a braver counselor. A brave counselor is one who is present, truthful, and willing to use her gifts, skills, and wisdom in order to help students foster necessary acceptance and change.

How does a person get back in the arena once she has left it? Perhaps the answer is returning to the fundamentals and beginning to put them into practice.

What are the "Basics" of art therapy?

• Trusting the process and believing that the Process will always show up - no matter what
• Owning the belief that art-making is meaning-making, and that we are here to create and contribute
• Meeting the student where he is
• Creating a nonjudgmental space where "failure" becomes a valued part of the learning process
• Having art supplies prepared and available
• Practicing the willingness to take small risks through our art-making-- in the hope that we will develop a friendly attitude toward playful exploration and risk-taking in our daily lives
• Recalling some of the essential Art Therapy intervention strategies and regarding these strategies as a starting place or fodder for intuitive modification.

1. Mad, Sad, Glad, Scared
2. Create a Safe Place
3. Trauma Tree
4. Creative Lifelines
5. Scribble Chase
6. Mandalas
7. Magazine Photo Collage
8. Family Sculpture
9. Person-in-Tree Assessment
10. How I see myself/ How others see me
11. Bridging Emotions
12. Bridge Drawing
13. Haptic Self Symbol
14. Art Journaling
15. Artful acts of kindness

What other Art Therapy "Basics" would you include?

In making the list of some of what I consider to be essential intervention strategies, I realize I haven't done formal posts on some of these directives. It's good to have some immediate inspiration for future posts!

Begin Again

Greetings! For a couple of years, I switched The Art Therapy Catablog to private after receiving some criticism by one of the "greats" in the field. In retrospect, I think it's fair to say that my reaction was a severe over-reaction, born of my fear of being visible and vulnerable-- of"being in the arena."

The sad effect of my public blog going private was that I stopped contributing to it. I love having a space to record what I'm learning, and I love sharing my thoughts and ideas with interested readers. Being in the field of counseling and art therapy can be difficult and discouraging at times, and we need one another to cope, to grow, to inspire, to connect.

So, with that-- I'm re-establishing this blog as a place to learn and grow and share together. Welcome!

Play-dough recipe

Title: Making Play-dough
Materials/Procedure: In a large bowl, mix 1 cup flour, 1/2 cup salt, 6-7 Tablespoons water, 1 Tablespoon vegetable/canola oil, 1-2 packets of kool-aid and/or 6-7 drops essential oil (i.e. lavender, peppermint, lemongrass, etc.). Add glitter optionally. Mix thoroughly, using hands. When finished playing with dough, store in an air-tight container or bag and keep refrigerated.
Rationale: Making play-dough is an enjoyable, non-threatening activity that creates an inexpensive art material that can be used many times. Some individuals with sensory integration issues or tactile aversions can benefit from a positive exposure to a new material. Clinician may gain useful information by observing the individual's reaction to new material. For example, individual may approach messy material easily and comfortably, or he/she may approach material more cautiously. Individuals may use finished product in various ways: to make sculptures of interest, as a "stress ball," as an object to throw forcefully, etc. Use of finished product may also help clinician to gain insight into client's behavior and/or thought patterns, as well as create a starting point for dialogue.
Adaptations: Use aromatherapy essential oils to work toward different types of emotional or mental goals. For example, lavender is often used to promote relaxation. Peppermint can be used to promote mental focus. Lemongrass or other citrus oils may be used to decrease level of depression.
Offer different colors of kool-aid and attach an intention to certain color. For example, a person may relate the color blue with serenity or peace, so that person may attach the intention or affirmation, "I always have access to feelings of peacefulness" to handling play-dough.
Reflection: I have made this play-dough recipe with several children. In each case, child was easily engaged in dough-making. Each child's comfort level with the dough-making process was interesting to observe. One boy was reluctant to touch dough, and waited until dough was much more solid before putting his hands into mixture. The experience was positive for the boy and his reluctance quickly faded, which gave me something concrete to notice and praise Each child enjoyed having play-dough to keep.

Pillows

Title: Pillows
Source: Valerie Milholland, ATR
Materials: Paper, pencil, pre-cut rectangles of polyester fabric, needles, thread, batting (stuffing), crayola fabric crayons, iron
Procedure: 1. Ask the participant to draw his/her name in big letters onto a piece of piece of paper using a pencil. 2. Flip the paper over and decorate the name (that now appears to be backwards) using fabric crayons. 3. Place the crayoned sided of the paper on top of the fabric and run a hot iron over the back of the page, thus transferring the name onto the fabric. 4. Once the fabric is cool, pair with another rectangle of fabric, with the design facing inward. 5.Work with the participant to stitch 3 3/4 sides of the pillow. (Leave enough space unstitched to fit a hand inside.) 6.Put hand into the unstitched gap and grab hold of the fabric, pulling it out through the hole and turning the pillow inside out. (The design should now be on the outside.) 7. Insert stuffing through the gap that is unstitched. 8. Sew the gap closed.
Rationale: Valerie has several years experience of working with children in residential settings. She often uses this directive as an opening activity for a number of reasons: The close proximity required during the stitching provides an opportunity to build rapport and demonstrate that she is a safe and trustworthy person. Pillow-making is a functional art-making intervention that reaches the participant on a survival level, as well as on a creative level. The resulting product is something comfortable and personalized. Pillow-making would be categorized as an "art as therapy" intervention, focusing on the process and potential for creative flow.

Tribute to a Color

Title: Tribute to a Color
Source: Sara Crafton
Materials: Primary-12X12 white cardstock. Optional materials-Lots of colorful media: May include but not limited to watercolor and acrylic paints, paint brushes, markers, crayons, oil pastels, precut magazine images and words, colored pencils, tissue paper, and glitter.
Directive: Make a visual tribute to a color of your choice. Choose a color based on: your current mood, your favorite color, a color associated with a memory, the favorite color of someone close to you, etc. Use whatever media you would like to use, and mixed media is encouraged!
(See Adaptions section for optional steps.)
Processing: Did you have a reason for choosing the color you chose? If so, what was the reason. What was this process like for you? Are you happy with your tribute to your chosen color? Did you explore any media that you haven't used much before? If so, what was that experience like for you?
Rationale: This intervention encourages media exploration, and playful risk-taking. If your only objective is to portray "blue," for example, then the creative mind is called on to figure out the best way to color the page and meet the objective.
Adaptations: One additional step that adds an element of uninhibited expression is to tell the participant(s) to try to avoid getting overly attached to their artwork because the piece will be somehow altered after the "tribute" is created. Then after the participant is satisfied with their color, tell them to alter their artwork/create something new/ collaborate with other members to create a unified piece. Altering the piece encourages creative problem solving and adaptive thinking/reacting. If you (as the facilitator) want to encourage team building, the collaborative piece is an effective option.

Spill Journaling

Title: Spill Journaling, as prepared by *Sara Crafton for 2010 KYATA intervention exchange
Materials: 12”x12” cardstock in different colors, stack of recycled magazines, pens, glue sticks, scissors, any other media as desired

Procedure:
1. Choose a magazine, and flip mindlessly through the pages, tearing out pages of interest. Try to avoid over-thinking this process.
2. With the same mindless intention, go through the chosen pages and tear out the word(s), image(s), and/or pattern(s) that attracted you to the page.
3. Now use the selected torn words, images, and patterns to create a collage on the cardstock. Leave as little or as much space as you like for journaling.
4. Journal with, around, and/or over the collage using stream of consciousness journaling (freely writing what comes to mind without judgment or analysis). Spill your thoughts onto the page, and feel free to add other artwork or doodling if desired.

Continue onto step #5 or stop here (depending on time and objective).

5. Repeat the process, only this time, take your time. Instead of tearing, use scissors to cut out words, images, and patterns. This second collage may be more methodical, orderly, and intentional.

Processing:
Compare and contrast the process of steps 1-4 with step 5. How did the final products vary? Was there a common theme between the two collages? Were there any surprises?

Rationale: This intervention helps to identify the essence of a stressor or obstacle. It is freeing, encourages a sense of play, and may help a person to distinguish true desires from outside expectations. It also stimulates the creative “flow,” and helps inhibited individuals approach art more confidently.

Adaptations: Spill Journaling can also be used as an artistic approach to information synthesis. For example, you might read a book or attend a workshop that you want to fully comprehend or identify the take away points. Spilling helps to consolidate and highlight useful information, while discarding less important information in a fun and creative way. Similarly, spill journaling could be used to address a specific concept or ideal, such as compassion or humor, or to reflect on a powerful quote or anecdote.

7 rules for successful conflict resolution

Source: 2/12/2010. As prepared by Catherine LeSaux, LCSW, for intra-office memo

When conflict occurs:
1. Take your temperature. Addressing a problem in the heat of the moment or when you're hot under the collar is not always the best time for problem solving. Give yourself some cooling off time.
2. Remember problems are not created in a vacuum. Ask yourself, "What's my responsibility, my part of the equation? What have I contributed, perhaps, unintentionally, to the problem?"
3. Accept and acknowledge your part of the equation. i.e. "maybe I wasn't clear in giving instruction; maybe there was an edge in the tone of my voice that may have been misinterpreted."
4. Address the issue of concern directly with your co-worker. If a resolution hasn't been reached, consult with a mentor or supervisor. Gossiping with co-workers is passive-aggressive and non-productive.
5. Focus on the problem, not personalities.
6. Be assertive rather than aggressive in your approach. You can still have very strong feelings about the topic while conducting yourself with a professional demeanor.
7. Remember that relationships are often strengthened and creative solutions can result from situations where the conflict has been addressed in a healthy manner.