Bodhi Simpson, LCPC, ATR My story My Story Art- Our first language - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Bodhi Simpson, LCPC, ATR

My story

My Story

Art- Our first language

What is Art Therapy?

“Art therapy is a mental health profession in which clients, facilitated by the art therapist, use art media, the creative process, and the resulting artwork to explore their feelings, reconcile emotional conflicts, foster self awareness, manage behavior and addictions, develop social skills, improve reality orientation, reduce anxiety, and increase self esteem.”

• American Art Therapy Association

Why use Art in Therapy?

 Connect to inner world  Subconscious material becomes visible  Develop witness perspective  Understand personal stories/beliefs  Present moment awareness – flow state  Learn to create daily practice

Why Use Art in Therapy?

 Express what is beyond words  Create transitional objects/anchors  Create new realities

History of Art Therapy

 Carl Jung  Psychological drawing assessments  Margaret Naumberg  Edith Kramer

Art Therapy and the Brain

 Neuroplasticity – ability to rewire brain  Visualization, mind doesn’t know difference between

something real or imagined

 Provides relief by pairing fear-arousing emotions with

positive, new sensory experiences

What is an Art Therapist trained in?

 Art  Human Development  Psychology  Art Assessment  Developmental Stages of Art  What to look for over time: patterns, themes  Speaking in metaphor  Art materials, techniques  Ethics

Can I use art in my practice without being an Art Therapist?

 Yes!!

Most important is…

 Preparation  Exploration  Integration of your own experience with art

Preparation

 Please get out a piece of paper and a marker  Put everything else in front of you to the side or on the

floor.

Exploration – Scribble Game

 Choose one color  Create a scribble on your paper  Trade scribbles with the person next to you  Look at the scribble from all angles  Turn it into something using your marker  Once finished, give it a title

How do I introduce art?

 Be comfortable, curious, and playful  Create an atmosphere of comfort with creativity  No right or wrong  Process vs Product

Exploration: Feelings Heart

 Draw a large heart shape on the paper  Identify 3-5 feelings that you have experienced today or lately  Choose one color to represent each feeling  Imagine the heart represents you  Use each color to fill inside the heart based on what it feels like

inside

Integration

In Pairs, share your feelings heart with one another Questions:

 What was it like to take the time to identify how you have

been feeling?

 What was it like to express how you are feeling this way?  Would you feel comfortable sharing with me what you are

feeling and why?

Metaphor

 Hold space to help clients discover their own meanings

in their own symbolism

 Assist clients in entering the metaphor  Safe, non-threatening

Preparation

 Please clear your work area.  Large paper will be handed out.  Please get out a pencil.

Directive – Bridge Drawing

 Draw a Bridge, real or imagined  The bridge is going from somewhere to somewhere, real or

imagined

 When you are finished with your drawing, place yourself

somewhere in the image

 Draw an arrow showing what direction you are going

Integration

 Please add your name, the date and a title  In pairs, one at a time place your image on the table  Invite the other person to process (never force)

Integration

Questions: Enter the image with the client and speak in metaphor…

 What was that process like?  Did you have an idea of what you were going to draw or did it come as

you were drawing?

 How does this represent something about you or where things are at in

your life/ where you have been/what direction you are going?

 What is beyond the page?

Preparation

 Clear the area in front of you  Get out a piece of white paper  Get out drawing materials

Directive – Safe Place Drawing

 Visualization  Draw a safe place, real or imagined

Integration

Questions:

 What was this process like for you?  Did you know what you were going to create or did it come to

you as you were drawing?

 Tell me about this safe place?  What are some ways you can bring this feeling of safety into your

day to day life?

Preparation

 Clear the area in front of you  Get out a piece of white paper  Get out drawing materials

Directive: Healing Symbol

 Visualization  Create image that came to you in mind’s eye without

judgement

Integration

 Questions:  What was this process like for you?  Did you see something in your mind’s eye or did the image

and colors come as you were drawing?

 What does the image remind you?  What does it represent for you?  What guidance does the image have for you?

Daily Practice

 Many ways to work with healing images  Develop an ongoing relationship with the image,

practice holding in mind’s eye

 Shift focus of energy from problem to solution

Therapeutic benefits

 Helps express feelings that occurred before verbal

language

 Trauma is stored in sensory forms  Often with trauma words can’t fully express the

experience

 Sensory based intervention

Therapeutic benefits

 Form of release, clearing of heavy emotions  Release tensions and anxiety  Get physical energies out  Releases trauma

Therapeutic benefits

 Makes unconscious visible and tangible so we can make

shifts

 Learn to take personal responsibility  Learn to trust own wisdom  Builds self esteem  Increase in self-compassion

How do I support my client in creative expression?

 Create safe space, clients can feel your comfort level  Be flexible, tweak directives as needed  Stay present with image

How do I support my client in creative expression?

 Have art materials on hand!  Not your job to interpret images  Hold space to help clients discover their own meanings

in their own symbolism

How to talk about art

 Use reflective listening  Use metaphoric language  Tie in to daily life -I wonder if this is similar to the way you

connect with others?

 Safe in art, unsafe?  Does it make a sound, what would it feel like to take

position of art?

How to talk about art

 Validate – “that’s quite a journey on that bridge”  Speak about the image with the client’s language  Don’t say it’s beautiful or you are a good artist  Can you tell me a story about what’s happening?  If this part could talk what would it say?

Questions?