At an introductory first session for each group I asked the girls to make a collage entitled Planet Me. I collected images words and phrases from magazines and placed them in the center of the table. The collage technique was nonthreatening and the words — such as “your life ” “better ” “beautiful” — were resonant. If a girl felt particularly challenged by working with images she could always arrange words on the paper to express herself.

Most girls used both pictures and words in their “Planet Me” collages. When they had finished we went around the table (a large wooden table very solid and conducive to our therapeutic activity) and each girl spoke about her collage. This was where her self-reflection her shattered life her hopes and dreams were expressed. Some were more superficial than others but most of the girls seemed to share honestly. We were bonding as a group and we were usually off to a relatively good start.

The group would meet for eight art therapy sessions at the same time each week. Prior to starting a new group I did not investigate the girls’ personal records because I wanted to get to know each one first and foremost as a person not as a criminal. I hardly ever knew what crime landed them in prison. Their whole life was so painful that the crime was usually the tip of the iceberg.

For eight weeks we were on a ship in the rough sea and it was my job to steer the course in a beneficial direction for all on board. I would generally begin each session with an art therapy directive for each participant to explore. One of the most meaningful directives was to create a mask. The side facing out was decorated with artwork that showed how the teen presented herself to the world or how she believed others saw her. The side that faced inward showed how the teen felt on the inside how she viewed herself. My office featured a display of masks hanging from the ceiling along with drawings paintings and collages.

Another effective directive was to “draw yourself when you were just born.” Through this experience, I hoped to encourage the girls to see themselves as worthwhile human beings, having the goodness of a newborn still somewhere deep inside of them.

I will never forget when I directed the girls to draw a representation of their “safe space,” and a 15-year-old girl drew the prison on her paper. Her life and the abuse she suffered were so horrible that she felt safest in prison.

In a different session, another girl who had been physically abused by her step-brother actually drew the scene of the abuse, which she explained to me privately after the group had left. She felt relief when she finished.

The art therapy experience was a way to strengthen the girls’ abilities to make better choices in the future, when faced with the challenges of their difficult lives. I don’t know if there were astounding results. However, I do believe that some of the girls gained self-awareness and at least a small sense of self-worth in the process.

The therapeutic relationships I developed with them were a major factor in the progress that occurred. In fact, I was once called to an official meeting because one of the girls was telling others that I was going to adopt her — which was obviously untrue. I had, in fact, been looking on my own for a foster home for her, but to no avail. She clearly sensed my deep concern for her.

From abusive relationships to a life of drugs, from girls picking fights with other girls to having to limit art supplies for safety reasons… the job was a real eye-opener. It was more challenging at some times than others, usually depending on the specific girls in each group. Some girls showed a desire to improve their lives once they were freed. Other girls seemed to be resigned to the kind of life they had been leading until then.

Like everything else in life, we do our best and try to touch others positively along the way. I hope I made small improvements in the painful existence of those imprisoned girls.

The Power of Art Therapy

What is it?

Art therapy is a mental-health profession that utilizes the experience of making art and the resulting artwork to help the individual in his or her personal healing process. One does not need to be an artist or even “good at art” to benefit from art therapy. The professional art therapist is trained to understand which art materials and directives work best with a specific client’s needs.

The process of making art, the expression of an individual’s personal creativity, can be extremely soothing and relaxing. It can also be stimulating and exciting. During the creative process, the individual often begins to open up about his life circumstances and personal pain. The resulting artwork generates discussion that helps the individual reflect on himself, his challenges, and his inner world. Guided by the art therapist, the individual finds meaning and gains insight into his life through the art that’s produced.

Where is it practiced?

Art therapy has been known to work well in mental health, geriatric, rehabilitation, educational, prison, medical, and wellness settings. It is effective with trauma survivors and people with developmental delays, autism, social or psychological impairments, dementia, depression, anxiety, ADHD, or other disorders. An art therapist’s visit often brings joy to a child who is sick in a hospital setting. The creative activity and pride in the artwork are sources of great pleasure for many people. Some art therapists work in private practice. There are individual, couples, and group therapy formats available.

Who does it?

A professional art therapist holds a master’s degree and a state license in art therapy or creative arts therapies. In addition, the art therapist is often registered, as well as board certified, with the Art Therapy Credentials Board.

There can be a lot of initials after an art therapist’s name… such as MAAT (Master of Arts in Art Therapy), LCAT (Licensed Creative Arts Therapist — NY state), ATR-BC (Registered Art Therapist Board Certified).

Why does it work?

What makes art therapy so effective is its ability to tap into a person’s life experiences that often cannot be expressed in words. The right side of the brain, the visual-spatial side and seat of emotions and memories, is accessed in the process of making art. Art therapy works especially well with children who have experienced trauma before they were able to communicate in words. The trauma is stored in their brains in picture form. It’s also very effective for Alzheimer’s patients, who are sometimes able to retrieve memories as they utilize the right side of the brain in making art.

Art therapy improves self-esteem, and enriches the individual’s quality of life. Not to mention the enjoyment in the art-making experience. The therapeutic relationship that develops between the art therapist and the client is vital to the success of the therapy. Building trust within this relationship enhances the individual’s ability to be open and honest, and to make meaningful and self-reflective artwork.

Art therapy is often the therapy of choice for at-risk, justice-involved, or traumatized youth. A large majority of at-risk and incarcerated youth have experienced trauma. According to psychiatrist and trauma theorist Bessel van der Kolk, there’s growing neurological evidence in favor of using art therapy, particularly for trauma, because the core of traumatic memory is nonverbal. Art therapy activates the subcortical regions of the brain and brings the nonverbal, traumatic memories to the surface in a safe, therapeutic setting to facilitate healing.

From people with disabilities to traumatized youth to individuals searching for more self-understanding, there is opportunity for everyone to gain from art therapy.

(Originally featured in Family First Issue 551)