~Preface: For special effect, you might want to click on the video and listen to the music while you read this. Scroll down. If my jukebox is playing, you can turn it off first-to the right of the page.~

God has been so good to me. He continues to lead me on a journey of trusting in Him beyond human understanding. He is teaching me about the kind of father He is, how good He is.

Even in the midst of the discomforts there is His comfort. Even in the long haul of waiting there is His presence. There is absolutely nothing that can separate us from the love of God (Romans 8:38-39).

He is teaching me about faithfulness. He is always faithful, good on His word. I can rest assured that if I trust Him and obey Him that one day I will get my reward, whether it be in this lifetime or the next one to come in heaven. This life is but a tiny moment in time compared to eternity. I want to please Him because I want to see his face one day. More importantly, because there is no other comfort or security that compares to what He gives. I want to live in His presence. I do not want my sin to separate me. He forgives me when I mess up, but I want to live in the realm of his glory which is only reached through pureness of heart.

There’s so many times that I misunderstand Him, it makes me want to cry. I looked at him like a harsh Father, a punisher, content to let me stew in my mistakes and my sufferings, but that is not Him at all.

I used to think my reward would be slow coming-only in heaven one day-and therefore I was not sure if I could wait, or if I could pay the price I thought it would take, but I realize, now, that He plans a good life for me here on this Earth, too. Somehow, I thought I was overlooked, left out. I realize now that wasn’t true. We must have spiritual eyes to understand. We must be patient and choose to trust God, no matter how it looks.

There are seasons in life, and some seasons are hard. God says “In this life you will have tribulation, but take heart for I have overcome the world” (John 16:33.) But just as there are winter seasons of loss and dying, there are also seasons where life begins to form and buds begin to open (Ecclesiastes 31:8). Where color begins to burst forth everywhere.

God also says “weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning” (Psalms 30:5.)

If we could only hold out and know that the hard times are only temporary. God has a plan of rescue or perhaps a way out. Some things he delivers us from and some things he guides us through as we walk to the other side. Always God does what’s best and only what we allow.

The revelation of his love is fleeting, it comes and goes depending on how I’ve structured my day, how much time I spent truly trying to be with Him.

But He keeps pursuing me, trying to help me understand that He never stops loving me, and He never stops being good. He wants me to know-and you too if you’re reading this-that He’s a good God-faithful to the end.

There’s some things in our life that we simply don’t understand- the pain of our life, the disappointments, the hurts, the mistakes. We try to understand and we come to some wrong conclusions about God’s intentions or his will for our life. We blame God for the things the Enemy does. We don’t listen to God when he tries to show us the way.

I decided that my way doesn’t lead anywhere. I’ve made terrible choices when I’ve acted independently of God’s will. I only want God’s way, now. It’s a new season. A time for me to be ever more obedient in every area of my life. So I can be with Him, be blessed by Him, and hear Him with clarity.

He shows me more and more that I can’t go by what I see. He is a limitless God and he is not bound by circumstances or natural law. He can bend natural law at His whim. He can heal our sickness (Pslams 103:3-4), raise people from the dead (John 11), call in resources where there are no resources, etc.

He can rain money and resources down from heaven and often does. When I look back I see that he has always provided, but now that I am closer to Him and more obedient I seem to live in a greater degree of security and knowledge about how He does. Practically all my clothes and all my furniture were provided by God as gifts. Steve’s second eye surgery-done today-was also provided by God. Someone gave us  a $300 check. Wow! Even little comforts like going out to eat (friend took me to Golden Coral Thursday)and nice meals (God gave us another $20 cash which we spent on Chinese) have been provided by God  this week. Sometimes God makes me feel so pampered. On those moments I wonder why I have to doubt God’s plans for me. Even in the mist of our sufferings, there is God’s comfort. Don’t forget that God provided the Israelites manna during the desert (Exodus 16:4) and their clothes did not wear out (Deuteronomy 8:4). God is the same today  (Hebrews 13:8) as he was then and he can take care of us too!

“I have carried you since you were born; I have taken care of you from your birth. Even when you are old, I will be the same. Even when your hair has turned gray, I will take care of you. I will sustain you and I will rescue you.” Isaiah 46:3-4

“Delight yourselves in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart.”  (Psalms 37:4 NIV)

“For I know the plans I have for you”, declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future.”  (Jeremiah 29:11)

“In your presence” by Jason Upton

It’s a rainy afternoon, and the rain is comforting. It is lazy. It seems to make time stand still.

My daughter has a raw, sore throat from acid reflux and wasn’t up for going to school today. She threw up about once or twice a day for about a week and a half straight, although that part seems better, now. I am concerned about her missing so much school. She is on medication to make things better.

My husband isn’t working and that has really added some strain to our family. He quit his low-paying but stable job to take a “commisison only” job in mid November and has made one sale since then earning about $219. They misled him into the job, leading him to believe he would have a regular base pay which never panned out. After several months with no success, he finally quit that job about a month ago and now is looking for a more reliable job. He went on a second interview today. I’m hoping he gets it and it turns out to be legit and not another job that misleads him and misuses him.

In the mean time, my income is really not sufficient because I only work four days a week and half my income goes to taxes and medical expenses. I supply the entire family with medical insurance and also make use of a flex spending account.  In  3 months we’ve spent $900 already on one ER visit, $500 for glasses for Steve and Nina, and the rest on doctor’s visits and some specialists. Steve is scheduled for eye surgery next month which will deplete the rest of the money in my flex account. I’m a little worried about how we will take care of ourselves the rest of the year. However, if Steve doesn’t get his eyes fixed, he won’t be able to work very well and I need him to work.

God challenged me in February, though, and told me that if I can submit my finances to him and tithe reguarly-something I’ve struggled to do consistently in the past-then within a year we would be financially stable and our poverty would be a thing of the past. So, I’ve made a point to pay my tithe before my rent and other bills. There’s no money left over for food, gas, or household expenses-so this has been a true stretch of faith. So far, our church has been regularly supporting us with Foodlion cards and Wawa gas gards, so we have survived. God also gave me wisdom with the finances so we would not go homeless. As tough as it was, I had to stop paying for all my husbands bills so that we could survive. Anything that was not necessary, like netflix and credit monitoring I completely eliminated. I’ve also been steadily trying to establish myself in the art world, but that is a slow process. I look at it as investing in the talents God gave us.

There was one pay period last month in which all my bills were caught up and so in rare moment of self-indulgence I decided to buy myself a graphic tablet. I had waited 11 years for Steve to make extra income or to get it as a gift, but  finally decided this was never going to happen so I bought it myself for about $200 figuring the next opportunity might be 10 years later. I also invested in getting my laptop fixed-what I thought was fixed. According to Steve Sony could fix it for $120. Turns out that was just to look at it, so there went 120 down the drain for nothing. It would be $1,000 to fix which we obviously don’t have and why would we ever pay that when we could just buy a new, nicer laptop for that amount? Well, the bank got suspicious because others had been taking money out of our account which I never authorized so they blocked Sony. I did take care of the other matters, but we’ve been playing phone tag with Sony and the bank, and in the mean time they still have my broken laptop. I actually cried when I finally found out that my computer wasn’t getting fixed.

Sounds stupid, but it ’s hard to get anything done when you have to wait for others not to be using their computer before you get a chance to use it. In my household that maybe amounted to about once a week for a few hours-not enough time to check email, add new artwork to my galleries, new blog writings, or to add another viewing gallery to my creativepassages.net website. Well, I did some things, just not as much as I wanted. I wondered if I was being punished for buying the graphic tablet?

If that wasn’t enough, just this past week my husband’s laptop broke and the old computer (without internet connection) that I used for my photoshop broke-we think it is the graphic card. So now we are down to one desktop in the household for the entire family which doesn’t work very well.

I read an article today on how to sell your art on-line at linked and they suggested you be part of 10 internet galleries, so I decided to join one more, Noenga, but it took 20 minutes just to upload one picture there with this slow, messed up computer and the picture didn’t even load right, so I decided to give up and write instead.

Hint. Hint. So what do you think God is trying to say to me? It’s like he stripped me of every fleshly comfort possible. I started singing that song “How He Loves Us” to myself by Kim Walker (Lyrics by  John Mark McMillan) “He is jealous for me. Loves like a hurricane. I am a tree, bending beneath the weight of his wind and mercy.”

This is usually where I get confused, what does God bring on versus what does the Enemy bring? I think I sometimes blame God for what the Enemy does, but I picture God up there like it is described in Job, saying “Look at my servant down there….You can do this or that as long as you don’t do this.” (Job chapters 1 and 2.)

My Pastor believes Job brought it on himself through fear and through the fear his hedge of protection came down, but I’m not so sure I am convinced because the book of Job starts out saying that Job was a ” blameless and upright man.” (Job 1:1) To me, this implies we get punished for fearing and if you have been a victim of abuse, you can’t help but fear a few things. I don’t think God holds it against us, but helps us overcome it. I honestly think that God simply allows us to be tested in order to overcome. I truly think that the testing allows us to grow in God and to grow in our faith. Well, we know that to be true because it says so in the word. He doesn’t bring the bad thing on, but he allows it and then works the bad thing for the good (Romans 8:28.)

…we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit which has been given to us. (Romans 5:3-5)

Personally, this is what God told me (this is only part of it.) I share this with you because I think it might apply to some of you and encourage you.

“Do not lose heart. I am with you. I am strengthening you. I will help you get thought these times. Just trust in me. Just focus on me. Look to me as your Source. When you are miserable look to me. I will be your comfort. I will teach you how to overcome and find comfort in me. Press in. Do not give up! Do not fold up, but press in! I am the Answer. I am the Deliverer! I am the Source! I am the Provider! Trust me! Let me be your Source! You will getmore used to trusting me. You will see that I am a  good God. This is the only way I can take you where you need to go. Your suffering is not in vain. I will bring much good out of it. Trust me. Not a moment of your grief will be wasted. I’ve bottled your misery and sorrow. I will release an even greater measure of joy in exchange for that grief. It will be 70 x7. Do you believe me? You are in for great joy, but you must not give up.”

He basically showed me that as I overcome, I will then lead others to do the same. His plan is to give us victory in the areas that challenge us and then to use us to minister to others who are then struggling with what we now have victory in.

He also said, “You have not made some fatal mistake. For I knew you from the beginning, and I knew how long it would take you to journey to your breakthrough and your complete trust and security in me. I made you the way you are and I am a patient God. You are worth the wait. You are growing and I am so proud of you. Don’t stop. Keep pushing upwards in me. You will have increased revelations and visitations as you pursue me.”

At another time recently God also told me this, “I only want to show you a  deeper level of trust and revelation, a deeper spiritual walk. I desire this for all of you. You must each die to your flesh and go through a purification process in order for this to happen.  If you’re willing, there will be increase at the end of this trial period and a greater anointing. I wouldn’t ask this of you if there were not alot at stake. The level of ministry and anointing I have for you requires a greater level of maturity, character, and selflessness. If you are willing to go through about a year of being stretched thin and denying your own needs and desires, you will come out the other side victorious and ready for service.”

The answer is that he loves us, and therefore he tests us. The Enemy would make us believe that the testing means just the opposite. That God wants to deprive us, doesn’t care about us, overlooks us, doesn’t hear our cries, etc. But God does hear us, does care. He wants more for us. He cares and wants us to really have the important things in life, things that last eternally, things that will give us an even deeper level of joy and security. Unfortunately, this trust and security he wants us to have doesn’t usually come instantly, it comes only after being tried, therefore rejoice in your trials and sufferings because it leads to more hope…some versions of that Romans 5:3-5 scripture say that we will lack no good thing.

Job 7: 17-19 NIV says, “What is man that you make so much of him, that you give him so much attention, that you examine him every morning and test him every moment? Will you ever look away from me, or let me alone for even an instant?”

Psalms, 10:14 NIV “But you oh God, do see trouble and grief; you consider it to take it in hand. The victim commits himself to you; you are the helper of the fatherless…17 “You hear, O Lord, the desire of the afflicted; you encourage them and listen to their cry, defending the fatherless and the oppressed…”

Job 5:17 NIV, Blessed is the man whom God corrects; so do not despise the discipline of the Almighty. For he wounds, but he also binds up; he injures, but his hands also heal. From six calamities he will rescue you; in seven no harm will befall you. In famine he will ransom you from death; and in battle from the stroke of the sword. You will be protected from the lash of the tongue and need not fear when destruction comes. You will laugh at destruction and famine, and need not fear the beasts of the Earth. For you will have a covenant with the stones of the field, and the wild animals will be at peace with you. You will know that your tent is secure. You will take stock of your property and find nothing missing. You will know that your children will be many, and your descendents like the grass of the Earth. You will come to the grave in full vigor like sheaves gathered in season. We have examined this and this is true. So hear it and apply it to yourself.”

Some parts of Job were simply the opinions of him and his friends, some of which were not correct, but I believe that particular phrase is correct, because of the special emphasis that was made at the end as well as the fact that Job indeed did end his life full of vigor, joy, and abundance, despite the 9 months that he suffered in almost every kind of way imaginable.

Through my own experience of suffering God has shown me that his love is consistent, that his love never fails. And where my well being is connected to the choices-good or bad-of others around me like my husband or even my president, God has shown me that although there might be repercussions for me as a result of other’s negative choices, he will still be there to protect me and take care of me, and give me wisdom to get through it safely. God wants us to get to a level of security where we trust him no matter what is going on around us. Once you get to that place, nobody can take it away from you. It is a beautiful, blessed place. That type of security in God is worth more than anything and worth the small price we might pay along the way to get there.

I’m willing to pay the price. I want God more than anything else, and I’ll wait for however long it takes for him to shine his great light on me and announce “The dawn has come! The waiting is over. Your fullness has arrived.”

Pansies, photo edited on photoshop, 03.22.10

It has been a stressful time for me in numerous ways. I am really pursuing how to be content in the moment, even when the things I need or want are not there. I have the one thing that sustains me and that’s my Lord. I anchor myself to Him, and I will not be shaken. The problems surrounding me are really things I have no control over. I seem to be doing fairly good on my end. I am pursuing righteousness and obedience, wondering if I can get my life more pure, more in line with what God wants, if some of these problems might fall off of me. Either way, I decided that I want more of God. I sometimes feel that not being as intimate with God as I would like causes me pain and discomfort or perhaps the pain in my life drives me deeper towards Him.

Yet there’s so many good things, so many ways God shows me that he loves me and is taking care of me, even if there is a long wait to get to where I want to go and to get out of this desert.

When the flowers start to bloom outside, I can’t help but feel brighter. God created such a beautiful world. He created me to enjoy the beauty. There’s something so inspiring, hopeful, and cheerful about new blooms. The winter fades away and suddenly color and life bursts forth saying, “The new beginning has arrived. It comes with beauty and grace. It comes with simplicity. It comes with everything you need.” I think of how well God clothed the flowers, how much he cares about all the finest details when he created each unique flower and plant for our pleasure, and how much he really does love me and care about the details of my life. How God will take care of every detail for me too, if I just let him. For those who don’t know this kind of love and security from a father, you don’t know what you’re missing. God is the best father around.

My adventure this weekend was getting out my camera and driving around in pursuit of fresh flowers and blooms. Then coming back home and making art out of it.

I have several versions of the pansies photo.

 

Comfort, acrylic painting on canvas, 15x11

This is one of my newest pieces. It holds alot of meaning for me because it represents God’s comfort. I tried to make the colors soft and soothing. It seems like angels wings. When I think of heaven or heaven colliding with the Earth I always envision multiple colors like that of a rainbow. This represents God and heaven colliding with my reality here on the Earth to give me a supernatural sense of comfort and peace, depite my circumtances.

“He shall comfort the comfortless.” 

This is what I kept hearing in the Spirit as I created this piece, reflecting on my own discomfort and hurt that only God could comfort. I am going through a season in my life which is difficult, long and drawn out…feels like it will never end, but I know it will. God gave me specific instructions saying that if I can do this special thing then my period of affliction will be over within a year. In the meantime, there is a lack of fleshy comfort, a real deep lack. In times like this it is necesary for me to press into God for his comfort. It is available. It is enough.

God gave me comfort today by bringing this verse to mind.

1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! By his great mercy he gave us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 that is, into an inheritance imperishable, undefiled, and unfading. It is reserved in heaven for you, 5 who by God’s power are protected through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. 6 This brings you great joy, although you may have to suffer for a short time in various trials. 7 Such trials show the proven character of your faith, which is much more valuable than gold – gold that is tested by fire, even though it is passing away – and will bring praise and glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. 8 You have not seen him, but you love him. You do not see him now but you believe in him, and so you rejoice with an indescribable and glorious joy, 9 because you are attaining the goal of your faith – the salvation of your souls. 10 Concerning this salvation, the prophets who predicted the grace that would come to you searched and investigated carefully. 11 They probed into what person or time the Spirit of Christ within them was indicating when he testified beforehand about the sufferings appointed for Christ and his subsequent glory. 12 They were shown that they were serving not themselves but you, in regard to the things now announced to you through those who proclaimed the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven – things angels long to catch a glimpse of. (1st Peter 1:3-5)

It’s kind of interesting because the verse was from myself in the past when I was 19 years old, just after my Dad died in October 1988. After the funeral and on my way back to Basic Training in the Army, I was making a tape recording for my family to tell them how much I loved them and to encourage them and this was one of the verses that I read. My grandparents kept the tape for  along while and my grandfather added to it. My Grandfather passed in 2000 and my grandmother just recently this past year. So my brother ended up acquiring the tape and apparently got around to listening to it today. He called me up to share it with me. Interesting. We actually talked twice on the phone as he played the tape for me, but he didn’t discover this part ’till a little later.  He called back for a third time just to share it with me. Apparently, God promted him to do so.

It is so appropriate for what I am going through. As I review the verse, now, its as if it has fresh, new colors I had noticed before.

New Birth, Living Hope, Great Joy, only suffer for a little while, proving my faith and character, more valuable than gold…

It reminds me of something I read in Job today about wisdom, wisdom also being more valuable than gold and rubies…My trials produce wisdom.

Imperishable inheritance …

This is what I remind myself of. I have an inheritance in Heaven which can’t be taken from me. It can never be stolen. I believe not only do I have an inheritance in heaven, but I have one here on the Earth as well. It’s just waiting for me to grasp, to comprehend. His death on the cross and his resurrection accomplished so much for me…if only I could comprehend its full depth…our ability to do so determines our freedom and our ability to walk in victory.

This piece is meant to comfort and encourage the viewer. There’s a realm in the Spirit world with God that you can go to beyond your circumstances, a place where peace resides regardless of what is happening in your life. In life there are seasons and some seasons can be quite uncomfortable, but God promises that there will also be seasons of gladness and rejoicing. During the difficult season, hold on to this promise. Hold on to the fact that God loves you and has a divine destiny for you. Hold on to the fact that his comfort and his love is enough to sustain you. Hold on to the fact that in the end it will all be worth it and all the difficult times will be like dung compared to his surpasing greatness. Hold on and stand on his word! Let the Great Comforter comfort you now. His love is enough. His love is better than anything in this world. His love and comfort will carry you through.

“I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.” John 14:18

“Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ.” Phillippians 3:8

I made this piece, too, right afterwards…at the time not fully comprehending why, just stirred by the Spirit. But now I see why, especially after reading 1st Peter 1:3-5, which didn’t come ’till after the picture was made. God wants us to undertand that although we may go through seasons of suffering we don’t have to be victims to our circumtances. He did it all for us on the cross. We can be sure that if we trust Him and stand on His word, he’ll carry us through to the finish line and we’ll have his promises. We will achieve the destiny he prepared for us. Just hold on and stand strong!

Victory, acrylic on canvas, 12x9

(Note: This was last edited and updated on 08/14/10)

What is art therapy and what do I do as an art therapist?

 Art therapy is about healing through art. The act of creating art is expressive, restorative, and life-enhancing. It can help enhance the physical, emotional, mental, social, and spiritual well-being of people of all ages. Art therapy can reduce stress; assist in exploring, expressing, and resolving underlying feelings, problems, and conflicts; assist towards exploring and resolving trauma and abuse; help facilitate the healing of hurt, loss, and disappointment related to life; enhance mental functioning; improve problem-solving skills; improve reality orientation; improve focus and attention;  explore feelings related to substance abuse (or other addictions) and provide safe alternatives;  improve impulse control and decrease acting out or destructive behaviors; improve frustration tolerance; improve social and interpersonal skills; decrease isolation; improve self-concept; explore and resolve family conflict or anxiety or other relationship issues; increase insight and self-awareness;  increase hope, creativity, and imagination; and many more things. Art therapists work in a variety of settings, from regular hospitals, to psychiatric hospitals, in safe houses and shelters, in hospices, in outpatient settings and clinics, and even in the community providing art expression, creativity, and life-enhancement for healthy people.

An art therapist guides a person or a group of people through the process of healing through carefully selected art projects based on the person or groups particular needs and based on the art therapists knowledge of different art techniques, the responses they bring, and the indicators they observe in the artwork related to the persons well being and functioning. Whether a person has artistic talent or not, they express themselves unconsciously through their artwork and project a lot about themselves. This helps release emotions in a safe way. This is healing in and of itself, but when the process is guided by an expert in art therapy then it brings even more healing. To explain it a bit further, an art therapist will carefully select a project based on their knowledge of the art therapy process, the impact particular mediums and tasks will have on people, and the goals (such as reducing stress, facilitating insight, improving self-concept, decreasing depression) that they have for the short term or the long term, depending on how long they have to work with a  particular person. An art therapist then watches the person’s response and gradually leads the person towards their goals through the art tasks and also sometimes through discussion about the art.  The beautiful thing about art therapy is that even if a person is defended verbally or unable to communicate well, so much healing can happen through the art process alone. Also, art has a way of helping a person become comfortable and a little less defensive which can help facilitate the exploration of issues more quickly then in traditional therapy, but this could backfire if the art therapist is not well trained or prepared and allows the person to put their defenses down too quickly or become regressed when they are not in a  safe place to do so. It’s a delicate process to push a person past their defenses so they can grow and gain insight, but not so fast that they decompensate. That’s why it is imperative that only a trained art therapist attempt to provide art therapy. An art therapist is well trained both in psychology as well as in art processes and materials. In order to become an art therapist there must be a solid training in both psychology and art which is formed both in undergraduate levels and then in graduate school through a master’s level program in art therapy.  I had a Bachelor’s in Psychology from Charleston Southern University, but went on to get an extra 15 hours in art (drawing, painting, sculpting) at the College of Charleston. I went to Eastern Virginia Medical School (EVMS) for art therapy.

I am going to write about what I do as an art therapist.

I am an art therapist working in a psychiatric hospital with teenagers, children, and adults. Our psychiatric hospital has an adolescent residential unit, an acute child adolescent unit, an adult acute unit for higher functioning adults, and an acute intensive treatment program for lower functioning adults. Currently, I work on all three of the acute units and only fill in for residential when someone needs coverage, although I’ve spent years working for residential, too. I have 10 years experience as an art therapist at this hospital all together and I had three years experience working as a Bachelor’s level clinical counselor in a residential program for sex offended and behaviorally and emotionally disturbed adolescents prior to this. I run art therapy groups, about 3-4 a day spread out on the 3 different units. Basically, what I do is have them draw a picture or engage in an art directive which I plan out to meet the therapeutic needs of the group, so it will be a different thing each group. I will base what I do on their diagnosis and presenting symptoms, considering issues of safety. Each group lasts an hour. I will come to the unit, knock on every one’s doors inviting them to the art therapy group, gather everyone up into the community room, introduce myself, introduce art therapy and why we have it, and then direct them on what to do, and tell them we will have a discussion following the art task. I’ll also explain about confidentiality and the importance of creating a safe, supportive environment for everyone in the group. We usually draw or make art for about 30-40 minutes and then spend the rest of the time in the discussion, in which case I have whoever wants to hold their drawing/artwork up to the group, and explain it and discuss it. I don’t force anyone to talk or share or to make art for that matter, but do try to encourage them and help them feel safe enough to do so. From there I will try to engage the group in a therapeutic discussion asking the group to give the presenter feedback, validate them, relate to them, etc. We will touch on any themes I see come out in the art or in the discussion. The most common themes are dealing with reality, depression, mood swings, substance abuse, trauma, feelings of loneliness, lack of support, feeling misunderstood, overwhelming situational stressors, loss, dealing with disability and health impairments, relational problems, destructive coping, poor impulse control, etc. Sometimes we don’t have a discussion and I do “art as therapy” in which case the art itself is providing the corrective experience. What I choose to do depends on the therapeutic goals. Often times I will not have a discussion (or just a very light discussion) when I am trying to warm them up to art therapy or close them up before they are discharged. I like to build up my groups since we meet three times a week on the individual units, so the first day might be a warm up task, the second day we might dive deep into the presenting issues, feelings, and problems, and the third day we will usually close back up. There is usually many new people coming in as others leave so the close up task also usually makes a good warm up task. I do take into account the coming and going of the individual patients, so I will find tasks that address everyone’s needs. If the majority have depression (one of the most common diagnosis) and a quarter have substance abuse issues along with depression, and two have psychosis I will find a task that addresses all those needs. The number of people I have in my groups varies according to the unit. On Child Adolescent Acute I can have anywhere between 1-10, and the adult higher functioning unit I typically have anywhere from 2-15, and on the Intensive Treatment Programming unit I typically have anywhere between 5-25. Psychiatric technicians are available to sit in with us if it is a very large group or if safety reasons dictate that. Safety always has to be the highest priority, and my strategy is to notice potential safety risks before they happen and take measures to defuse the situation, or send out particular people that are creating an unsafe situation if they are not able to follow directions or respond to the interventions I am providing.

Why art therapy? When people make art they project many of their underlying feelings and conflicts into their art through their approach and how they organize it, colors they choose, spacing, pressure, line quality, etc. This helps them release the feelings in a safe way and gain just enough distance to then explore those feelings, so that they can validate and honor their own feelings (an important skill that many people who land in the hospital don’t have or use.) In the group setting, they can also get emotional support from other group members. Isolation is a common problem with depression, so that is an important goal I have for the group, to get people to isolate less and discover that other people share similar problems and they are not so alone. Also, I will try to get others who now are starting to feel better or regain control over their lives to share with the newer people what is working for them and how they are getting better. I will also get them thinking about how they can manage their lives more effectively once they leave the hospital, too, maybe even come up with an action plan and talk about healthier coping skills they can use. I help people learn how to sit with their feelings (safely), how to re-frame their life (replacing distortions and negative thinking with healthier thoughts), work on accepting difficult situations and decide how best to respond, and on developing faith and hope. Although, I’m not free to just talk about God or preach to them, many of the issues people are struggling with are spiritual in nature and stem from what they believe about themselves, about life, etc. Many times such themes will come up, and God can move into a particular area even if I’m not exactly using his name. It is Truth that sets people free. I try to create a safe atmosphere where they can discover the truth. If they do mention God, and many times they do, then I can feel free to respond to that, while being careful not to push my beliefs unto anyone.

Again, the making of the art not only helps people safely express their feelings as opposed to acting them out (i.e. cutting, suicide attempts, running away, violence, using alcohol or drugs, binge eating, destructive relationships, addictions, dangerous impulsive behaviors, etc.) but can also help a person improve self-image (through success-oriented tasks), improve focus and impulse control (through particular tasks which address these skills), enhance problem solving and reality orientation, reduce anxiety, improve mood, gain insight, improve social skills, improve manual dexterity, and many other things.

Also, I provide art assessments according to the Psychiatrist’s orders. Everyone in the residential program has one when they come in, but on the acute units the psychiatrist only orders them if they need additional information to guide treatment. They may need an art assessment because they are having trouble getting the information they need verbally because the person is mute, uncooperative, too defended, or too psychotic to make sense, etc, or because there are complex presenting symptoms and they are a little unsure about the diagnosis of a particular person. I provide the Art Therapy Projective Imagery Assessment (AT-PIA) and also many times the Person Picking an Apple from a Tree (PPAT). The AT-PIA is a collection of six drawings: The Scribble Drawing, the Favorite Kind of Weather Drawing, the Human Figure Drawing, the Reason Drawing, and the Free Choice. These drawings combined tell us diagnostic information about how well a person is doing, their strengths and weaknesses, their cognitive functioning, their developmental level, their coping skills, their mood and level of anxiety, their underlying conflicts and feelings, behavior patterns, focus, attention, impulsivity, personality features, their level of insight and ability to take responsibility for their problems, their style of coping, and many other diagnostic features. EVMS designed the AT-PIA based on research of the different drawings and picked the ones when combined together tell us the most possible information about a particular person for assessment purposes. Because I work in a psychiatric hospital I do my write up based on the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, starting with axis one disorders, and moving on down the line to axis five. Usually, I will address developmental level first, then mood and thought disorders (the most common presenting problems of those in the hospital), then anxiety disorders if present (also very common), then possible ADHD or disruptive/behavior disorders such as Oppositional Defiant Disorder and Conduct disorder, then personality issues, then family dynamics, then coping skills and defenses, then strengths. If other issues present themselves such as attachment issues, anger control problems, substance abuse, suicidal or self-harming tendencies, Aspergers or Autism, organicity, or other less common disorders or problems then I will address them, too. I will actually list the most problematic issues first and on down the line. My write ups include referral and history information, behavioral observations, findings and associations to the drawings, diagnostic impression on axis 1-5, then summary and recommendations. The art assessment will go in their chart and a copy will be given to the doctor, and the findings presented to the treatment team.

Its amazing how the art can tell us all that. I was specially trained at EVMS to do this and also 10 plus years of experience has taught me. But it’s important for people not to try to base any finding on only one drawing. We really need the whole series to be more accurate. Were not only looking at the drawings, but how the drawings relate to each other. For instance in mood disorders there is often some inconsistency in space and color throughout the drawings, but this same feature could suggest personality disorders. There’s no cookie cutter recipe. There are many overlapping features like that, which is why we examine all the drawings, look for several diagnostic indicators-the more diagnostic indicators for one particular category the more likely the person has that issue. We also then combine the drawings with the person’s history, self-report, associations, and behavioral observations. Its like putting together a puzzle. The doctor will then read the report or get a first hand presentation of the assessment, and also hear from other treatment teams members like the therapist, nurses, and psychiatric technicians and decide then a final diagnosis for the patient/resident as well as decide what types of medications and interventions that particular person needs.

The doctor/psychiatrist will also decide how long a particular person needs to stay in the hospital to be stabilized or treated. In the acute setting people are there to stabilize, which means they can return to their homes or other programs and be safe around themselves and others and be able to care for themselves or able to be safe with the help of the program they are currently in. In the acute setting this usually takes anywhere between 1 day to three weeks, the average stay being about 3 days. In the residential setting they stay between 3-months to 6 months, and sometimes up to a year, although that is less common. We also have a case manager that sets them up with services before they leave so that their treatment will not suddenly stop once they leave the hospital. We definitely use a multi-disciplinary approach. We individualize our treatment plan, coming up with targeted goals for each patient. I specify an individualized art therapy goal for each person I work with and so do all the other disciplines such as the therapists, the activity therapists, and the nurses. We then document on each persons progress towards that goal. The psychiatrist will read the progress notes and have regular treatment teams meetings to decide how well the person is progressing and when they can be safely discharged from the hospital.

We are not funded to provide individual art therapy to clients/patients/residents, although we can decide to do this if time permits. When I worked residential I would see about 1-3 clients a week, and it was very rewarding. I can see clients on the acute units as well although it is solution-focused therapy and short term and must be done around my existing groups, and again there is no funding for it. I saw a client last night just to help her calm from anxiety, stabilize her emotions, and finish a project she started. Its very important for everyone to finish and feel successful and I will usually go out of my way to make sure this happens when I see that their mood or stability will depend on it. We can also provide family art therapy assessments (Projective Imagery Family Evaluation-PIFE) although there is no funding for this either and it doesn’t get ordered very often. I have provided about 4 in 10 years not counting my internships. Basically the family makes art together, and that helps us gain insight about family dynamics which is then shared with the family in a  follow up session with recommendations.

I get many skeptics, especially adults, and many who fear that they cannot benefit because they are not artistic. Once they understand the art therapy process, however (its not about how it looks or their artistic talent) they are able to get past their fears and express themselves. I tell people, even an empty drawing expresses so much. People need permission to “just be” and “just feel” whatever they feel. I don’t force anyone into my groups. Once they get this permission and begin to feel safe they open up and begin to share their feelings and struggles. I have made a believer out of many skeptics! People tell me they were surprised to get so much out of art therapy, some so much so they want to pursue making art as a coping skill on their own. If someone declines to do art therapy, but still remains in the group, I still provide them with a piece of paper and art materials anyway and say, “Just in case you change your mind.” I’d say about 75% of the time they change their mind. They are much more likely to change their mind if they don’t have to lose any face over it by then asking me for a piece of paper. Also, sometimes when they see other people benefiting they then want to join in. Often times, its fun, but sometimes the mood can be somber as they talk about and express their deep underlying feelings and hurts. Often times people have truly sad stories and there are never any magical fixes (except God, but I cant tell them that, and even He doesn’t make the pain instantly go away; He has you work through it) but sometimes just getting validation and support and getting a little hope, can make even the most grim circumstances become bearable and better. Just them sitting with their feelings is healing in and of itself. Usually once you accept a situation you can begin to find some positive things to help and make you feel better. It’s the accepting part that can be so hard, and the not accepting that can drive so many people to act out.

As you can probably tell, I love my job, and feel it fits perfectly for my personality.