My feelings for today.

Psalm 145

A psalm of praise. Of David.

 ^{1 [a]} I will exalt you, my God the King;
       I will praise your name for ever and ever.

 ² Every day I will praise you
       and extol your name for ever and ever.

 ³ Great is the LORD and most worthy of praise;
       his greatness no one can fathom.

 ⁴ One generation will commend your works to another;
       they will tell of your mighty acts.

 ⁵ They will speak of the glorious splendor of your majesty,
       and I will meditate on your wonderful works. ^[b]

 ⁶ They will tell of the power of your awesome works,
       and I will proclaim your great deeds.

 ⁷ They will celebrate your abundant goodness
       and joyfully sing of your righteousness.

 ⁸ The LORD is gracious and compassionate,
       slow to anger and rich in love.

 ⁹ The LORD is good to all;
       he has compassion on all he has made.

 ¹⁰ All you have made will praise you, O LORD;
       your saints will extol you.

 ¹¹ They will tell of the glory of your kingdom
       and speak of your might,

 ¹² so that all men may know of your mighty acts
       and the glorious splendor of your kingdom.

 ¹³ Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,
       and your dominion endures through all generations.
       The LORD is faithful to all his promises
       and loving toward all he has made. ^[c]

 ¹⁴ The LORD upholds all those who fall
       and lifts up all who are bowed down.

 ¹⁵ The eyes of all look to you,
       and you give them their food at the proper time.

 ¹⁶ You open your hand
       and satisfy the desires of every living thing.

 ¹⁷ The LORD is righteous in all his ways
       and loving toward all he has made.

 ¹⁸ The LORD is near to all who call on him,
       to all who call on him in truth.

 ¹⁹ He fulfills the desires of those who fear him;
       he hears their cry and saves them.

 ²⁰ The LORD watches over all who love him,
       but all the wicked he will destroy.

 ²¹ My mouth will speak in praise of the LORD.
       Let every creature praise his holy name
       for ever and ever.

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.

 

 What the rose looks like now~comissioned art piece.

My brother special requested that I paint him a pink rose for a special friend by April 24th. He wanted it to be partially open and to show part of the stem with an abstract background. I thought it would be fun for him if I post my progress. This way he and she can check out the rose, give me feedback, and know exactly where I am with it. Also, I thought it would be fun for the rest of you to see how an artist goes about the development of an art piece, in this case me as an artist. It is a little risky, because, of course,  it takes awhile before what you are working on looks nice. I can whip out an abstract piece out of my head fairly easily without much planning, but these types of pieces take considerable planning. Here you will see the steps involved.

Step 1: Get a reference point. I found about 20-30 roses that I liked  from the internet. I narrowed it done to five, then  finally settled on this one. I wanted a sweet, tender image.

Special note: I can’t paint realistic pictures from my head. I need a reference point. I may not make it exactly like this, afterall I want the picture to be my own, but it serves as a basis and reference point for how each of the petals are put together, the color variations, etc., so I can be more realistic in my painting. Whoops, I accidentally deleted the original image, but you can see it below in the next step with a  different background.

Step 2: Plan the image, design it, make it my own. I put it on photoshop, changed it a tad, cut it out and put it on my own background.

Step 3: Then I resized it to match my watercolor paper 11 by 14 inches.

Step 4: Drawing the image (not my favorite part).

 Step 5: First coat of paint to get an overall feel for the painting.

I’m not too happy with it just, yet.

I need to add more details, try to make it more luminescent, etc; Balance the color out better as the right side is too reddish compared to the left.

Step 6: Adding some of the finer details like texture, more shading, highlights, contrast, luminosity, etc

March 12, 2010

My brother and the special friend are planning on checking it out tonight, Friday, March 12, 2010. This is what I have so far. Hopefully, you all agree it is getting better and better. After talking to my brother on the phone Wednesday night, he is suggesting some ideas like making the background look like ocean water and adding a heart that says God loves you with God’s hands holding it.

What I thought I would do is is experiment with some of these ideas on photohop first to see how they would look and also to figure out spacing, etc. If it works on photoshop, composition wise, then the next step would be problem-solving how to get it on there, since most of it is already painted. I have some ideas, though, like painting it separately, cutting it out and pasting it on there.

~ I experimented with several different water backgrounds, such as different images of the ocean and water at my brother’s request, but we decided not to go with any of them and stick to the original background.~

 I also need to maybe tweak the rose a little bit, add a few more details, lighten the background, balance the colors more, etc. The rose has tissue paper texture as well.

Step 7:  The rose is complete, pending approval. I tried to make the colors a little more balanced in the final rose. I added more paint practically all over the rose and softened and lightened up the background. Also added some contrast. I made the front petal bend back more and reworked some of the shadows and highlights. I also fixed up the leaves some. My brother and his friend decided they liked it better as it was than by adding all the extra hearts, “I love you’s,”  and water backgrounds. So here is the final rose.

For comparison’s sake here are the working versions and the completed version side by side so you can see the differences between them.

..a rose, such a refreshing image! Spring is on the way! I am excited about Spring!

The rose is now finished! Ta da!

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

His Love Never Fails, acrylic on canvas, 6x20x.125

This painting is currently available at the Riverview Gallery in Portsmouth, VA until the end of February. The original is $120 (which includes the frame) or $100 without the frame. For the next month you will have to go there to purchase it; however, if it is still available afterwards then you can contact me directly. This piece was featured in the Abstract Art show, “But, What is it?” at the Riverview Gallery February 5, 2010. I made this piece just for the show, and it marks my first official showing ever. The weather was bad, and there weren’t many people there, but I met other artists and learned some things to help me advance in the art world. I feel like God has opened the door for my art and I have walked through it.

 This picture is titled, “His love never fails” because this is what God wants all of us to know, and He showed me personally in my life just recently. As I created the painting I was singing to the Lord and meditating on just how much he loves us, even when we can’t see it or experience it. I had just overcome a hard trial where God was testing my trust of him. I was being stretched in my faith. During this trial, life was not the way I expected or thought it should be. I felt like I was suffering, and I was fearing things would only get worse. I had a very specific fear and the more I focused on it the more uptight and anxious I became to the point that I could barely function. It was all I could do to just keep my anxiety in check and accomplish my normal day to day tasks, but I was too emotionally drained to do anything creative. This frustrated me, because I wanted to be creative, but my fear was immobilizing me. I was angry at God because I didn’t feel I deserved this trial or circumstance nor did I feel it was just. When I went for prayer the person who prayed for me told me the thing I feared was a very real possibility and I was mad at God for that, since I wanted him to tell me things would be O.K and encourage me. During this time, I began to feel abandoned and unloved, after all I thought if God loved me then why wouldn’t He answer my prayer and fix the situation I was in? Why would he even let me go through it? I probably went through a high level of fear for about two weeks and it was very draining. Finally, I just decided to just accept what it was I was afraid of. I told God I would choose to trust Him regardless even if I didn’t understand , and I stood on bible verses which reminded me of his love. I decided that I wanted God’s will more than my own, and I wanted his presence more than life going the way I wanted. I thought of the apostle Paul who had endured beating and imprisonment for God and yet kept his faith, and even more than that He remained joyful. Although, honestly, thinking of his life was not all that encouraging to me because I wanted to have a better life than what he had. However I did note his joy and peace, which was certainly greater than my own. Why? Because he really knew God’s love, and he also knew that this life is only temporary and his greatest reward for be in heaven someday. I thought, if he could do it, I can do it because we have the same God. It is God who gives us strength and peace, which is beyond what the world can understand. I began to plan about how I would respond if the thing I feared were to happen, and you know the interesting the that happened? The fear went away. After that, it seemed God being moving suddenly (after a long period of standstill) and my circumstances then gradually shifted. God began pouring in his blessing. And I realized, God had allowed me to go through the situation so he could address the fear and remove it. It was kind of like when Abraham was asked to sacrifice Isaac. Was he willing to do it? God didn’t actually let him go through with it, but it was a pivotal point in his walk with God. It meant that he trusted God and God was more important to him than anything, and Abraham needed to have that kind of faith. So God in essence was asking me, what do I love the most? What do I trust in? Up until that test, although I claimed I trusted in God I was really relying on a set of circumstances and conditions for my security. When that was threatened I reacted in fear. Now, how many of us have certain conditions in life that we depend on to be secure and happy? Probably most of us, I think its only natural, and until God challenges us with that, we might not grow in that area. None of those things are guaranteed to us, as hard as that is to accept. Fearing the loss of those things can sometimes imprison and hinder us.

“For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” (Romans 8:15).

It’s only after you let your expectations of those things go and choose to trust in God regardless of what you have or don’t have, that you begin to experience the true peace and joy of God which is not dependent on circumstances. God love is rich, wonderful, and abundant all the time, but sometimes we don’t understand it, and we misjudge God as harsh or uncaring when its not that way at all. If we could only know how much he truly does love us. Sometimes it takes God stretching us or allowing us to be in an uncomfortable place before we can really gain a fuller understanding of it. So allow God to stretch you and don’t doubt his love for a minute.

“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 hope and a future.” (Jeremiah 29:11)

“No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him, but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit.” (1 Corinthians 2:9-10)

“For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:38-39)

“What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ” (Philippians 3:8)

Creative Miracles, oil pastel, original

This represents the essence of God as Creator. There is white light emanating from the center and color reflected in the center almost like a prism. The colorful rays then extend outwards representing God’s amazing creative power to do anything-create, save, heal, deliver, set free, love, anything…it’ limitless. The orbs also represent his glory, his radiant presence. There are mysteries hidden within His white light, if only I could dig deeper to discover them. Think about how white light is a combination of all the colors in the universe; in essence it contains the existance of everything-that is God symbolized by the white light. That is why he is above the laws of this earth or even the universe because he created it all and can bend the laws at will. He can do anything He wants, and that is good news, because he can change your circumstances in an instant or even change you. He can change people’s hearts and attitudes, and he can certainly move in your life to do whatever you need, if you would only ask and believe.

I wrote this psalm, reflecting on his wonder…
Your glory fills the sky
Who can fathom your wonderful essence?
Who can comprehend your unending goodness?
You are everything.
Wonder, Delight. Love.
The entire universe exists in your being.
Without you, there is no form.
You hold it all together, lovingly, carefully.
Every detail thought of.
You know the beginning from the end.
You know me and love me.
Your plans are so good, so rich…
They far exceed our expectations.
Your mercy and generosity is amazing!
I want to live with you forever,
wrapped up in your amazing arms,
your colorful glory,
your gentleness, your awe.
I live for you, Lord.
eternally greatful.

Testimony: As I was finishing up the orbs on this and reflecting on the goodness and power of God it seemed like I was under attack. Finances depleted, the car broke down, no money to fix it, and without the car it was impossible for my husband to do his job. Circumstances shouted, “Doomed! It’s over! It’s all collapsing!”

I was confused, “God, why? I thought you would take care of us. We gave alot for you.”
I heard, “Do you trust me?”

I looked at my circumstances again thinking, “I don’t know.” I looked at my picture again reflecting on God’s ability to do creative miracles, to create from nothing. He created the whole world, my car, me! Is he surely now going to forget me?

God said again, “Do you trust me? When are you going to stop looking at your circumtances and what you don’t have and start looking at what you do have, Me!”

Needless to say, I prayed and begged God and tried to believe. I got a ride home, and wouldn’t you know it the same night God also provided money to fix the vehicle. It was fixed the next day and there was quite a bit of money left over. We had nothing, and in an instant God changed it! He is so good!

It feels like major catastophe to us, but its nothing for God, a simple breath could fix everything or give us a new vehicle if he wanted. Why do we get so stressed out?

(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.