As an artist working within relationships of growth and healing I know I am on the right path when I share remarkable moments with children, teenagers, and families. There are endless ways these moments coalesce to [...]]]> I am grateful to be an Expressive Arts Therapist because to be a therapist is to be an artist.

As an artist working within relationships of growth and healing I know I am on the right path when I share remarkable moments with children, teenagers, and families. There are endless ways these moments coalesce to form deep connection, joy, understanding, and determination; in essence all the vital stuff of humanity.

The therapeutic theories and techniques that guide me have come through the careful observations and research of my colleagues and those who have come before me. Carrying out these understandings of human development, relationships, and healing through intentional creative processes is nothing less than the unfolding of meaningful experience.

Sometimes I think it is hard for parents to understand the far reaching effects of play therapy and the expressive arts. This confusion can lead to questions such as:

• Is this really going to keep Johnny from hitting his sister?
• Is Becky really going to get better grades by doing this?
• I play with my child too, how is this going to help?

I welcome such inquiries because they come from parents who care, who want the best for their children. My response is a resounding YES, this will help.

As I engage children, adolescents and families we all have goals in mind, target behaviors to change, grades to raise, but we humans are not simple mathematical equations to solve. If we do A plus B then C will happen. Hey I admit, sometimes C does happen (thankfully) but usually not consistently over time. This is why creative collaboration and individual differences are so essential to therapy. Through creative therapies something deeper is happening. Long lasting fundamental moments of transformation are occurring. Over varying degrees of time these core changes begin to affect those most disruptive behaviors that have called out to us saying, “I need something more.” Johnny does stop hitting and Becky gets an A.

Many parents I see are already engaging with their children in creative ways each day. So I say, come in and let’s have the whole family play together. Let’s get more intentional about
play time and also weave creative methods that help into your every day routine. For developmental disorders, attachment issues, mood issues, and learning disorders the bottom line is the same, finding one’s unique path to human connection. There is no script for authentic human connection, although some explicit teaching is very helpful, when it comes down to cultivating fullness of life collaborating creatively is what leads to quality living.

I am so thankful for all the moments I have shared with my Clients. One mother heard me and her son through the wall in the waiting room and said later, “I have not heard him laugh like that for so long!”

I recently asked a seven year old girl. “What can we work on together to make the things that are hard for you easier?” She replied wistfully, “Oh, there are so many things.” I am now the keeper of a folded up drawing she titled my problem. We will pull this problem out of my drawer next session and play it out, play beyond it, play from the deeper perceptions from which this problem emerged. Expressive arts therapy calls forth the expression of these deeper perceptions because they are the stuff of art. Expressive Arts Therapy is an immensely human process and a beautiful one at that.

Experts:

An autistic teenager learns to communicate with other people by playing the drums as part of a group. A family in therapy makes a drawing together, allowing the therapist to observe their interactions and the [...]]]> I encourage yoo to read this wonderful article published on the American Psychological Association’s web site and magazine.

Experts:

An autistic teenager learns to communicate with other people by playing the drums as part of a group. A family in therapy makes a drawing together, allowing the therapist to observe their interactions and the finished picture. Members of a breast cancer support group use dance and movement to express their feelings about being ill. A group of abuse survivors write a poem together and then read it aloud.
Each of these is an example of creative arts therapy at work.

Creative arts therapies–sometimes also called expressive therapies–use media like dance, drama, music, poetry and visual arts to help clients express themselves.

Many of us have had profound experiences of our own in [...]]]> Prior to joining Mendel Psychological Associates I was a Wilderness Therapist at a Wilderness Therapy Program in North Carolina. It was a tremendous experience to witness children and adolescents find empowerment and healing through learning about their natural environment and living in the forest.

Many of us have had profound experiences of our own in nature and seek outdoor experiences, including a simple walk in our neighborhoods, as often as possible. During busy times it is easy to be swept along by our schedules and forget to take time to experience nature for ourselves and with our children. With spring upon us, as a Therapist, I am reminded of the wonderful healing opportunity nature offers.

Last week I had the privilege of meeting with one of my child clients during a glorious spring afternoon. He is seven years old and about to be adopted for the second time; I will call him Michael.

Michael is sad and struggling more than ever in school. This bright, creative, social child is becoming increasingly withdrawn as the transition from one family to another progresses. As we moved from swings, to sandbox, to monkey bars, activities he adores, it became clear how clouded his seven year old magic had become.

Boy running in the woods

I found a little box among the toys I brought and invited him on a nature walk in the sparse woods that surrounded the playground. At first Michael was reticent but intrigued. As I began pointing out the small details of buds, leaves, and rocks Michael’s interest and enthusiasm grew. Then a hawk landed several feet away from us and we got to see it look for food by the stream. Soon Michael was pointing things out all around us and our nature box began to overflow with beautiful objects. My heart filled to see some of Michael’s zest for life return and when our session was over he was excited to connect with others and show them the inside of our nature box.

As a child that has experienced several wounding interruptions in the consistent nurturing and safety every child needs, he himself is something to behold. Next week we will be planting seeds together for him to tend in his windowsill. My hope is that tending the every day miracle of a sprouting plant will help him to continue being able give and receive care with others.