I introduced mask making during the art therapy groups I run. This is an ongoing project that will probably take several weeks to complete, depending on the attention span of the client, how quickly they are able to work, and how often they are present for art therapy (since groups are voluntary).
Materials
- Lunch trays
- Plastic molds that look like faces (1 for every potential group attendee)
- Tissue paper of a variety of colors
- Vaseline/Petroleum jelly
- White glue
- Water
- Small plastic containers to hold the glue
- Large paint brushes.
Introduction
Depending on the cognitive level of functioning of the group members you are working with, you may decide to have a conversation about masks and their potential meaning. You may choose to discuss topics like Jung’s concept of the persona, and how the way we present on the outside may be very different than how we feel on the inside.
In the case of the clients I work with, many of whom are lower functioning, I decided to take a more art as therapy approach, where I focus on aiding the clients work through any difficulties they may have with the art making process in order to facilitate a successful art-making experience.
I am currently toying with the idea of asking each client to describe what their masks remind them of, after their masks are finished, and then encourage them to make a short story (in some cases that could be one sentence) about their mask. Many clients are unable to read or write, so I would ask other staff members to attend this group to help record the stories of each client who asks for help with writing.
Procedure
Before beginning the group, mix a small amount of water with white glue, making decoupage. Place the decoupage into small containers. If you would like to promote peer interaction and sharing, you may choose to have clients share these containers. However, in my experience with this directive, many clients have never made a mask before, and seem to find it overwhelming to have to interact with their peers and learn something new at the same time. Therefore, in order to promote socialization, I like to end group by each client showing the piece they worked on during the session.
Because many of the clients I work with have difficulty establishing boundaries with other people, or recognizing when they are becoming intrusive onto other people’s boundaries, I have introduced the use of lunch-trays as a work space for each client during art therapy group. Before the group begins place a mask is upon a lunch tray, and position the tray in front of each client.
Cover the mask with the Vaseline/petroleum jelly. This will help the paper to easily be removed from the plastic form without any ripping.
Explain to the group that this directive will take several weeks to complete, and that they will be gluing many layers of tissue paper onto the mask. The reason for this is that paper is very delicate, and the more layers you put, the stronger the mask will be.
Demonstrate how to glue the tissue paper onto the mask by dipping your paint brush into the decoupage, and putting some glue directly onto the mask itself. Next, place a piece of tissue paper over the glue and add more decoupage ontop, smoothing the tissue down. Instruct the group to continue layering the tissue paper until the whole mask has been covered. Remind the group that they will need to cover the mask with several layers, which will take a few group sessions, and they will not be able to finnish in one day.
Results
All the clients who have attended the art therapy groups over the past few weeks (presently approximately 15 clients) have been able to successfully begin and/or complete making a mask. My observation is that the clients seem to calm as they tear and glue the tissue paper. There is often very little talking while creating is going on.
I have found that some clients may need a 1:1 explanation of the gluing process in addition to the group introduction. It may also be helpful to have other staff present, who can help clients with reduced dexterity in their hands to maneuver the paint brushes, tissue paper and the mask.
A common counter-transference reaction to this population is to feel like one must help the client complete a task perfectly, or to our standard. Sometimes this means we can take control from the client, and essential do the task for them. Therefore, it may be necessary to remind staff before/after group that the artwork being produced is indeed that of the client, and that we do not want to complete the project for them. As staff, we are trying to help the client complete the mask to their satisfaction, rather than our satisfaction. Furthermore, the goal is to help each client create a successful piece of artwork. If one sees there are spots that need more layers, or places that need more glue, one must be sure to point this out to the client, letting the client find his/her own solutions to the potential problem or ask for help in implementing their solutions.
Overall, since many of these clients have never made a mask before, they seem proud that they were able to follow instructions and make something more complex and unique than a pre-made arts and crafts project. However, I have found that some clients need encouragement to attend art therapy and complete their masks. For some it seems that the idea of trying something new, something they may fail at, is so overwhelming that they choose to avoid finishing their masks. Many people with developmental disabilities have the experience of not being able to complete a directive to the standard that was set for them. This may lead to feelings of shame and/or guilt. It seems that a schema has developed that describes the self as incapable. With these clients, this is a chance to learn and challenge their self-concept. I have found it helpful to reassure these clients that they are capable of completing this project, and that however the mask turns out, thats okay because art therapy is about self-expression not how pretty a picture we can make.
This is an amazing video of an elephant painting an elephant holding a flower.
Many people believe the film is a fake because there are many cuts editing out portions of the presentation. I don’t know if the painting part is fake, but I have to wonder if the elephant was trained or being prompted. For example, This video reminds me of other cases of animals who seemed to able to engage in complex human behaviors, such as addition and subtraction. The story of Clever Hans is widely sited in psyc 101 textbooks. Clever Hans’s abilities were uncovered as a hoax because the animal was being prompted unknowingly by the crowed of observers.
In any case, training or not, the fine motor movement is impressive.
Well…I guess art therapy has reached new heights in terms of media exposure…its just one of several forms of therapy offered to B-list celebrities when they enter rehab.
Even though it’s only a minute and a half, and barely demonstrates the process of group art therapy, I have included this clip from VH1’s “Celebrity Rehab”….because, as they say, any publicity is good publicity….
Working with the clientele I have been exposed to at Redwood Place, I have noticed that many of the clients struggle when it comes to sitting with negative emotions/situations. I doubt that this is something only reserved for the dually diagnosed DD and mental illness population, but rather this is something we all struggle with. Indeed certain aspects of western culture seem largely based on instant gratification.
In any case, the other day I was on the cusp of falling asleep, a time when the creative juices begin flowing, when I thought of the saying, “this too shall pass”. I didn’t pay much attention to it, but it stayed in my dreams…The next morning, as I traveled to work, I realized that this saying resonated with me in a way that applied to not only to my life, but also to my practice as an art therapist.
Working at a residential facility there are often interpersonal conflicts that come up, sometimes over and over again. During these times, I can easily spend half my day conducting conflict resolution, which may be repeated later again that day, week, month, etc… It occurred to me that this may partially be due to difficulties with sitting with the unpleasantness of a certain emotion or situation. Lack of tolerance to the negative aspects of life can cause social relationships to suffer. For example, one might become highly irritable, curt, or avoidant of others. This sometimes makes other clients feel targeted or left out of their friend’s life, which can perpetuate a cycle where client #2 has difficulty sitting with their negative emotions, and both clients become increasingly agitated, requiring some kind of crisis intervention and/or conflict resolution.
Another common scenario I have been exposed to are clients who are frustrated with waiting for their next placement, as they find that they have gotten everything they can out of the program. Sometimes clients wait years for a new placement, depending on their situation. These clients describe feeling like they are in jail, against their will. Indeed, wouldn’t every one of us feel somewhat trapped if we were waiting to move on with our lives for years? In any case, these feelings of frustration are sometimes acted upon in aggressive and violent ways, often against others.
Part of my job as a therapist, as I see it, is to help these clients express their emotions through artwork and through their words, so hopefully these clients will be able to tolerate their emotional states and situations without becoming aggressive. Another aspect of my job is to encourage an increase in frustration tolerance and hope by reminding each client they have choices regarding their behaviors (changing an external locus of control to an internal locus of control). Somehow, though, something seemed to be missing in my job description, in my philosophy of conducting therapy with this population…and that something came to me right before I feel asleep, “this too shall pass”.
The idea that everything in life; our emotions, our situations, our very existence is transient. Everything changes, although while we’re in the moment waiting for change to occur time can feel like its moving at a snail’s pace. For me, when I am unhappy with my current situation and there is nothing I can do to change it, in the near future or the distant future, the idea that everything comes to an end brings me both comfort and hope. I think that’s why I have decided to introduce this concept to the clients I work with.
I understand that this is an abstract concept, that it will take time for this idea to be experienced and understood, and that some may never identify with the notion. However, I believe that with some encouragement, especially after a crisis occurs, this notion can be a valuable tool in building one’s tolerance. For example, during a debriefing after a crisis, the client and therapist could discuss or make artwork regarding the emotions and situations involved, how they may have resolved themselves without becoming aggressive, and what coping skills could have been used to help make it through this tough time (i.e., listen to music, deep breathing, take a walk). If a client avoids aggressive or self-injurious behavior during a crisis, discussing how they were able to sit with negative emotions long enough for it to pass by in the moment. It could also be suggested that clients repeat to themselves “This won’t last forever” or “I’ll get through this alright” when they are upset, anxious or disappointed. In art therapy, posters can be made with self affirmations focusing on tolerating emotions.
I have been using many of the interventions described above since I began working with this population, without having analyzed my philosophical stance. I was following the lead of my colleagues, because they have many more years of experience than me.
I somehow feel grounded in the notion “this too shall pass”, and have found a confident direction to focus upon before, during and after a crisis situation. I suppose this means that I becoming more comfortable working with this population and sitting with my own difficult emotions that I experience when clients become anxious, upset, aggressive and/or self-injurious.
I commute 2 hours a day from the Castro Valley back to San Francisco. Recently, I’ve been getting into listening to podcasts…and it occurred to me…wouldn’t it be awesome if there was an art therapy podcast? Well…there isn’t, as far as I know. But I think I may have found the next best thing. Shrink Rap Radio hosted by Dr. Dave deals with a broad range of topics in relation to psychology. Anything from therapeutic doll making, to gestalt therapy, to American Sign Language for babies. I’ve been thoroughly enjoying, and I encourage anyone wanting a good psyc podcast to check this one out.
Dr. Dave also does another podcast called Wise Counsel, which I’ve also been getting into. He interviews some of psychology’s living greats like Yalom and Barlow. I know I’m probably just a psyc nerd, but I find it really exciting to hear these great thinkers who influenced modern psychology discuss their theories and their works.
My sketchbooks are like diaries…they capture the situation, mood, mental state, ideas, blind spots, fears, humor, defenses and subjects of importance that I may have be experiencing at the moment I chose to draw. I also sometimes use my sketchbooks for planning more than upcoming art projects. I use them to write to do lists, reminders to myself, thoughts and random phrases. My sketchbooks help me organize my life, while at the same time they are holding environments for private concepts that I may not be ready to release to the public.
I don’t think it is a coincidence that while completing my master’s degree, Drexel University’s Art Therapy Faculty encouraged their students to use sketchbooks as ways to capture the dynamics of discovery, which were inevitable throughout our academic and experiential learning.
The experience of using sketch books as a way of containing and reviewing emotions, ideas, learning, and probably way more than can be described in words, has allowed me to introduce the concept of a sketchbook/diary to the clients I work with.
Book Making
Because many of the clients I work with have difficulties with dexterity in their hands, and because many of them refuse to use scissors for fear they might hurt themselves, introducing traditional book binding techniques using a needle and floss did not seem appropriate. Instead, I opted for a simpler approach, stapling the spine in order to create a book.
Materials
- Stapler and staples. I purposefully made sure that there were only 3 staplers in my group of 10, in order to promote client interaction and sharing.
- Colored paper, 12″ x 18″
- White paper, 12″ x 18″
- Materials for decoration: markers, oil pastels, foam shapes, glitter glue, etc…
Pre-structuring
Before group begins, make an example of a sketchbook to show the group. This can help to structure the group and allow them to visualize what the outcome of the group may be. Pre-making a book can also allow you to know the limits of your stapler- how many pages it can staple through. This can help avoid client frustration with the directive- that is, if one of the group’s goals is success orientation, which is common when working with people with developmental disabilities. However, if the goal of the art therapy group is to increase frustration tolerance, you may want to allow the clients to discover the limits of the stapler for themselves.
Execution
After introducing the example sketchbook, ask the group if anyone can explain what a sketchbook is, what it can be used for. In addition to their responses, explain times when one may want to use their sketch book, for example when they are upset or sad, when they are having a feeling that they are having difficulty putting into words, when something good happens, etc. Also explain that what they are making is theirs. Emphasize that the contents of a sketchbook can be kept private, or they can share their books with people that they trust, like their therapist, a family member, etc. Encourage the clients to keep their books in a safe place.
Ask each client what color they would like to have on the outside of their sketchbooks. Once each client has what will be their cover, ask them to fold the paper in half. Then hand out approx 6 pieces of white paper (this may vary depending on the capability of your stapler), and ask the clients to fold those papers as well. Demonstrate placing the white papers inside the colored paper, fold-to-fold. Then, demonstrate stapling- how to hold the paper while you staple, trying to staple as close to the fold as possible. Some clients may need help with stapling. I like to encourage some of the higher functioning clients to help clients who ask.
Once the books have been assembled, place other art media on the table so that the clients can decorate the covers of their sketchbooks and make it their own. The purpose of introducing other art media at this point is to help avoid some clients from feeling overwhelmed with the amount of stimuli in the group. The art therapist can further structure the group by limiting the types of art media available to the clients.
In terms of closure, I find it useful to have each client take turns sharing their sketchbooks with the group. This helps to promote socialization, group interaction, and is often self-esteem building since clients often recieve positive feedback for their products.
Results
Every group member was able to construct and decorate their books, some independently and some with help.
Some clients seemed to be taken aback by the concept that these books were for them, and they had the choice whether to share its contents with anyone. One client in particular repeated this concept to every staff member present within the art therapy group. This made me wonder how little privacy some clients with developmental disabilities are afforded in their lives. Some clients need help dressing, toileting, showering and cleaning their rooms. What then is for them and them alone?
Since the books did not contain very many pages, I suggested that once their sketchbooks were filled up, they could request to make another one. Several clients have taken me up on this offer, as they have been consistently writing and drawing in their sketchbooks.
As the first art therapist to be working within the facility, it is very gratifying to introduce new ways of self-expression to the clients. As with all techniques for self-expression, some things work for some people but not for others. For this reason, I try to encourage each client to remain open minded to new experiences, while remebering that rigidity is common amongst adults in general, people who suffer from mental illness, and people who have been diagnosed with a developmental disability.
Christo and Jeanne-Claude are known as environmental artists, who use rural and urban environments for mass scale projects. For example, in 1983 they wrapped 11 islands in Biscayne Bay, Florida, in flamingo pink fabric. More recently (2005) they created “The Gates”, where 7503 saffron colored fabric panels hung in Central Park, NYC, for 16 days.
In a National Geographic article written for the November 2006 issue, Christo answers the following question (p. 41):
Why…Why surround 11 islands with 722 200 square yards of pink polypropylene? Why hang 7503 saffron yellow panels in Central Park? Why?
Christo responds:
All our projects are absolutely irrational with no justification to exist. Nobody needs…surrounded islands. They are created because Jeanne-Claude and I have this unstoppable urge to create. They are made for us first. Not the public. Artists have a huge white canvas and an indestructible urge to fill it with color. There is no reason. Of course, if Mr. Smith likes the canvas, it’s good, but the true artist doesn’t make it for Mr. Smith…
While reading this quote I wondered to myself, isn’t this exactly what we mean when an art therapist tells his/her clients that art is not about making a “pretty picture”? It’s not about pleasing others with what comes out. It’s about self expression and sometimes it can take self-reflection and processing to become even remotely aware of the significance of the symbols used in one’s artwork. I suppose Christo would agree that those who participate in art therapy are truly artists no matter what the final art product.
As a part of a government sponsored religious reeducation program, an art therapist in Saudi Arabia is using art to help junior jihadists explore new ways of conceiving the world and getting out their anger. Interestingly, the participants are chosen after they have served their jail sentences and have passed a test showing their willingness/openness for change. Follow the link to the full story, and also a video that was shown on The National, a Canadian news program.
I first learned how to make a stress ball, using a balloon and flour, when I was working with Jeanette Pailas ATR-BC at the Friends Hospital Eating Disorder Unit in Philadelphia, PA. The purpose of making the stress balls was so that the clients could use the final product itself during times of anxiety, but also the directive may represent a metaphor for eating: filling up a stomach, which is stretchy like a balloon.
I’m presently working with developmentally disabled individuals. They too have difficulties managing their anxiety. One client in particular tends to squeeze his had so hard in a fist, that he causes lesions to his skin with his nails. This inspired me to introduce stress ball making in my art therapy group. I prestructured the group so that there would be only a small number of steps, insuring the success of the clients (an important goal of artx with developmental disabilities).
Here is a break down of how I structured the group:
Materials
- Balloons
- Flour
- The top part of a water bottle (a make-shift funnel)
- Spoons
- Small cups
- Colored pencils
Prestructuring
- Stretch a balloon over the top of a water bottle. Prepare as many balloons and funnels as needed according to the size of your group.
- Prepare several small cups with flour. Each cup should have a plastic spoon in it, making it easy to transfer flour into the funnel. I decided to have a cup of flour per person, but having the clients share with each other can be an option to promote group interaction.
Execution
- Introduce the idea of a stress ball- what it is, what it can be used for. I find it important to remind the clients that balloons can pop…discussing squeezing the stress ball in the palm of their hands vs. digging your nails or twisting the balloons.
- Pass around a pre-made stress ball, so that the clients an see and feel an example of a balloon stress ball.
- Have a quick demonstration about how to make a stress ball. I began by holding up a pre-prepared balloon/funnel and spooning in some flour. I then demonstrated how to use the back of a colored pencil to pack down the flour. I let the group know that if they needed help holding the funnel or packing down the flour, they could ask (I usually have a recovery specialist in group with me. This can be very helpful if there are several clients needing assistance at once).
- Hand out materials.
- As the group began working, I encouraged them to share their techniques- what works to get the flour down and what doesn’t.
- We discussed what situations they themselves might find the stress ball handy.
- When a client felt that he/she had filled up the stress ball enough, I helped them tie off the balloon.
Results
I found that with encouragement the clients were able to successfully work through the frustration of stuffing the flour into the balloon (it takes some persistence). They also tended to be hesitant about getting dirty. Redwood Place unfortunately does not have a designated art room. We tend to use common areas, or a conference room. I also wonder what would happen if the group had the freedom to “get messy”. So far I haven’t introduced paint or clay in the short time I have been working there. In any case, I realized quickly that flour (as long as its not wet) offers easy clean up. You can sweep it off the floor and brush it off your clothes. I therefore demonstrated this fact to the group by pouring some flour on my pants, and brushing them off, like new.
After the group was over, several clients seemed proud of their work. I was surprised, however, that the next day the same clients were asking to make more stress balls. Their peers, who had not joined us for the previous art therapy group, had also seen the stress balls, and wanted to make their own.
Over the next 3 days the art therapy group consisted of making stress balls. Some clients wanted to make a new one because their last one broke. Others wanted two or three- one for their room, one for their pocket. Some wanted to make an extra one for family or friends. All in all, this seemed to be a successful directive that many clients enjoyed and found useful.
This link was emailed to me by one of my old classmates. Its a clip from the Today Show on how a 20 year old autistic male, who has difficulty communicating verbally, found his voice through art.
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