Month: May 2008

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Collage and Artx

Darren Daz Cox asks:

Hey Liz, what collage techniques do you use in your work?

When I think about collage, I usually think about a magazine photo collage where you cut out words or pictures from magazines and glue them onto a separate page. In art therapy, often times collage is used as a way to approach clients who may be resistant to art making or clients who may need some extra structure (due to their developmental level or perhaps due to an anxiety provoking subject matter that is the focus of the collage).

The art therapist may choose to add even more structure to the collage making experience by having pre-cut collage pics and words available to the client. Sometimes these pictures can be divided up into separate categories in their respective folders or containers. Some categories or themes may include people, food, words, animals, nature, fashion items, etc… The downside to this is that the art therapist may be intentionally or unintentionally censoring images or words, or may be overlooking certain images or symbols because of countertransference issues, personal value issues, personal comfort level, etc… In other instances, the art therapist may want to encourage autonomy and self-expression by allowing the clients to search through magazines themselves for pictures or words that may stand out to them. The downside to this is that many times the clients get involved in reading articles or looking at the magazine rather than focus on art making.

The art therapist may want to provide a directive for the client, which can help structure the session and guide the client with a theme or suggestion of what to base the collage on. Other times the art therapist may choose to refrain from giving a directive, allowing the client to make whatever he/she desires. This decision is based upon, for example, what the therapeutic goals may be, as well as the client’s resistance to art making.

Along with magazines and paper, other useful materials for collage include scissors, decoupage or matte medium, paint brushes and glue sticks.

Once the collage is completed I often like to ask the clients I work with to title their work before we begin processing the piece.

I hope this answers your question. Let me know if I could provide you with any more info.

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DSM for People with Developmental Disabilities

I recently attended a conference in San Jose hosted by UCLA’s TARJAN Center for Developmental disabilities entitled, Innovative Approaches: Treatment for People with Developmental Disabilities & Psychiatric Disorders. There I discovered that a new DSM specifically tailored to individuals with developmental disabilities is now available. The title is: The Diagnostic Manual- Intellectual Disability (DM-ID): A Textbook of Diagnosis of Mental Disorders in Persons with Intellectual Disability.

I have yet to read it, so I’m not sure exactly what the differences are between this book and the DSM-IV-TR. I’m hoping that one of my administrators will be acquiring it soon for the clinicians at Redwood Place.

I suppose the reason for this text is to help clinicians and psychiatrists tease through the symptom presentation that is found within the dually diagnosed DD and mentally ill population, who often present differently than people without DD. This begs the question: so…when are they going to come out with a DSM specifically geared towards children? As many professionals have noticed, children often present differently than adults, which is not reflected in the current DSM. Perhaps a DSM for children is in the works, and I haven’t heard about it, after all, to me, the DD DSM was a surprise.

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Mindfulness and Artx

After doing a substantial amount of podcast listening on mindfulness and its integration into therapeutic practice, I couldn’t help but wonder, doesn’t art making bring us into the present moment and help us pay attention to the details of the world that surroundings as well as out inner world?

In regards to paying attention to the world and its surroundings, I remember taking a course where I was taught how to draw from life — models and such. It was a painful process for me, training myself to see all the details of shadow and light on a body or a piece of fabric. After months of everyday practice, drawing for at least 15 min to 1 hour per day (similar to a daily formal meditation schedule) my perspective of the world changed. I noticed that I saw color, pattern, form, light, and movement differently. I saw these details and took notice, rather than merely looking at them as I had done before. Upon reflecting on what exactly was different, I believe it was that I was finally able to take notice of my surroundings in a way that was present and in the moment.

I have struggled to come up with ideas for art therapy group directives that would be relevant to the clients I work with. Directives that they can participate in and take something from, which can potentially be generalized in their everyday lives. Perhaps still life drawing is the directive I have been looking to experiment with.