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TTAP Method- Artx and Alzheimer’s

Dr. Linda Levine Madori, Recreation Therapist and ATR-BC, is currently in Finland teaching the TTAP method (Therapeutic Thematic Arts Programming for Older Adults) in several Universities throughout the county. She is blogging about her experiences, and was recently interviewed for the Creative Therapy Sessions podcast with Melissa Solorzano, available through Melissa’s website and on Itunes. Dr. Levine Madori is also the author of a new book, Therapeutic Thematic Arts Programming for Older Adults.

Here’s a youtube video where Dr. Levine Madori breifly talks about Alzheimers, the brain and the TTAP method:

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I’m back

If you were trying to access this website over the past few days, you would have noticed that it was down. Do not fear- its back up and running!

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The Big Snit

Oh, how I love the National Film Board of Canada (NFB). My first exposure to their animated shorts occurred while watching the CBC after school, when NFB cartoons popped up during commercial breaks. Later, once I entered CEGEP (in between high school and university in Quebec), I took an animation class and was exposed to some of the classics.

Here is one of my favorite NFB animations, called the Big Snit by Richard Conde. It always reminds me that even if the world is ending, maintaining relationships with your loved ones is what counts. Enjoy!

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Podcast

flip book



In the most recent episode of the Creative Therapy Sessions Podcast, available on Itunes, Melissa Solorzano speaks with Brian Austin, MPS. Brian is the founder of The Animation Project, where he integrates animation with art therapy for adolescents. Brian also on the editorial review board for Art Therapy: Journal of the American Art Therapy Association.

I’m excited to hear about the new directions art therapy is taking in relation to technology. This is a subject I’m interested in since there isn’t a substantial amount of literature correlating modern technology and art therapy with the older literature which discusses the therapeutic value and theory of more traditional media, including painting, drawing, sculpture and collage.

The interview with Brian focused upon ways to create computer animated pieces, which may not be practical in all institutions considering the cost of a computer and the software. Certainly, if you work for a non-profit you may qualify to grants or donations, and computers are much cheaper than they used to be. However, lets not forget that there are inexpensive ways of animating without a computer…flip books! The upside to flip books are that they require minimal materials and once they are made are so much fun to look at over and over. It also may spark an interest in learning other animation techniques including those that require computer knowledge. However, I think part of what makes integrating computer animation with art therapy particularly interesting to adolescents is the fact that it’s very much in tune with the times and their interests. Also, you’re teaching them a skill that, with further education, may even turn into a career.

In any case, I think flip book making could be a great intro into the world of animation, and may be more feasible for art therapists to integrate into their practices. Here’s a video series that demonstrates how to create a flip book.

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Calling all Art Therpists with a connection in Mexico City

I recently received an email from Galia Cozzi Berrondo, a sociology student in Mexico City. She was hoping I could recommend an art therapist based in Mexico City who could help her with integrating art therapy into a new program she’s creating. Unfortunately I don’t have such a connection, and was hoping maybe a reader may be able to help.

With her permission here is Galia’s email, along with portions of my response.

Hello Liz,

I am a Sociology student in Mexico City and I am extremely interested in art therapy because I am planning to open a community center for kids who live in extreme poverty here in Mexico, this center will be focused on art and we want to integrate art therapy as a very important part of the program. I have been investigating about art therapy in Mexico and it is not very popular, so I saw your interview on You Tube at the AATA and I was wondering if you know any art therapists in Mexico City that I could contact and that could lead me to knowing how to apply art therapy with kids.

Thank you for your attention,

Greetings,

Galia Cozzi Berrondo

galiacozzi@hotmail.com

galia@index34.com

Hi Galia,

What a wonderful project! Unfortunately I dont personally know of any Art Therapists in Mexico City. However, I did a quick google search on “art therapy mexico” and got this website. Unfortunately I don’t speak Spanish, so I’m not sure if its relevant.

http://www.terapia-de-arte.com/

There are also Loyola Marymount University has summer learning/exchange programs in Mexico…you may be able to find some students or professors to consult during the summer months.

http://cfa.lmu.edu/programs/mft/mexico.htm

Maybe you could contact AATA (the American Art Therapy Association) and see if you could post a “free consultant wanted in Mexico City” in their Jobs sections of the website?

I would suggest that you pick up books by Judith Rubin, who is one of the most respected art therapists working with children out there. Cathy Malchiodi also has some good books. However, I would like to caution that reading a book or two does not substitute for the expertise of someone who has studied art therapy extensively.

Thanks for writing and good luck!
– Liz

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DBT and Developmental Disabilities

Last week I had the privilege of attending a small DBT training by Julie Brown LICSW hosted by Telecare, the company I work for. WOW is she a dynamic speaker! She systematically broke down and explained DBT theory in a clear, concise and accessible way- something that tends to be rare with DBT trainings.

Julie has extensive experience as a DBT trainer and works in an outpatient environment with people who are developmentally disabled. She is in the process of coming out with a book through the Guilford Press where she relates DBT to the treatment of individuals who are developmentally disabled. I anticipate this will be a fabulous book and one that will become a much needed resource, since I find it difficult to wrap my mind around discussing things like “wise mind”, a complex and dynamic concept, in a concrete way. Julie has not titled her book yet, nor does she know when it will hit the shelves, but this has been 10 years in the making, is scientifically grounded and should make anyone’s “must read” list who works with developmentally disabled people.

Lastly, I couldn’t help but blurt out towards the end of the training how the creative arts in therapies are extremely useful in solidifying DBT ideas and that because of the inherent mindfulness in being creative, art + DBT mesh together almost effortlessly. I was pleasantly surprised by all the nodding heads and smiles from the attendees, as well as Julie’s positive response to my comment. Maybe it’s a west coast thing, but it seems that people are so welcoming of the CATs here.

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LinkedIn – The Art Therapy Alliance

LinkedIn is a career networking site where you can create a professional profile, make connections and keep in touch with current and past coworkers. By creating a profile with your job experience (which can be continuously updated), you can easily download a pdf of all your information formatted as a c.v., which can be sent to prospective employers. Another bonus of the site is its networking capabilities, allowing you to meet and keep in touch with others in your field.

The Art Therapy Alliance is an online professional group about art therapy on LinkedIn, and a great way to become involved in the online art therapy community. There is a message board for posting discussions, and Gretchen Miller, MA ATR-BC, creator of this group, also puts out a quarterly news letter. The news letter includes a list of other art therapy online groups, upcoming events and workshops, art projects made by group members, member news and more.

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Sewing Dolls and Pillows

Running Stich

For clients with developmental disabilities, an important goal of art therapy is to foster successful art making experiences they can subsequently feel proud of. I am flexible during 1:1 or group art therapy sessions, allowing the clients to choose what they would like to work on, while keeping my ears and eyes open for any suggestions they may have for art projects they would like to work on in the future. So, when a client happened to mention how she used to watch her mother sew dolls when she was a child, I asked her (and later the group) if they’d like to begin a sewing project. The group, which is mainly young females in their early 20s, enthusiastically replied “yes”- especially after they began to see some of the projects their peers were working on.

Materials:

– Felt (rectangular pieces of various colors) – felt is good because when you cut it, it doesn’t fray
– Embroidery floss (sometimes split in half to make it more like regular thread)
– Sewing needles
– Plastic sewing needles
– Hand held hole puncher 1/8″
– Yarn
– Buttons
– Scissors
– Pipe cleaners
– Fabric Glue
– Fluff/Stuffing

Directives:

I am hoping that in the future I’ll have some photos to put alongside this post, which may help following my instructions a little easier.

– Clients chose which they would like to work on; a pillow or a doll.

– If the client does not have the fine motor skills to use a regular sewing needle (for example if the client has cerebral palsy), or if the client may become self injurious with the needle, I offered to punch small holes along the edge of the felt so that they could sew using a plastic needle and thread.

– For clients that were comfortable using a needle, I reviewed threading and how to make a running stitch, practicing on a test piece of felt.

Pillows

– Clients making a pillow chose 2 pieces of rectangular felt. They were asked if they wanted to embroider a design on their pillow. If they said yes, I asked them to draw an outline on one piece of felt using a dark colored pencil. Then, using the running stitch (or an embroidery stitch) the client sewed along the outline they created. After the design is complete, the client can begin sewing their 2 pieces of fabric together into a pillow. Remind the clients to leave one side unsewn so that the pillow can be stuffed and sewn closed.

Dolls

– For clients making a doll, I begin by asking them to make a sketch of what they would like their doll to look like.

-Many DD clients have low frustration tolerance, and difficulty cutting accurately. Since one of the goals is to make this project successful, I suggest the therapist cut the shapes needed for the head, body, arms and legs for the client, allowing the client to focus on the task of sewing and stuffing. This helps the project to be less overwhelming for some. However, higher functioning clients (especially adolescents who are trying to master separation and individuation) may ask that the therapist not help. In this case, respect the client’s wishes, while reminding them that you are there if they have any questions.

– Most clients opt to begin with the head. I have multicultural skin toned felt, which is great for the head, hands and feet. I precut 2 circles for the client, in the color of their choice, to be sewn together as the head. However, before the sewing begins, I suggested to the clients that they may want to work on the face, for example, by sewing on buttons for eyes or gluing yarn for a mouth. Once the face is completed, the 2 round felt pieces can be sewn together, again, leaving an unsewn part to stuff the fluff into and then close. Hair can be added by gluing pieces of yarn on the finished head with some fabric glue.

– While the client works on the head, the therapist can cut 2 pieces of felt intended to be the body according to what the client has drawn in their sketch. This may be a simple shape, such as a triangle or rectangle, or it may be more complex, like a dress that has a neck, shoulders and arms. They may want to choose felt of a different color so they body looks like clothes. Again, the client will sew the 2 pieces of felt together, leaving an unsewn part to stuff. Before the stuffing takes place, the client may want to add a pipe cleaner (folded into a “w” shape) into the body, so that it acts like a spine- holding the doll in place. Once the pipe cleaner is inserted, the client can stuff and close.

– For simplicity’s sake, I opted to not have 3 dimensional arms and feet, but rather cut one piece of felt into the hands and legs of the doll.

– The client can now sew the head to the body, as well as the arms and legs.

Tip– For the pillows/dolls made by clients who did not sew their piece well enough to last (it looks like it will fall apart), the therapist may ask if the client would like some extra reinforcing sewing to be done by the therapist so the pieces will last longer. While many DD clients are excellent sewers, some are not. Helping to support the longevity of a project that the clients intend to keep over the long term because they are proud of their piece, can be validating to the client and demonstrate that their work, ideas and creativity is valued.

Observations

This is an ongoing project, so there will be no doubt more information about this directive to come. In any case, here are some interesting dynamics that have surfaced so far with the individuals participating in group art therapy 4x per week (sessions are voluntarily attended, so many do not participate as much as this). All information shared is in generalities to protect the identities of the clients.

– As the group members sewed, almost immediately a discussion began about mom’s. It seems that many of these clients were taught to sew by their mothers or maternal figures, and the act of sewing itself evoked strong memories of their mothers.

– Many of the clients who chose to create a doll are in the process of working through body image issues. Doll making may open another avenue of exploring such issues with the therapist.

– The participants are proud of their work, and proud that they were able to remember or learn new skills.

– Many clients remarked on how relaxing hand sewing is, and wanted to create more than one piece.

– Some clients wanted to use their own fabric, for example from old clothes, to make their pieces. In many of these instances the fabric used were from clothes that have meaning to the client. For example, one client saved a hospital robe from a involuntary psychiatric hospitalization, and used this robe to make a pillow as a reminder to herself that she does not want to be involuntarily hospitalized again.