I recently left my job at a community mental health agency and had to say goodbye to my clients, so termination activities have been on my mind. One of my favorite activities to do with children, especially when they are terminating because they have completed therapy (as opposed to the therapist leaving), is creating a memory book. In this activity, the therapist and child work together to create a small book that the child can take home when they leave therapy, providing a transitional … [Read more...]
Color Your Feelings: Art Therapy Interventions
In my last post, I discussed symbolism and meaning of colors in art therapy. Today I would like to share a related art therapy intervention. The basic intervention is to have the client choose colors that represent their feelings and then color an abstract picture. This can be a great intervention for children or adults, can be done with any media, and can be tailored to the particular situation, client, or need. As a way to increase awareness of emotions, try this directive: "List … [Read more...]
Color Symbolism in Art Therapy
Color wheel by Goethe in 1809. Understanding the symbolism of colors can be an important component of art therapy. Colors can communicate meaning just as importantly as images and words. As an artist, one can select different colors in order to convey a particular message or trigger a certain feeling in the viewer. As an art therapist, it is important for one to be aware of the possible meanings and symbolism of different colors that clients may use in their art. At times, clients … [Read more...]
6 Degrees of Creativity: Gluebook Goodness
Since July I have been participating in a great online art workshop - 6 Degrees of Creativity. The workshop was developed with Art Therapy Alliance and offers six different art workshops that can be completed at your own pace through December. The workshop was developed as a way to bring people together, no matter where they are in the world, in the shared love of art-making and creativity. Registrants of 6 Degrees of Creativity have access to a social networking site that allows them to join … [Read more...]
Origami Therapy: 10 More Ideas
In my post last week, I discussed how origami (or the related art of kirigami) could be used in therapy. Today I would like to share ten more ideas for how to use origami. There are many more ways you could use origami, but I hope this list will help give you some new ideas to try out. 1. Puppets: Making puppets is a popular intervention in art therapy and play therapy with children. The puppets can then be used to have a conversation or play interaction with the child. Children may be … [Read more...]