Art by JAL

Group Art Therapy Interventions

Coping with Change

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Narrative Trees | Resistance Painting | Scribble Swaps

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Coping with change is a therapeutically important topic because it is an inevitable part of life and significantly impacts our mental and emotional well-being. Developing effective coping mechanisms helps individuals:

  • Manage stress and anxiety: Change often brings uncertainty and can trigger stress responses. Healthy coping skills provide tools to navigate these feelings without becoming overwhelmed.
  • Maintain emotional stability: Learning to adapt to new circumstances prevents emotional distress from escalating into more serious mental health issues.
  • Build resilience: Successfully coping with change strengthens our ability to face future challenges and bounce back from adversity.
  • Promote personal growth: Navigating change can lead to new perspectives, skills, and a deeper understanding of oneself.
  • Improve relationships: Effective coping can influence how we interact with others during times of transition, fostering better support and understanding.
  • Enhance overall well-being: By learning to accept and adapt to change, individuals can experience a greater sense of control and peace in their lives.

Therapy often focuses on equipping individuals with these coping skills, helping them to view change not just as a threat, but also as an opportunity for growth and adaptation.

Narrative Trees

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Materials
Drawing or Painting Paper

Drawing or Painting Supplies

Intro
Today we will be exploring the story of our lives

Ground rules… be respectful!

Name & Check-in; If you were a tree, what kind of tree would you be and why?
Pre-Conversation
To start us off I’d like to share a quote with you from author Victor Hugo…“Change your opinions, keep your principles; change your leaves, keep intact your roots”. In Narrative therapy it is believed that people make meaning in their lives based on the stories they tell about it. Its from narrative therapy our art intervention for today comes in.
Intervention
Imagen your roots…
Where do you come from? How do your connections support you? What in your past keeps your grounded to the world around you? What influences have made you who you are?

Imagen the ground where you are planted…
What is the enviroment like in your life? What are you trying to grow from? What influences you day to day?

Imagen your trunk…
What skills or abilities define you? What traits are integral to you? Are their faults in your base?

Imagen your branches…
What hopes do you reach for? What is the sunlight for you? What does success and happiness look like for you?
Imagen your leaves…

What season do you feel your life is in? What parts of you are changing? What might you let go of?

Imagen your fruits…
What gifts have other’s given you? How have these gifts helped you? What have you given others? What gifts do you find most meaningful?

Imagen the sky above your tree?
What storms have you weathered? How will you manage these storms?
Post-Conversation
Who would like to share their creative process?

What insights did you discover and why?

Client Response
A deep dive.
I have only done this intervention once, and it was a real deep dive! This is an intervention you really want the clients to take their time with.

Resistance Painting

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Materials
Paint paper

Watercolor paint

Pastels or Crayons (particularly white)
Intro & Pre-Discussion
Talking about…why we resist change

Then we…will do an art experiment

Ground rules… be respectful!

Name & prompt…
Opt. 1 - Where in your life do you tend to be perfectionistic? Why do you think that is?
Opt. 2 - What time in your life did you find yourself resistant to change? How would you handle that situation now?
Intervention
We are going to try a bit of a creative experiment. First, I want everyone to take a white pastel/crayon and draw something on the paper. Its ok that you can’t see what your making, and it is more than ok that it may not be perfect. Now, I want you to use watercolor to paint over your drawing. Everything you drew will be revealed because oil in the pastel resists the water in the paint!
Client Response
Fun but dependant on client participation.
I find that this intervention can be a lot of fun, but it very dependant on clients being willing to engage and experiment further.
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exploring values art therapy

Scribble Swaps

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Materials
Paper

Drawing materials
Intro
Today we will be exercising our creativity, adaptability, and cooperation

Ground rules… be respectful!

Name & Check-in;
Opt 1. What is the first thing that comes to mind when you hear "change"?
Opt 2. What is an opinion you once had that now has changed?
Pre-Conversation
Change is inevitable. Just as nature changes through the seasons, we to go through a variety of change as life goes on. To stagnate or resist change is to cause yourself a lot of stress and emotional turmoil. Sometimes, like in a place like this, we are undergoing change along side other people. That is the theme of today’s art exercise!
Intervention
First, I want you guys to take a piece of paper and I want you to tap into your inner child and scribble/doodle. Try not to think about it too hard, just do what feels right. I’m going to give you 30 seconds to do that…ready? —- OK stop!

Awesome. So now, I want you to pass your scribble on to the person on your right. Does everyone have a new page? Good. With this new drawing, I want you to try and make something out of that scribble. If you can see something in the scribble try to bring it out. Get creative and have fun with it ok?

Opt. Do 1-2 more switches, then do a mini art show of all the collaborative art.
Post-Conversation
What was it like to just scribble?
What was it like to make something out of a scribble?
Can you tell us about what you saw in the scribble?
Do you have any thoughts regarding change and what we’ve discussed today?
Client Response
Always a blast!
This is another one of my favorites! This intervention is also good for team building. The art show at the end is always a great way to engage everyone and get the clients to appreciate the changes done to their work.