THE ART IN ADDICTIONThe Need for Addicts Self Empowerment via Creation

By Kari Lockhart

WHAT IS ART THERAPY?

• Art Therapy is a mental health profession in which clients, facilitated by the Art Therapist, use art media, the creative process, and the resulting artwork to explore their feelings, reconcile emotional conflicts, foster self-awareness, manage behavior and addictions, develop social skills, improve reality orientation, reduce anxiety, and increase self-esteem. (http://www.arttherapy.org/)

WHAT DOES ART HAVE TO DO WITH ADDICTION?

• Addiction and Low Self-Esteem

• Low self-esteem is one of the characteristics of the addictive personality. When people first begin using alcohol or drugs it will increase their self-confidence. They become less concerned with what other people think of them. The individual begins to rely on these substances in order to cope with life. Addiction means that the person’s life begins to all apart as their self-esteem hits an all-time low. In AA, they describe the situation as, alcohol gave me wings but then it took away the sky. Lack of self-worth can then keep people trapped in addiction.

• Underage Substance Abuse and Low Self-Esteem

• Children with low self-esteem are far more likely to abuse alcohol or drugs. They will be more likely to bow to peer pressure when their friends start to experiment with these substances. They will also find the idea of escaping reality more appealing because it means getting away from who they are. Those individuals who use alcohol or drugs at a young age will have a far greater risk of developing an addiction later on. (http://alcoholrehab.com/addiction-articles/addiction-and-low-self-esteem/)

WHAT DOES ART HAVE TO DO WITH ADDICTION?

• How to Increase Self-Esteem

• These are some things that people can do to improve their self-esteem:

• * It can help if people become more aware of one’s inner thoughts. Mental chatter is often the real source of the problem. Practices such as mindfulness meditation can allow people to see what is going with their thinking patterns. Once the problem is identified, it becomes much easier to deal with. Loving kindness meditation is also another great way to increase self-esteem.* It is vital that people learn to challenge their faulty thinking. For example, if they decide that another person does not like them, they need to objectively examine the evidence for this. Unless the individual has the ability to read minds, it is not possible to know what other people are thinking. It does not make sense to always assume that other people are thinking the worst.* Helping other people is a wonderful way to build self-esteem. It makes the person feel useful and also means that they are spending less time judging themselves.* It is possible for people to replace their negative thinking patterns with more positive ways of dealing with the world. They can do this by using a gratitude journal or deliberately focusing on the positive things in life. People need to question any ‘should’ statements that arise in their mind. This is usually just a means of making themselves feel guilty about the things they are not doing.* Learning to accept other people as fallible makes it easier for the individual to accept their own limitations. Nobody is perfect. (http://alcoholrehab.com/addiction-articles/addiction-and-low-self-esteem/)

ART AND EMPOWERMENT

• Elizabeth Doherty Yingling, M.A.Art Therapist

• “Art therapy derives its power to heal by giving clients the power to make numerous choices, from art materials to the level of engagement in the creative process. The creation and interpretation of art can help clients make meaning out of the circumstances of their lives, and finding meaning is incredibly empowering because it ultimately results in feelings of mastery over feelings of helpless and vulnerability.” (http://www.arttherapyempowers.com/philosophy.html)

ELIZABETH DOHERTY YINGLING, M.A.ART THERAPIST

• Art therapy taps into the natural functioning of the brain to facilitate communication between client and therapist. When feelings are so powerful or so deeply buried within an individual that verbal expression is difficult or impossible, the physical process of making art engages the right side of the brain (the area which deals with unconscious material), thus facilitating the release of any emotional material into the client’s artwork. The process of making art is also a wonderful way of exercising the brain because it is also an ongoing decision-making process. Composing and creating art requires that countless choices be made, such as which materials to use, which colors to choose, where to place elements within the image, how to create a desired effect, and how to make any necessary changes to the art to in order to make it better represent what one wishes to express. Scientific evidence has shown that art-making stimulates the brain to release the mood-elevating hormone, serotonin. In addition, the attunement that occurs when a client spends an hour session being thoughtfully attended to by a therapist can cause the brain to generate an internal opiate release, which makes the client feel better. (http://www.arttherapyempowers.com/art-therapy--the-brain.html)

DOES ART THERAPY WORK?

• Research shows that recidivism is higher for some people more than others, this applies to the individual in recovery, their levels of experience and life trauma and hinges on many variables that are both internal and external for the client. Studies are somewhat scarce on this topic as there are a variety of programs and models in use and definitions of what is affective in recidivism rates is difficult to calculate. There are a number of studies regarding the ways Art Therapy has reduced recidivism for those incarcerated in prison. These studies emphasize that the use of Art Therapy allows for increase in internal locus of control, identifying and cataloging of emotions and increased ability to express both negative and positive emotions to others.(http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/art-trial/201310/art-behind-bars)

DOES ART THERAPY WORK?• This may be partly due to the following factors :

We suggest three areas to be covered in initial treatment

• (a) decision making,

• (b) cognitive restructuring,

• (c) coping skills.

These are the procedures aimed specifically at the prevention of lapse and relapse and are to be done in addition to the techniques specific to the treatment of smoking, alcoholism, or obesity (http://meagherlab.tamu.edu/m-meagher/health%20360/psyc%20360%20articles/psyc%20360%20ch%203/brownell.pdf)

These three areas are shown to be strengthened by the use of Art Therapy in a variety of settings and modalities(http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/art-trial/201310/art-behind-bars)

ART THERAPY CAREER PLANNING

• A master’s degree is required for entry level practice in art therapy. The master’s degree is earned at an institution of higher education recognized by regional accreditation bodies approved by the U. S. Department of Education. Minimum educational, professional, and ethical standards for the profession are established by the American Art Therapy Association, a membership and advocacy organization which serves its members and the general public by providing standards of professional competence, and developing and promoting knowledge in, and of, the field of art therapy. Educational requirements include, but are not limited to, theories of art therapy, counseling, and psychotherapy; ethics and standards of practice; assessment and evaluation; individual, group, and family art therapy techniques; human and creative development; multicultural issues; research methods; and internship experiences in clinical, community, and/or other settings.

• The American Art Therapy Association, through its Education Committee, sets the Educational Standards for master’s level Art Therapy programs. Click here for an outline of the American Art Therapy Association Educational Standards

• (http://www.arttherapy.org/aata-educational-programs.html)

EDUCATION REQUIREMENT

• From looking at several American Art Therapy Association accredited graduate programs it seems there is a minimum requirement of 18 credits in Art/Fine Arts classes and 18 credits minimum in Psychology required at the undergraduate level.

• The Masters programs that are offered seem to vary in content and each school should be looked at to clearly meet the students area of specialized interest. i.e.. I am interested in using Art Therapy to work with those recovering from Substance Abuse and families with children who are recovering from Domestic Violence. I would not choose a Masters Program that specialized in the uses of Art Therapy for people with disabilities or Autism Spectrum even though educational opportunities and special trainings for professionals in these areas may be of interest in remaining diversified and meeting competency standards in the future.

LOCAL ART THERAPIES MISSING?

• There are currently no Art Therapists in the Rutland Area who are practicing therapies with people in addiction programs.

• Williamstown Second Spring has an arts program for psychiatric survivors.

• The local free paper “Counterpoint” has a section for psychiatric survivors artwork /prose/poetry.

• Turning Point in Rutland has a block of arts and crafts weekly for those in recovery.

INTERVIEWS

I was unable to locate any practicing Art Therapists in Rutland or surrounding areas. Even though the arts are prevalent and there is a group for those who are utilizing mental health services at Rutland Regional Medical Center’s Psychiatric ward. The available individual and group modalities for use in substance abuse recovery are apparently not available, unadvertised, or underutilized.

Fortunately, I have two close friends who have degrees and experience in Art Therapy. One is a counselor for Phoenix House in Keene NH. She holds a Bachelor’s in Psychology and Art from Keene State College and a MSW from Antioch New England. We have spoken at length about the miracles achieved in opening up individuals in recovery by using mixed media art forms as well as film/visual arts projects and music therapy. She also uses art therapy for a grief counseling group that she created after the sudden death of her brother several years ago.

It is her repeated experience of meeting individuals recovering from addiction and incarceration that often when she is having difficulties getting them to open up in program models or progress in groups or individual counseling because of experienced traumas incorporating an arts portion to their recovery program is often the “foot in the door” she needs to begin to initiate progress with the individual. She has been practicing professionally for more than eleven years.

I also have an older gentleman acquaintance who, after retiring as a Math teacher in his late sixties, decided to complete a second Masters program in Music Arts Therapy and Social Work. He primarily was interested in using music therapy to work with groups of seniors in nursing home settings who are suffering with dementia and Alzheimer’s. He has also used Music Therapy to work with at risk youth in various programs in his neighborhood in New York. He currently does all of this work in the community on a purely volunteer basis. He works with groups and is also interested in creating a training program for other volunteers with backgrounds in music and the arts to work with these groups in his community.

REFLECTIONI enjoyed finding out how to continue with my education goals while researching the career portion of this project. I was happy to see that my goals are attainable for me and that there is a definite need for this work on many levels in the community where I have chosen to live and raise my children.

I have always used the arts for myself in coping with High Functioning Asperger's and have used it on the level of a layman when working with people with disabilities and at risk populations. It is because I have seen how wonderful using art for families in group settings can be at bringing parents and children (who are dealing with issues surrounding poverty) together and watched weekly increases in bonding and communication between families.

I have wanted to increase my understanding and work professionally with Arts Therapy with a focus on helping people with substance abuse issues, families emerging from domestic abuse, as well as with those who have experienced incarceration and are reintegrating into their communities.

I was surprised to find that these therapeutic modalities seem to be missing from these areas I just listed in my community. I see several ways they are incorporated into the education system working with children with disabilities and in the community with psychiatric survivors. I see a definite lack in the areas I am personally interested in.

This may be due in part to the need to address these issues more often at the crises level in the community here in Rutland rather than at the preventative or the follow up level of care for those emerging from or stabilizing their lives after a crises. Policies and funding may alobe an issue for these same reasons. It is often easier to get money to support the putting out of community fires than it is to fund preventative or long term stabilizing therapies.

I have decided that as I progress with my studies at the bachelors level I will try to find out what factors are contributing to this lack within the community, explore areas or resources available to the community and perhaps incorporate a business/grant writing plan of my own or a practice plan of my own to implement upon graduation or (hopefully) with my own work as a substance abuse counselor.

SOURCES

• Addiction and Low Self-Esteem - Alcohol Rehab. (n.d.). Alcohol Rehab. Retrieved July 8, 2014, from http://alcoholrehab.com/addiction-articles/addiction-and-low-self-esteem/

• American Art Therapy Association. (n.d.). American Art Therapy Association. Retrieved July 15, 2014, from http://www.arttherapy.org/

• Art Behind Bars. (n.d.). Psychology Today: Health, Help, Happiness + Find a Therapist. Retrieved July 16, 2014, from http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/art-trial/201310/art-behind-bars

• Elizabeth M. Doherty | Philosophy. (n.d.). Art Therapy Empowers. Retrieved July 8, 2014, from http://www.arttherapyempowers.com/philosophy.html

• The Ten Coolest Art Therapy Interventions. (n.d.). Psychology Today: Health, Help, Happiness + Find a Therapist. Retrieved July 16, 2014, fromhttp://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-healing-arts/201002/the-ten-coolest-art-therapy-interventions

• Wilson, G. T. Understanding And Preventing Relapse.. American Psychologist, 765-782. Retrieved July 16, 2014, from http://meagherlab.tamu.edu/m-meagher/health%20360/psyc%20360%20articles/psyc%20360%20ch%203/brownell.pdf