Californian Art Therapists

Hello Fellow Art Therapists in California,

I am based in San Diego and recently started working at a center for young adults with schizophrenia.  The director has asked me to lead an art session for new clients and their parents in October as part of a new client orientation week. It could be for as many as 50 people and I have a full hour a generous budget and large meeting room for making art.

My goal is to foster a sense of collaboration between clients and their families while also developing a sense of community and trust between the different families. Following the orientation, parents will leave the facility and return to  home while clients stay in established residential settings and begin treatment. The facility has a unique peer support model that allows clients to live independently while visiting the treatment center during the day for appointments and workshops.

All suggestions are welcome, even if it is only a link to website or idea.

Thanks so much,

Andrea Cowan

That is a large group so my first inclination would be to do a collage activity. Perhaps group the clients with their family members together to work on one poster board finding images of things they all love. I found out recently that one can acquire collage cut up books on Amazon that have all sorts of interesting photos, images, quotes, and words to use for this. I have bought some to work with teens and first pulled apart the books to distribute different images.. Most people are very comfortable creating collages, and it also encourages upbeat interaction. They can all share at the end to get to know each other better. Best wishes! 

Hello Fellow Art Therapists in California,

I am based in San Diego and recently started working at a center for young adults with schizophrenia.  The director has asked me to lead an art session for new clients and their parents in October as part of a new client orientation week. It could be for as many as 50 people and I have a full hour a generous budget and large meeting room for making art.

My goal is to foster a sense of collaboration between clients and their families while also developing a sense of community and trust between the different families. Following the orientation, parents will leave the facility and return to  home while clients stay in established residential settings and begin treatment. The facility has a unique peer support model that allows clients to live independently while visiting the treatment center during the day for appointments and workshops.

All suggestions are welcome, even if it is only a link to website or idea.

Thanks so much,

Andrea Cowan

Hi Melissa,

One directive I like when some people are leaving is this:

1.  Take a piece of colored paper and better-quality oil pastels (not Pentel) using mostly darker colors (not much yellow and white)
2. Scribble all over the paper making sure it's really thick
3. Optional: cut the paper into a heart (or other large shape: star, oval)
4. Find another piece of colored paper
5. Line them up with the oil pastels facing down
6. Take a ball point pen (this is important) and write a message on the heart (best if using larger letters and a simple phrase or two such as "I'm going to do my best" or "I'll be thinking of you")
7. This will transfer the oil pastel from drawing 1 to paper 2)
8. Have one person keep paper 1 and the other person keep paper 2. Parent and child can make one for each other and then as many other hearts was they want. They can hang the hearts up all together as a group and talk about the group of hearts together and how it relates to the journey they are going on and the love they have for each other could extend to the community of people they're about to get to know better. 

:) 

That is a large group so my first inclination would be to do a collage activity. Perhaps group the clients with their family members together to work on one poster board finding images of things they all love. I found out recently that one can acquire collage cut up books on Amazon that have all sorts of interesting photos, images, quotes, and words to use for this. I have bought some to work with teens and first pulled apart the books to distribute different images.. Most people are very comfortable creating collages, and it also encourages upbeat interaction. They can all share at the end to get to know each other better. Best wishes! 

Hello Fellow Art Therapists in California,

I am based in San Diego and recently started working at a center for young adults with schizophrenia.  The director has asked me to lead an art session for new clients and their parents in October as part of a new client orientation week. It could be for as many as 50 people and I have a full hour a generous budget and large meeting room for making art.

My goal is to foster a sense of collaboration between clients and their families while also developing a sense of community and trust between the different families. Following the orientation, parents will leave the facility and return to  home while clients stay in established residential settings and begin treatment. The facility has a unique peer support model that allows clients to live independently while visiting the treatment center during the day for appointments and workshops.

All suggestions are welcome, even if it is only a link to website or idea.

Thanks so much,

Andrea Cowan

That is a large group so my first inclination would be to do a collage activity. Perhaps group the clients with their family members together to work on one poster board finding images of things they all love. I found out recently that one can acquire collage cut up books on Amazon that have all sorts of interesting photos, images, quotes, and words to use for this. I have bought some to work with teens and first pulled apart the books to distribute different images.. Most people are very comfortable creating collages, and it also encourages upbeat interaction. They can all share at the end to get to know each other better. Best wishes! 

Hello Fellow Art Therapists in California,

I am based in San Diego and recently started working at a center for young adults with schizophrenia.  The director has asked me to lead an art session for new clients and their parents in October as part of a new client orientation week. It could be for as many as 50 people and I have a full hour a generous budget and large meeting room for making art.

My goal is to foster a sense of collaboration between clients and their families while also developing a sense of community and trust between the different families. Following the orientation, parents will leave the facility and return to  home while clients stay in established residential settings and begin treatment. The facility has a unique peer support model that allows clients to live independently while visiting the treatment center during the day for appointments and workshops.

All suggestions are welcome, even if it is only a link to website or idea.

Thanks so much,

Andrea Cowan