Art as a Reflection on Counseling: What Does the Client See?
The attached is a quick snapshot of a piece of art I discovered when cleaning out my home office. It is somewhat difficult to tell what you are looking at unless you look closely…and perhaps with a magnifying glass…but if ever in Philly, you are invited to stop by, have some tea, and take a look, “up close and personal.”
About 20-some-years ago I did an alcohol and other drug assessment with a young man who was mandated following a drug violation…marijuana. We did the assessment and although he was not a candidate for in-patient “drug treatment,” he was well on his way to developing a substance use disorder.
At the end of the assessment, I was looking for some way to make its results more personally meaningful for him. Because he was an artist and a huge fan of graphic novels, I asked him to prepare a review our assessment graphically: The artwork below was his rendition of the outcome of that meeting.
Essentially he storyboarded his insights regarding his drug use, projecting into the future where it might take him if he chose to ignore the results of our assessment. Although I suspect he took some artistic license in producing this piece—I did not see a violent death to be very likely in his future even if his continued use did progress to addiction—it nonetheless tells a cogent story and presents a somewhat accurate picture of the progression of a SUD, at least in Philly. More importantly, it was his interpretation of where his use might lead lest he make changes.
In any event, I thought I would share this as a way of suggesting that individuals can be invited to react to counseling in ways other than just words. What do you think?
Dr. Robert
Dr. Chapman,
ReplyDeleteThis blog happened to have been posted on my 5oth Birthday and around the time that I posted on my Facebook page that after nearly seven years, I picked back up my drawing tools. I also posted snippets of my works on my Facebook page as well. I was going through some really emotional times during those years and just could not get my spirit back in alignment to draw. I also learned that I have some other mental health challenges that impeded my ability to regroup, so I found deleved into other creative pastimes. I took my energy and mastered PowerPoint so well that I can make a PowerPoint presentation look like it done with a MovieMaker program. I would insert 40-50 commands in just one page. Having pen in hand and caressing a finely textured illustration board seems to make everything around me become non-existent; I get lost in the moment....so therapeutic it is. You have got to see my works!
Forgive the typos in my previous posting. Even after reviewing, the system seemed to do what it wanted. You will not recognize the email address (DADSDO2@gmail.com), so I will let you know that the SA stands for Sabir Alim.
ReplyDelete"DADS DO 2!" is my 8-week training for fathers.