"What Are The Expressive Therapies?" LINK

 Proper training, due diligence, a working diagnosis along with a treatment plan are essential. All creative and expressive arts have a healing byproduct effect. But simply being able to make art of doing it regularly does not make one a therapist. 

This blog is an Art Therapy resource designed by Prof. Turtel Onli, M.A.A.T. after his twelve years of clinical & community professional Art Therapy practice coupled with training at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and the Dysfunctional Child Center.

 For those looking for quality professional Art Therapy services in the Chicago area, try Rainy Day. LINK

 Prof. Onli illustrated this important article for the National PTA magazine in the early 1970s. Its content is a great template against racial self-hate and personal under-achieving related to Blacks in the USA.

Prof. Onli's graduate school thesis was "How The Difference of Race impacts the Therapeutic Alliance in Art Therapy". He was pressured to change to write about the distinctions of culture and not Race.  The core of that pressure was the department felt he was being 'racist" or that it would be interpreted as being "racist'. However, Onli was successful.  That was 1989. Now in 2022 he is considering publishing it.

 Art Therapy Practitioner Course link: LINK

 Children's mental health declared a national emergency — what parents need to know

Yahoo Life Wellness

John Egan

December 17, 2021, 11:17 AM

Amid the stress, isolation, uncertainty, fear, and grief that many have experienced during the pandemic, the U.S. health care system has seen a sharp rise in mental health concerns among children — and health experts are sounding the alarm.

On Dec. 7, U.S. Surgeon General Vivek H. Murthy issued a public health advisory that warned of a crisis among youth. This followed a joint statement in October in which the American Academy of Pediatrics, American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Children's Hospital Association declared a national emergency in children's mental health.

"Mental health challenges in children, adolescents and young adults are real, and they are widespread," Murthy wrote. "But most importantly, they are treatable, and often preventable."

Since the pandemic began, "rates of psychological distress among young people, including symptoms of anxiety, depression, and other mental health disorders, have increased," wrote Murthy. "Recent research covering 80,000 youth globally found that depressive and anxiety symptoms doubled during the pandemic, with 25 percent of youth experiencing depressive symptoms and 20 percent experiencing anxiety symptoms."

A father sits next to a child who sits on the floor with head buried into crossed arms.

Children's organizations have declared a national mental health crisis in kids. (Photo: Getty Images)

In addition, "negative emotions or behaviors such as impulsivity and irritability — associated with conditions such as ADHD — appear to have moderately increased," he said.

Murthy also called out another "concerning" trend: In early 2021, U.S. emergency department visits for suspected suicide attempts soared by nearly 51 percent among girls 12 to 17 and increased by nearly 4 percent among adolescent boys, compared to the same time period in early 2019.

For many parents, the pandemic era might be the first time they've ever coped with mental health struggles arising in their children. Complicating this situation is a lack of access to mental health resources. A September survey commissioned by DotCom Therapy, a provider of pediatric telehealth services, found only half of U.S. parents or guardians of kids under 18 were able to get the mental health care they were seeking for their children.

"This is pretty frank, but at this point, our behavioral health system is not equipped to meet the needs of families," said Eileen Twohy, a clinical psychologist at Seattle Children's Hospital.

So what's a parent to do if their child is showing signs of depression, anxiety or another type of mental health distress? The simple answer: Get help as soon as possible.

"So often, parents and caregivers don't know where to start, as supporting a child with mental health difficulties can be overwhelming and scary," said licensed clinical social worker Michaela Landry, a clinical manager at DotCom Therapy.

Twohy says seeking help might involve a visit to a pediatrician, family physician or another primary care provider, or a chat with a health care worker at your kid's school. Landry says making an appointment with a mental health therapist is another option.

If your child is threatening to harm themselves or other people, immediately call a crisis hotline (such as the American Society for Suicide Prevention, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, or the National Alliance on Mental Illness's Crisis Text Line) or head to an ER, Twohy recommended. Other organizations recommend calling 911 immediately.

A health care professional can determine the right course of treatment for your child. Treatment may include therapy or prescription medication, or a combination of the two.

Landry says signs of mental health trouble to watch for in children include:

Behavioral changes that interrupt their day-to-day life

Lingering sadness

Irritability

Isolation from family and friends

Difficulty with sleeping

Loss of appetite or increased appetite

Drastic changes in mood

Trouble focusing on tasks

Shifts in academic performance

Unexplained physical symptoms such as headaches, body aches and stomach pain

Parents can embrace a number of approaches to help children who are dealing with mental health issues. For instance, they can start by encouraging their stressed-out kids to get an adequate amount of sleep (which affects kids' mental health), engage in daily physical activity (which experts say helps reduce levels of stress and depression), and eat healthy food (research shows that consuming more vegetables and fruits is associated with better mental well-being in kids).

Twohy advised that parents should be "really straightforward and open" when inquiring about their kids' mental health. For instance, it's OK to ask a child whether they've harbored thoughts about self-harm if you suspect that's the case, she said.

In addition, Twohy suggested carving out short periods of time with your kids for low-key, fun activities like playing video or board games, tackling an art project, or watching YouTube videos together. In these situations, it can be easier to start a dialogue without simply peppering your kids with questions.

It's also important for parents to talk with their kids about their own emotions and mental health. "Normalizing the experience of tough emotions and normalizing that sometimes we're having a hard time with our mental health is really important for families to work on," Twohy said.

Twohy emphasized that parents should carefully observe their kids' behavior to pick up on any signs of mental health concerns and get them the help they need. "It's important to remember that children are resilient, that most people who go through difficult or traumatic events like the ones that people have been through in the past ... don't develop a mental health disorder," Twohy said.

It's a statement echoed by Murthy: "Many young people are resilient, able to bounce back from difficult experiences such as stress, adversity, and trauma."

Twohy went on to say that "children and adolescents had some pretty significant mental health needs even before the pandemic. I think the pandemic is highlighting for us some needs that really have been around for a long time and have been increasing for a long time."

If you or someone you know is having suicidal thoughts, don’t hesitate to reach out for help. The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is open 24 hours a day at 800-273-8255.

 NBC NEWS LINK: Chicago Comics Shows! 2021

  Juneteenth is now a Federal Holiday. Celebrating the word of freedom finally reaching the Slaves in Texas. Ending that system forever! Educators, Curriculum Coordinators, Serious Collectors, and readers will love the books and products being offered starting June 19th at Chicago's Museum of Contemporary Art.

 Its fantastic and unique historic group exhibition, "Chicago Comics: 1960 until Now!" features an intelligent, well designed, dynamic, and a truly diverse selection of visually charged books and related products that celebrate and explore contributions and creative expressions of Blacks, African Americans, LatinX, LGBTQ, and Asian practicing artists, writers & cartoonists. What a great way to expand positive appreciation and respectful curiosity in students of all levels for these people and cultures that often exist outside of standard curriculum guides and teaching scenarios.

 Did I say "Juneteenth"? What about for birthdays, Christmas, Hanukkah, and Kwanzaa too. Early gift buying is another way to boost the collections and options for avid or reluctant readers while serving up creative diversity in real time. This historic exhibition runs from Juneteenth until Oct. 13th 2021. Perfect for field trips and educational resourcing. Not to mention great fun and artistic excitement for every one else. See you at the MCA! https://mcachicago.org/.../2021/Chicago-Comics-1960s-To-Now

 

Making Art Helps.......

The above image was created in an Art Therapy session using clay & markers.  The "Making Art Helps" link is to an article supporting the value in therapy and wellness of art making regardless of one's skill level.

Art Therapy Link

Art therapy is finally being taken seriously as a tool for boosting health!

A new World Health Organization report lends  "heft and credibility" but it's only scratching the surface. 

1. Students in a workshop at the Logan Center per the University of Chicago Campus.

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 How Art Impacts Learning Outcomes.

What makes art such a great teaching tool? 

Art engages children's senses in open-ended play and develops Cognitive, Social, Emotional and Sensori-Motor skills. Art is a cooperative learning experience that provides pleasure, challenge, and a sense of mastery. Instruction in the arts is one of the best ways in which to involve the different modes of learning; through art, children learn complex thinking skills and master developmental tasks (Belden & Fessard, 2001).

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 2. Students in a workshop at the Blackstone Library.

 3. Making art at the Chicago Children's Museum.

 4. Drawing Godzilla at the Blackstone Library.

5. Drawing at the First Aid Comic Book Store.

(The above studio practice workshop pictures of 

art making activities led by Prof. Turtel Onli, M.A.A.T.

are presented for educational purposes and must not be reproduced or shared.)

LONDON.- West Sussex Record Office and Outside In have been awarded a grant from the Wellcome Trust of £46,023 to preserve an archive which offers a rare insight into the use of art therapy as a form of treatment.

Outside In is a charity which supports artists who find it difficult to access the art world for reasons including health, disability, isolation or social circumstance.

 

The Vawdrey Archive comprises approximately 194 paintings produced by patients in art therapy sessions run by Dr Brian Vawdrey between 1951 to 1971 and a copy of Vawdrey’s illustrated thesis, ‘Art in Analysis’.

The archive is an unusual record of early art therapy work which provides an important insight into the therapeutic process and has the potential to offer a unique perspective on the development of art therapy as a discipline.

This funding will enable the Record Office, in partnership with Outside In, to catalogue, preserve, and digitise this archive, eventually making the catalogue and digitised images available online.

A series of consultation sessions involving Outside In artists who have had lived experience of mental health issues will enhance and enrich the catalogue – a new and innovative way of approaching medical and hospital archives.

Debbie Kennard, West Sussex County Council Cabinet Member for Safer, Stronger Communities, said: “Our Record Office does an amazing job when it comes to preserving and archiving unique collections such as these.”

Wendy Walker, County Archivist at West Sussex Record Office said: “This funding will enable us to preserve a unique archive that will provide a fascinating insight into the role of art therapy at a critical stage in the understanding of mental health in the 1950s and 1960s.

“I am delighted that we will be able to explore this archive with Outside In, contemporary artists, academic colleagues and health care professionals and develop innovative ways to make it accessible to new audiences today.

“We are extremely grateful to the Wellcome Trust for all of their support in making this happen”.

Marc Steene, Director of Outside In, said: “Outside In is extremely excited to be working with the West Sussex Record Office on this highly innovative project.

“Enabling Outside In artists, with a lived experience of mental health issues, to be given the opportunity to guide and be consulted in the archiving of this incredibly fragile and rare collection of patient art work will provide important learning for all.

“We are also delighted to continue our relationship with the Wellcome Trust and thank them for their support with this project.”

LINK:  Study shows that art making lowers the impact of stress in young and older participants.

Interview link with Prof. Turtel Onli M.A.A.T.

Urban/ Clinical Art Therapy interview link on Sound Cloud

I often add toys to my sessions.  They open pathways of insightful spontaneous expressions on the parts of the participants during and after the actual art making segment of our process.

 For International Peace Day, Prof. Onli led a free art work-shop based on "Peace" as the theme at the Ogelsby Elementary School on Chicago's energetic Southside.

Onli graduated from the school in 1965 and is very concerned about the crime, violence and lack of opportunity that now are issues in the community.  He asked for a random group of students to participate as a group to discuss the merits of "Peace" and to help him produce a few banners for the school's "Peace Day" celebration.

Prof. Onli thanks Principal Henderson for allowing him the chance to give back to the school where he learned so much.

Ivette (Ivy) Garcia is a Harold Washington College Rockstar! She visited Northern Illinois University with the HWC Art Department and fell in love with what NIU has to offer art students. Ivy is now studying Art Education at NIU, and she graduated last Spring 2016 with her Associate's of Arts Degree. When asked to whom she owes her success at HWC, she gave shout outs to her rockstar professors: Turtel Onli (Art), Richard Powers (Literature), Jennifer Armendarez (Speech), and to the Transfer Director, Ellen Goldberg. She also owes so much of her success to being an Intern for the organization, Genesys Works. Go Ivy! You rock and INSPIRE! #rockstar #communitycollege #transferccc#haroldtransfers #dreamschool

Psychology and Art: A Smmary and Critique by Douglas N. Morgan

The Psychoanalytic Approach is an inquiry into the personality factors, which condition the creation and/ or appreciation of work of art.

The attempt seems to be to read the work in whatever field, symbolically, and to correlate these readings with whatever biographical data may be available, to the end that we understand more fully the personality of the creating artist, and through this understanding, light maybe thrown upon the "mystery” of creation in the arts.

The Gestalt Approach is characterized by a belief that perception (and perhaps other psychological phenomena as well) can be explained in terms of neural factors tending to produce organized, through dynamically changing patterns segregated groups of "units or wholes”. Thinkers in this tradition ask, what perceptual organizing factors condition the experience of seeing or hearing a work of art.

The Experimental (Behaviorists)  Approach is characterized by distrust of any method which makes inferences on any basis other than precise mathematical measurements of behavior and which make predictions to any other conclusions than those measurable in such precise terms. (Psychological testing.)

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ACTIVITY NOTES:

The activity and art making process I often use involves Paris Craft.  This is a safe material made of gauze imbedded with Plaster of Paris.  The activity embraces sensory integration, trust, sequential processing working in tandem along with highly successful results.  It bypasses drawing or any prior art making experiences which may have been negative. 

For instance some clients often recall early experiences in drawing that were challenging or even negative when asked to draw.  Until this is factored out, it may infuse that therapeutic  alliance with unexpected transferential aspects.

I find it easily fits into all three of the approaches listed above.

For the therapist or trainee it offers a wide range of task-analysis opportunities.

 Tamar is studying a mask before learning the process.

 Sofia actually decided to cast her arms and part of her internship.

 Sofia and Tamir attached their masks to canvas board an embellished them with acrylic paint.

 Tanya and Aisha are painting their masks.

Aisha is taking a selfie with the Good Brother Darth.  I encourage the interns to explore humor and playfulness in the studio process to learn how to manage the space and the materials appropriately.