What are some good examples of art therapy?
George is 96. He’s mostly deaf, sits in a wheelchair day after day, and has almost no recent memory. He can talk and make sense for very short bursts, especially about the distant past. Mostly he’s sad and just nods off to sleep in the day room. His hearing is so bad that shouting doesn’t help much—communication relies on caregivers’ gestures and facial expressions.
George had been my neighbor until he went to the care center, where I visited him every week. They had an art therapist named Sally there. She invited me to participate in a class. I fit in pretty well. I was 77.
Sally handed out pieces of cardboard, little bottles of Elmer’s glue, and tiny pots of beans, rice, various grains, sprinkles, colored sand, etc. She showed us how to smear the glue on the cardboard, then to start adding the various elements to make a design.
George needed a little prodding from Sally, but he was making a design in a minute or two, and it didn’t look bad. What looked better was George. He was engaged but looked up often at first for approval from Sally. Then he got into it.
I don’t really understand what happened, but after the art therapy session, he was smiling and even touched my hand before I left.
This version of art therapy was extremely simple and basic, but it was kind of miraculous. As a psychologist, the extent of my art therapy was projective drawings with kids, and I’m no expert, but that session with Sally made me a believer.
Fact is, the sessions I attended with George somehow made me feel good too.
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