First being an artist I began my training as an art therapist 30 years ago in a children’s hospital treating physically and emotionally challenged clients through art therapy. I was responsible for individual and family evaluations to determine the best treatment plan by using the arts. I was a part of a medical and psychological team that was responsible for treatment and I was supervised by a medical team, a social work team and an art therapy team.
I received my registration in 1972 after the required hours of supervision. Since that time I have developed over 6 programs in expressive arts therapy. I created an art therapy program in a residential treatment program specializing in adolescents with emotional problems. I have developed programs for senior centers and assisted living facilities. I received my Masters in Expressive Therapies in 1983 from Lesley University and have had many hours of training in counseling specialized groups.
For the past 20 years I have developed programs for nursing homes, assisted living facilities and Alzheimer’s programs. While working with Alzheimer’s residents I have found the expressive arts therapies to be powerful tools to reach those who have lost the ability to verbalize and rationalize. As an expressive therapist working with children, adolescents, and families the emphasis is on using these modalities to diagnose and treat emotional, behavioral, or interactive problems. But the goals set for those with Alzheimer’s disease are quite different and specific. The emphasis is on the joy and peace they can feel and create while painting, making a collage, a necklace or listening to old tunes they used to dance to. Alzheimer’s patients can more easily retrieve words to a song or a hymn than they can a memory of an event. They often remember how to dance and move more easily than they can recall a member of their family. As an expressive arts therapist I can structure an activity where they succeed, feel proud and an important member of the group. I see private clients, children and teens, in my art and dance studios North of Boston.
