Using Art

[dsabados]

I'm an art therapist and have been involved with the reduction of seclusion and restraint for an adolescent facility. We've utilized some of the general sensory approaches/ideas and a trauma informed approach learned from the folks at NASMHPD/NTAC. I wanted to know if anyone knows of any literature or resources that are specific to how art can be used/adapted/incorporated into sensory modulation programs.

Thanks in advance for any direction/resources/ideas!
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Diana Sabados, MA, ATR-BC
Registered and Board Certified Art Therapist

[Tina Champagne]

Hi
I have an email into the art therapist I work with to see if he has any insights as a fellow art therapist.

If not I will respond with some of my thoughts on the topic from my perspective as an OT.

Thanks for posting this question - it is a really good one!
Tina
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Tina Champagne, OTD, OTR/L

[brubg]

Diana,

Thanks for your question. I work with Tina as a psychiatric counselor and art therapist. My work is primarily with adults so I cannot speak to the art therapy/sensory integration connection with kids/adolescents as deeply as you perhaps could benefit. However, the AATA web site (http://www.arttherapy.org) led me to a couple of articles you may find helpful:

Kearns, D. (2004). Art therapy with a child experiencing sensory integration difficulty. Art Therapy: Journal of the American Art Therapy Association,
21(2), 95-101.

Art Therapy and the Brain: An Attempt to Understand the
Underlying Processes of Art Expression in Therapy
Vija B. Lusebrink, Palo Alto, CA Art Therapy: Journal of the American Art Therapy Association, 21(3) pp. 125-135 © AATA, Inc. 2004

Art Therapy for Combat-Related PTSD:
Recommendations for Research and Practice
Kate Collie, Stanford, CA, Amy Backos, San Francisco, CA, Cathy Malchiodi, Louisville, KY, and David Spiegel, Stanford, CA
Art Therapy: Journal of the American Art Therapy Association, 23(4) pp. 157-164 © AATA, Inc. 2006

Since working with Tina and her OT colleagues, I have become more mindful of alot of the connections between the 2 disciplines. Some of these include:

The ways art therapist's are versed in the effective applications of specific medium to best approach certain treatment objectives as well as specific needs inherent in the therapeutic process.

I would also recommend looking into Paolo Knills work with intermodal expressive arts therapies. You could probably google his name.

Keep posting additional inquires and experiences and I would be happy to continue the dialogue.

Bruce Bradley-Gilbert, MA, ATR, LMHC
Northampton, MA