Art Therapy Commons^™

A Visual Communication Intervention For Caregivers Of Spouses With Alzheimer’S Disease, Nola K. Freeman

Journal of Art for Life

An intervention was created based on visual communication for use with spousal caregivers and individuals with Alzheimer’s Disease (AD). The intervention was informed by Winnicott (1974) and Bloomgarden and Sezaki’s (2000) use of visual communication, rather than verbal communication, as a means of increasing communication and positive interaction in couples. Two case studies were conducted to assess the effectiveness of the intervention in increasing positive interactions and relationship quality of couples dealing with AD. Couples were asked to participate in three art directives based on visual communication including a scribble chase, salt dough, and art card directive. It ...

Art As A Cure: Analyzing Healthcare Treatment For The Mentally Ill Through The Lens Of Art Therapy Programs In Dakar, Senegal, Sofia Porter-Castro

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Mental illness is a malady that affects roughly 2.3 million people in Senegal ("Statistics by Country” 2012), but the wide and sometimes opposing range of healing practices suggests that the attitudes surrounding mental illness are still largely contested. This is especially true in Senegal’s capital, where advances in medicine in big city hospitals are growing while ties to traditional beliefs and practices remain strong. Alternative therapies, such as art therapy, provide an opportunity for practitioners to explore different techniques for treating the mentally ill while still integrating elements of the local culture. It is precisely this integration that ...

Storytelling And Healing: The Influence Of Narrative On Identity Construction Among Hiv Positive Individuals In Kisumu, Kenya, Kimberly Leon

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The principle objective of this Independent Study Project is to investigate the influence of storytelling as a counseling method on conceptions of HIV among HIV positive individuals in the city of Kisumu. Interviews with counselors, community health workers, and HIV support group members were used to determine the role of storytelling in the counseling process. Stories and life experiences were gathered and analyzed in order to extract themes and draw a relationship between the act of storytelling and a person’s perception of their HIV status. Data was collected at various support groups in the Kisumu area and through the ...

Using A Healing Wheel In The Healing Journey, Rebecca L. Tadlock-Marlo

Faculty Research & Creative Activity

Mindfulness can be most comprehensively defined as a multifaceted, present-moment awareness intervention that capitalizes on self-perceptions (Gehart & McCollum, 2007; Nanda, 2009). Native American practices can be easily translated into counseling mindfulness techniques to aide in the healing journey of multicultural clients (Burks & Robbins, 2011; Durtschi,Rybak & Decker-Fitts, 2009; Garrett et al., 2011; Turner & Pope, 2009). A Medicine Wheel, or Sacred Hoop, is just one of the many ways to help individuals heal through mindfulness practices. Through the use of creating and discussing a healing wheel with clients, counselors can promote a context for understanding, respecting, and valuing both self and others.

As clients grow in personal awareness, they simultaneously increase academic or career performance, social skills, and coping mechanisms to enhance their personal quality of life (Hamiel, 2005; Semple, Reid, & Miller, 2005; Thompson & Gauntlett-Gilbert, 2008). By helping clients learn to embrace and practice self-awareness, counselors also empower clients to take ownership of their thoughts, feelings, and actions. Implementing mindfulness through the use of a Healing Wheel with clients of various developmental levels may be one way counselors can help individuals realize their strengths and achieve their fullest potential.

The escalating need for counselors to become and remain proficient regarding multifaceted interventions correlates to the ever-increasing diversity in communities (Constantine & Sue, 2005; Hill, 2003; Tadlock-Marlo et al., 2012). As counseling-related nuances immerge from the adolescent population, there is an ever emergent need for counselors to be both multiculturally competent and creative in their techniques. Currently there is little research on the use of Healing Wheels in counseling. Therefore, the purpose of this ...