Intimacy through Art Therapy

A few weeks ago, I filled in for a colleague in an Art Therapy group that helps the sex offenders develop intimacy in their adult relationships. This addresses another high risk factor for them. The directive was to draw a safe or special place for yourself. It was interesting to note that most of the group members drew a place that they would be alone. One was up in a hot air balloon. Another was in a boat in a bayou. This really represented to me how difficult it is for some of the patients at the hospital to develop healthy relationships. Discussion focused on how to develop more meaningful relationships when you have a tendency to avoid doing so because of past negative experiences or only having experience in developing relationships with inappropriate age groups.