Art Therapy Poster Presentation

I recently had the opportunity to present a poster at the Forensic Mental Health Association of California conference. The poster was on The Use of Art Therapy to Address Dynamic Risk Factors with Sexual Offenders. The poster gave a description of Art Therapy, listed some dynamic risk factors for sex offenders, outlined how we facilitate Art Therapy at the hospital, and displayed some patient art work. This was my first poster presentation, so it was good experience for me. I had to convert a PowerPoint presentation to fit onto a poster. I struggled with the layout, and sought out feedback from peers. Then I had to figure how to use spray adhesive! At the conference, I was able to meet and interact with many different people and answer questions about my poster and where I work. I try to present at conferences to help other disciplines learn about Art Therapy and how it can be helpful with their clients, as well as challenge myself professionally.

Good Lives Model

The facility where I work is transitioning to start using the Good Lives Model in our sex offender treatment. In a few weeks, I'm bringing back a group we used to run called Coloring Mandalas for Meditation. This will fit with one of the goods referred to as Peace of Mind or Inner Peace. Coloring mandalas can be focusing and calming. In addition, creating mandalas can help relieve stress and reduce pain. Hopefully, the group members can use this activity as a healthy coping skill, and improve the quality of their lives.

Coloring Mandalas

A couple of weeks ago, I covered a group with another Art Therapist. The group was Coloring Mandalas, and the group members could choose pre-printed mandala designs to color in using colored pencil, markers, gel pens, pastels, or paint. The group members showed care and effort in coloring the mandalas. They socialized and joked around. The group was designed to help participants relax and enjoy themselves. This is a healthy coping skill for the sex offenders to develop and practice, and can help with stress management. You can find free mandalas to print at websites such as http://www.free-mandala.com/en/start.html and http://www.free-printable-mandala-coloring-pages.com/free-mandalas-to-color.shtml

Art Journaling

I recently covered the Art Journaling group for a colleague. The group addresses high risk factors for sex offenders, and the day's topic was addressing how this population views women as deceptive. The directive was to create an image about a time that a woman did something genuinely nice for you. The responses were varied, including one man who had a hard time thinking of any time that had happened to him. He had difficulty in his relationships because he never felt love and affection from his parents. Another patient talked about how he felt when his fiancee had bought him gifts. Others talked about the love they had felt from their mother and grandmother. Though one man said that his mother doted on him so much that he used to compare the love of all women to that of his mother, and that adversely affected his relationships with women. The technique the group participants used was silhouetting, and they all seemed to enjoy the creative process.

Male vs. Female energy

My colleague presented at the AATA conference about male and female energy since the field of Art Therapy is dominated by women. He talked about his presentation during a recent supervision, and the Art Therapists were invited to make art about the topic. It was an interesting discussion since most of the group are women working with male sex offenders who alternately need male and female energy depending on the situation. The Art Therapists at the hospital have had to be more in touch with both their male and female sides in order to work with this population. Much of the art work depicted an integration of the male and female energies. A great topic for thought and discussion, with staff or with patients.

Mural Group

Today I filled in for the facilitator of the Mural group, and I was discussing with other staff the benefits of such an Art Therapy group. The patients have the opportunity to work on their interpersonal skills by working together. They have to figure out the theme of the mural, the composition, what images will be incorporated into it, who will work on what parts, etc. Sometimes it can be frustrating if there is no clear leader or if all the group members have controlling tendencies, as sex offenders often have. It's also challenging when the participants have different artistic abilities. The patients are encouraged to use problem solving, team work, and supportive words.

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.

Problem Solving

Recently, I filled in for a facilitator of an Art Therapy group where the directive was to draw an image about the group on a piece of paper which had been cut into the shape of a puzzle piece. After the group members finished drawing, they were instructed to put all the puzzle pieces together. It was interesting to see the group dynamic as some members went right to work trying to put the puzzle together. Others just wanted to boss the rest of the group around without doing any hands on work. Others preferred to let the motivated ones do the work. When one man tried to help out and received some negative feedback from a peer, he just gave up and walked out of the group. Sex Offenders have difficulty problem solving, so it was interesting to see how each one reacted and how they worked with each other. Discussion took place about the frustrations and each person's role.

Empathy Directive: A Time I Felt Loved

In order to help the sex offenders get more in touch with their feelings, I would ask them to create an image about their feelings. The theory being that these patients need to be able to identify their own feelings before we can expect them to feel for others. In one Art Therapy session, I asked the group to portray a time they felt loved. One patient painted some flowers to represent his sister who had loved him despite his crimes. Several weeks later he reported to the group that this directive motivated him to try to make amends with his sisters and improve his relationship with them. With empathy, it's good when the offender can feel for another, and it's even better when their empathy enables them to have positive behavior or actions. So, in this instance, the patient felt for his sisters who had gone through a lot due to his sex offenses, and he was able to try to talk to them about the impact of his offenses on them.

Directive--A Time You Felt Threatened

Once during my Empathy through Art Therapy group, I asked the group members to depict a time they had felt threatened. One patient drew about the first time he was in prison. There had been a riot and the correctional officers were firing shots. The patient was afraid and feared for his life. He was then able to relate his feelings to the feelings that his victims had. This directive helps the sex offender identify his own feelings, so he can better understand the feelings of others in similar situations. It is important for the patients to be in touch with their own feelings if we expect them to be able to feel for other people. This exercise helped them practice exploring their own feelings and experiencing empathy for others.

Supervision: How Sex Offenders Use Sex

During a recent Supervision group, I asked everyone to create an image of how one of the patients had used sex to manipulate staff, either in an Art Therapy group or just in everyday interactions. When working with this population, it is important to be aware of how the sex offender will try to manipulate or take advantage of staff, often using sex, either in a subtle or obvious way. The more aware we are of the attempts and intent, the better we can prepare ourselves to defend against it and deal with the patient. Several examples were given such as the patient who tries to touch staff's hand when she is handing him his art supplies. Also, there are those patients who speak very softly, so staff have to lean in closer to hear him. Some offer compliments or a sympathetic ear. All these practices serve as a test of boundaries, so we were able to discuss feelings around these circumstances and how best to address the issue with the patient.

Book Review: Without a Conscience

When I started working with sex offenders, I learned that quite a few are psychopaths. I was referred to the book, "Without a Conscience" by Robert Hare, who created a psychopathy checklist. The book was an easy read and gave me a better understanding of working with psychopaths. He shared examples of real life psychopaths such as Ted Bundy and Jeffrey Dahmer, as well as fictional psychopaths such as Hannibal. Hare elaborated on the symptoms of psychopathy such as being superficial, lacking remorse, being manipulative, being impulsive, etc. He discussed treatment of psychopaths which is difficult and entails self protection and damage control. Since 20% of inmates are psychopaths, this is a book worth reading if you work with the offender population.