December 2022 - How to Make Space for Ourselves During Busy Times Visualization Therapeutic Art Making Activity

Finding creative therapy interventions can be so difficult! That is why I have created a library of creative interventions so that any therapist can easily find interventions to do with their clients. Please keep in mind the importance of the terminology you are using with these interventions! Art Therapy interventions are done by a trained and registered Art Therapist. Luckily, all of these interventions are appropriate for any clinician to use as Therapeutic Art Making interventions! All of the interventions found in my Creative Intervention Library are art activities perfect for therapy sessions. Most of the interventions also have a telehealth modification for those of us who are still seeing clients virtually. Every month, I post a new creative intervention for you to use. Looking for more? For the price of a cup of coffee per month, you can get access to a second creative intervention as well as access to the entire library catalog of previous months.

This intervention is great for this month because December is often chaotic, busy, and stressful for both our clients and ourselves. That being said, there will always be stress and busy-ness in life so it can be used any time of the year.

Please note, If you do take any photos of client’s art work, make sure you have a consent form signed for this. I have a Consent to Photograph Artwork Created in Therapy Sessions Form in my products if you need one for your practice. Even with therapeutic art making, it is ethically necessary to have this consent form signed. Also make sure to remove any identifying information from any art work before photographing it, such as names or signatures.

I offer personalized intervention ideas in the clinical consultation and supervision I provide as well! When I work one on one with clinicians, I love being able to create specific interventions tailored to each client and their presenting concerns. Feel free to reach out with any questions to see if creative supervision and consultation would be a good fit for you and your practice!

Process Video:

Enjoy my cat, Tuna, in this entire video. She refused to move and was very interested in the intervention. Anyone with a cat (or even a pet) can hopefully understand once they’re in a spot they can’t be moved!

Age range: 8+

Diagnosis: Any

Supplies Needed:

• 2 sheets of plain paper

• Any art material such as crayons, markers, colored pencils, paint, etc. I used crayons for the example

• Scissors (optional)

• Glue (optional)

Uses: This can be used to help clients visualize how to make space or take space for themselves during stressful and/or busy times.

Artistic skills needed: None!

Instructions:

1. Cut or fold one of the pieces of paper in half

2. Next, ask your client to think about what feels busy or stressful in their lives currently

3. After they have a few ideas, ask them to represent these on the page either in colors, shapes, or words. Ask them to fill the entire page or have the least amount of plain paper visible

4. The next step has two options depending on your client, the setup, or other factors. The first way to do this would be to ask the client to cut up the image using scissors.

   • Leave this as open as you can for the client, but if they do ask how to cut it up, encourage them to just try to cut it up in different pieces.

5. The second way this can be done would be to have the client rip up the image into new shapes rather than having them cut it up

   • Using ripping instead of cutting could be due to age, lack of scissor access, if your client cannot use scissors for safety reasons, or it could even be if your client tends to be a perfectionist this would challenge them to not have perfectly straight lines/shapes. Use your best clinical judgement for which method best fits your client

6. After your client has either ripped or cut the image into new shapes, ask them to then arrange the shapes onto the other piece of plain paper

   • Cutting the first piece of paper in half is an important step for this intervention because of this step here. Since we are trying to create a visualization about making space, if their first image was the same size as the second piece of paper, it would be much more challenging for them to rearrange the pieces leaving space in-between the pieces.

7. Encourage them to think about the space in-between the pieces intentionally

   • This is a great point to start talking about how we can represent taking and making space visually, while also (if appropriate) talking about how a client can actually implement carving out small moments for themselves

   • Many clients might automatically think that making space for themselves has to be something big that isn’t realistic to incorporate into their busy life. This is a great point to talk about how they can do it in small and realistic ways. Some suggestions might be problem solving about where they can find 15 minutes of their day to scroll on their phone without interruption, or 5 minutes to stretch and breathe, etc.

8. The last step also has two options for completion. This first step would be to have the client glue down their rearranged pieces. They can take this visual with them as a reminder for themselves to try to carve out small moments for themselves.

9. The other option for finishing this intervention would be to not glue down or adhere the pieces to the paper. The intervention would end with them rearranging the pieces onto the paper and the discussion that comes along with that.

   • This method could be utilized if the client does not have access to glue. It also could be appropriate for someone who might struggle with rigid thinking and/or planning. Not adhering the pieces and letting them go after doing the activity, for some, could be freeing and allow them to move forward from the session. Some clients might also benefit from the metaphor of throwing away all of the pieces instead of gluing them down, and could represent trying to reduce/throw away/get rid of the stress that those pieces represented. Again, use your best clinical judgement for which method is best for your client.

10. Some potential questions to ask during this intervention:

    • What do the colors and images you chose represent in your life, what is feeling stressful or busy right now?

    • How did it feel to cut up/rip up that stress into new pieces. Did it change how you feel or does it feel the same?

    • How does it feel looking at the pieces rearranged with space in-between them? Does it feel like you can find space in your life in some way?

    • What are some small opportunities to carve out some time just for you?

    • If you had an extra 15 minutes to yourself in a day, what would you do and how can we make that happen?

Intervention Example

*A note about examples: Please be careful about sharing an example of the intervention with your client. When a client sees a full example, it can unintentionally influence what they are making and may skew what they are presenting in their art making.