November 2023 - Two Years of Creative Interventions Celebration Collage Therapeutic Art Making Intervention
This month’s intervention is a big THANK YOU from me to you! I cannot believe that two years ago in November I started sharing creative interventions. To celebrate two years and 24 creative interventions (in our free intervention library!) I wanted to make a collage reflecting on the transformation of the intervention library and my group on The Therapist Network!
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:
Age range: 8+
Diagnosis: Any
Supplies Needed:
Shuffles by Pinterest app, Canva, Adobe Express, or any digital collage creator if done digitally
Physical collage materials: magazine clippings, images, paper, scissors, glue
Uses: This month’s intervention is a celebration of the transformation of the intervention library, but it can be used by clients to visualize their own transformation
Artistic skills needed: None!
Instructions:
First ask your client to think about what their transformation has looked like. This can be in regards to in therapy, in their life, from certain points in their life, etc
If you are doing this digitally, my favorite app to use is Shuffles by Pinterest or you can also use Canva or any other online creation website or app
I am SO EXCITED to share that Shuffles by Pinterest is my absolute favorite collage app and it is FINALLY available for Android users!!! I highly recommend this app for collaging, even over Canva!
Once they have the blank document open, I encourage them to search through the elements to find images that represent their transformation. I have them think about the beginning and how they were feeling in the beginning, what it looked like in the middle, and then how they currently feel in their transformation.
If they are struggling to start, have them choose a background image
Words can be very representative and impactful in this collage, so I encourage clients to search “quotes” “words” or other terms that will pull up what they are looking for
I let clients know that they can layer as many things as they want in their image, too, if that is representative of how it looks for them
They also can cover things up, show small parts of it, or move things around. They can also animate parts of their digital collage (this is possible on both Canva and Shuffles).
After they are done, I like to have them reflect on what is in the collage. I like to ask if the things on the collage feel representative of their transformation. If appropriate I encourage clients to keep this somewhere they will see it so that it is there when they need to be reminded of their transformation.
The process for a physical collage is the same and straightforward, just using physical materials!