October 2023 - Collaborative Collaging Done Differently Therapeutic Art Making Intervention

This month’s intervention is inspired by the Reverse Coloring we have been doing over on The Therapist Network! The concept is that you start with colors and then you add the lines in. I took this idea and used it for a collage intervention. Read below to find out more!

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 fun and different way to use collaboration that can highlight communication styles and interpretation

Artistic skills needed: None!

Instructions:

1. Start out by having the individuals who are participating in this activity pick a few words that describe either how they are feeling in that moment, from a specific topic, you can really have a lot of freedom here with how to pick words

   • I did this activity with my friend Jenna during a consult we had (and thank you again Jenna for participating in this!!). Our words we picked were busy, blah, scattered, calm, fall, and confident. We both shared a few words of how we had been feeling lately.

2. 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!

3. Let the participants know that they do not have to use all of the words

   • If they are struggling to start, have them choose a background image

   • If needed, you can verbally process what these emotions has felt like and help the client pull visuals from that. You can ask them what image might represent these emotions for them. I try to avoid suggesting something very specific, but use your discretion here.

4. 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).

5. While I was doing this activity with Jenna, we chatted a bit while we were both working but we also allowed space for some silence. You can play music if that fits your style, allow the space, or have conversations- it is up to you and what fits the need of the client!

6. You could potentially also give this intervention for between sessions and have the participants leave with the list of words and see what they come back with if you don’t have the time or setting to have them do it together.

7. I like to highlight that in processing this afterwards, activities like this truly can show how powerful our interpretation is of the same content. This gives a strong visual to the fact that we all take things in differently and then also express them differently. This can be great for couples or families to be reminded that just because you are taking in the same information, does not mean that you are interpreting it in the same way.

8. The process for a physical collage is the same and straightforward, just using physical materials!

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.