January 2022 - Map Making Therapeutic Art Making Intervention

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 a great way to have a visual representation about a specific location from a clients life! It has many uses and it is an object a client can take with them and display on their own if they would like. These look great in a window to let the light shine through. If you try this out yourself, l would love to see photos of it!

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: 10+

Diagnosis: Any

Supplies Needed:

• A map printout of a location of the client’s choosing from Google Maps (or a similar website)

  • This can be where they grew up, where they currently live, or where a significant even happened in their Iife

• Sharpie or black marker

• Pencil

• Tracing paper, vellum paper, wax paper, or thin plain white paper

Uses: Visually representing an area of importance to a client, starting the conversation or story sharing about a client’s life

Artistic skills needed: None!

Instructions:

1. Start by having your client choose a location that is significant to them. This can be where they live now, where they used to live, a location where something significant happened to them, or even where they want to live in the future!

   • I usually give a few ideas if they are struggling to pick a place. I will offer the above suggestions, I will say this can be a positive place such as where you had a great time with a friend or partner, or this can be a place where something not so great happened.

2. Using Google Maps or any website where you can type in an address, type the address or area the client chose. You can screenshot this or save it depending on the website options and then print it out.

   • You can have the client play with zooming in or out, but you do want to have a decent amount of road lines for the activity.

3. Next, have them trace over the roads and landscape lines with a marker, the thicker and bolder the better to make the next step easier.

4. Take tracing paper, vellum paper, wax paper, or even thin plain white paper and put it on top of the map with the bold lines.

   • The client can put this up to a window to shine light through the design if they are having difficulty seeing the lines underneath

5. Have them trace the bold lines underneath with a pencil on the new paper (tracing, vellum, wax, plain paper, etc)

6. Finally, have the client go over the new pencil lines on the new paper. They can use color here or just the plain black marker.

• After the process is complete, I recommend exploring this with the client. Some questions to ask can be:

  • What do you see when you look at your map?

  • Should we add any shapes or marks on the map?

  • What does your map remind you of?

  • Can you tell me a story about why you chose this place?

  • What memories do you have from this place?

• The final product can be taken home by the client if they want it and it looks great in a window with the light shining through it!

Map 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.