We believe in tailoring our treatment to the unique needs of each patient who comes to us for help. If you would like to learn more about our holistic approach to addiction recovery, we invite you to contact us today. CAM includes diverse treatments, art therapy for addiction such as art therapy, music therapy, hypnotherapy, acupuncture, and herbal remedies. Whether or not an individual has an artistic talent or is even interested in the arts, art therapy for drug addiction can be extremely soothing and effective.
The practice provides a creative outlet for people to express their thoughts, feelings, and experiences through various art forms. In addiction treatment, art therapy uses art practices to help people express complicated or painful thoughts and emotions without using words. Under the guidance of a trained art therapist, people explore their emotional state in a way that’s more comfortable than traditional talk therapy.
What to Expect in an Art Therapy Session
At Clearbrook Treatment Center, we are strong supporters of using art to help with the addiction recovery process. “When we think about any other subspeciality in health care, it is natural to involve family members if someone is ill,” he said. Family members also learn how to maintain the patient’s confidentiality and when to call the treatment team with concerns. The strategies range from including probation officers in treatment efforts to advocating for programs that reward positive behavior. If you or someone you love is struggling with issues surrounding alcohol or substance use issues, we’re here to help. Plum Creek Recovery Ranch offers comprehensive treatment options, including art therapy, facilitated by our caring team of masters-level clinicians.
Give them a moment to reflect on what activities, people, or things help them feel good. These can be as simple as notes on scraps of paper that mention goals the person wants to achieve or affirmations that evoke positive emotions. In 2021, California became the first state to receive a waiver from CMS allowing regulatory approval to use a contingency management program for recovery from stimulants. “States are responding to the struggles that their citizens are having, and psychologists are leading the way to advocate for this strategy,” McDonell said.
The Impact of Art Rehabilitation Therapy for Addiction
Alongside a licensed art therapist, they can not only identify these problematic feelings and ideas but find ways to deal with them so that they no longer motivate the individual toward addiction. Sunshine Behavioral Health strives to help people who are facing substance abuse, addiction, mental health disorders, or a combination of these conditions. It does this by providing compassionate care and evidence-based content that addresses health, treatment, and recovery. The benefits of art therapy include restoring someone’s identity by strengthening one’s self-esteem. Because patients are working through painful emotions in a constructive manner, they can feel proud of being creative through challenging times.
Naumberg believed that art therapy could promote healing by helping people uncover repressed thoughts and emotions while providing a framework to discuss them. Beginning with her 1947 book, Studies of the “Free” Expression of Behavior Problem Children as a Means of Diagnosis and Therapy, she wrote several books on the topic. As advocates of mental health and wellness, we take great pride in educating our readers on the various online therapy providers available. MentalHelp has partnered with several thought leaders in the mental health and wellness space, so we can help you make informed decisions on your wellness journey. MentalHelp may receive marketing compensation from these companies should you choose to use their services. Art therapy has been connected in helping treat schizophrenia in patients and individuals suffering from PTSD.
What Do I Need to Start Art Therapy?
No artistic skill is required for art therapy; the key is a willingness to engage in the process. A trained therapist guides these sessions, which are adaptable settings like group counseling and medication-assisted treatment. Most people with substance use disorder are likely to suffer from mental health conditions. If you also have a dual diagnosis, you must follow a collaborative treatment plan that can simultaneously address both disorders. If you’re creating a self-care box, have the participants add items that represent to them the idea of support and self-help.
For over 50 years, the Gateway Foundation has been serving patients at all stages of recovery by offering evidence-based and individualized treatment programs. A great means of working out experiences, issues and emotions that contributed to addiction, art therapy is a safe form of nonverbal expression. Some addicted individuals are particularly wary of verbal communication about their past or feelings. Therefore, art therapy can provide a means of opening up and relieving the burden of those unexpressed issues. Art therapy is an expressive group therapy where individuals suffering from addiction can freely convey their innermost thoughts and feelings.
How Creativity Aids in Addiction Recovery
” The conversation is designed to help the patient become aware of their own feelings and begin working through unresolved conflicts. Although our main goal is to help you overcome addiction, we also want our patients to have long-lasting success. We believe that the best way to do this is to help you build good habits and prepare for your time back in the real world. So, if art therapy is going to help keep our patients from relapsing, we strongly support it.
There are those who have changed the trajectory of their recovery, their education, and their career based on projects we embarked on during our Friday afternoons that are entirely devoted to creative expression. A client of a prominent east coast drug and alcohol rehabilitation facility bounced into group one morning eager to share the arts and crafts project she had been assigned to complete the week prior. With her mask tucked safely inside a paper bag, she allowed her fellow clients to show off their designs as they narrated the creative process behind their inception. Another pioneer in the field of art therapy was Margaret Naumberg, the founder of the Walden School in New York. Often called the mother of art therapy, she promoted the approach in the United States. She said that children were healthier and developed better when taught to express themselves creatively.
Extant research on the benefits of art therapy is widely documented, although the research designs limit conclusive generalization. It is important to note that you do not need to consider yourself an “artist” or have any artistic training to enjoy the benefits of art therapy. The goal is to enjoy the process and promote self-expression, not produce a certain product. These therapists have specialized training in art therapy treatment for addiction and hold a master’s level degree or higher. It’s common for art therapists to also hold licensure in counseling or social work.
