The Art of Art Therapy and DBT: Q & A with Christen Ann Meyer, LCAT ATR-BC

How Do they Work Together and How Do Successful High-Functioning Professionals in Recovery Benefit from this Unique Combination of Tools

Seriously? You want me to draw?

Art Therapy is one of the many tools that Freedom Institute uses to treat substance abuse and addiction and support long-term recovery. Research has shown that using Art Therapy bypasses the defense mechanisms that can be produced by talk therapy, creating more access to neural pathways to help clients understand addictive behaviors.

Christen Meyer LCAT, ATR-BC, one of our individual and group therapists, with a master's in Art Therapy, facilitates an Art Therapy group in Freedom Institute’s evening Professional Program. We sat down with her for a Q&A to learn more about her work and how professionals in our Professional Program benefit from Art Therapy.

What is your background and training?
I joined Freedom Institute in 2019 as an individual and group therapist to expand our Art Therapy programming. I received my BA with a double major in Art and Psychology from Pepperdine University and then went on to New York University to get my Master’s in Art Therapy. I also studied art at the SACI College of Art and Design in Florence, Italy, and HIV Prevention and Counseling at the University of London in England.

What is Art Therapy?
The American Art Therapy Association has a phrase about Art Therapy that I love. “Through integrative methods, art therapy engages the mind, body, and spirit in ways that are distinct from verbal articulation alone. Kinesthetic, sensory, perceptual, and symbolic opportunities invite alternative modes of receptive and expressive communication, which can circumvent the limitations of language.”

Art Therapy is a form of visual communication as opposed to expressing with words as we do in Talk Therapy. Using art in therapy and Art Therapy are two different things. Using art in therapy usually refers to using art as a means to an end. Art therapy uses the creative process to help clients access buried feelings and explore the underlying sources of their addictions. Emotional pain from past trauma, depression, grief, or all of life’s challenges can often be at the root of substance misuse and abuse. Learning to process these overwhelming emotions is one of the most important steps toward long-term recovery. Art therapy helps patients express their emotions, relieve stress, improve self-esteem, improve symptoms of anxiety and depression, heal in order to manage addictive behaviors, and cope with the challenges of long-term recovery.

How is Art Therapy used in the group sessions in our Professional Program?
Art Therapy gives clients the ability to put images to their emotions, which in turn validates their emotions and provides insight into the intensity of an experience. Sharing these images with others within a group gives them a chance to see their experience and really promotes connection among participants in a group. It simply provides a different method of communicating.

Art Therapy is not about the product; it is about the process. It is directive-based, such as giving someone an assignment. I might ask a client to put a color to their emotion or draw a memory to provoke a conversation about what they felt at the time. Another example of Art Therapy is creating a piece of art to promote non-verbal exploration. In our Professionals Program IOP, I will ask clients to mold a piece of aluminum foil into a shape to represent a strong urge or emotion or maybe a feeling of tension. The physical process of actually shaping the foil allows clients to release and experience and acknowledge their own tension and feelings. Then I might ask for the opposite action-undo the piece of aluminum foil, which helps them bring more attention to undoing how they feel. Art is used as a more mindful activity.

How can you practice DBT skills using Art Therapy?
Art Therapy and DBT mesh so well together as it allows clients to practice DBT Skills in a creative way. One easy example is using the DBT Skill of Mindfulness. In group, we talk about the ‘wise mind’. Using Art Therapy, I ask the group to create a visual representation of what they think wise minds (skills) look like and how is the ‘wise mind’ different from the ‘clean mind’ or ‘addict mind’. This allows clients to visually see and understand the differences between the ‘minds’ which in turn helps them to better understand different states of mind and recognize when they need to apply their skills.

How do you engage clients who are resistant or oppositional to Art Therapy?
First off, there is no "wrong" way to create art! If someone is hesitant to begin, I would explore that hesitancy and see if other group members have ever felt hesitant in their lives. Then I would try and convey the importance of our sense of sight. I would ask the client to try and think of a memory in which they were impacted by something they saw and describe it; describe the image, the situation, and the feelings associated with it. Then ask them why that image/experience was so impactful. Would it have been the same experience if someone had used words to describe it? I might ask them “where is your favorite place to go? I try to connect with clients visually.

How has Art Therapy worked over Zoom?
Our Professionals Program is 100% virtual and it has been hugely successful for our clients. Because there is no "wrong" way to create art, it's possible over Zoom. In fact, virtual art therapy further exercises the ability to be creative and flexible. If clients don't have materials in their homes, I encourage people to find things in their environment that they can use to create art. I've seen people use water bottles, spices, clothes, tea, dish soap, and computer cords to represent anxiety, bliss, stress, confusion, and safety. The world is so used to doing everything hybrid now that clients are comfortable with the virtual group and even find it more convenient and easier to take risks from the comfort of their own home or workspace.

To learn more about our Professionals Program or if you or someone you know is struggling with substances and mental health issues, please call us at 212-838-0044 or email info@freedominstitute.org