by Kat Kirby

 

"Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life" - Pablo Picasso

 

Back in 1975, I was working with deaf/blind/multi-handicapped patients in a state hospital in Lynchburg, VA. A few other counselors and I had very little training in working with this population, but we decided to liven up the drab walls by painting a mural to be enjoyed by the deaf patients, and we brought in guitars to play for the blind patients. We were astounded at the excitement and responses from all of them, as those who couldn't hear could feel the vibrations on the guitars when chords were changed, and those who couldn't see but had some peripheral vision could tell something exciting was going on in their ward.

  

I have always felt that art was healing, and this proved to me that there must be more to the field than my intuition and imagination told me. I researched graduate programs in Art Therapy, applied to some schools, was accepted to Lesley University, and graduated with a master's degree in 1978. I have worked in this field ever since, with a variety of populations.

 

When I first learned of SoulCollage� in 2006, I was intrigued. I saw how well this process could fit in with my art therapy work, as there are many common themes. This article addresses some of those overlaps, and I hope demonstrates the concept of "Both/And" relating to art therapy and SoulCollage�.

 

In the CD SoulCollage and Art Therapy, Audrey Chowdhury and I outlined how art therapy's goals are similar to those of SoulCollage�. Perhaps you can see the connections too, in the following list.

 

In art therapy, we:

1.  Provide a safe framework in which the client can succeed.
2.  Allow and encourage the expression of pent-up emotions.
3.  Often facilitate the creation of a tangible, visual piece of art by the client.
4.  Bring clients out of personal isolation by encouraging group support.
5.  Empower clients to make their own choices and experience self discovery through  creativity.
6.  Assist clients in integrating unresolved or unexpressed issues or conflicts from the  past through art making.
7.  Encourage finding inner strength and resources through creative expression.
8.  Spend time in the creative right brain, limiting talking and enjoying going inward in  a quiet atmosphere.

 I see SoulCollage� as a  "therapeutic art" process,  because we know that art  helps with healing, and  we  have seen how our work of  facilitating the creative process  and having participants talk  about their artwork (their  SoulCollage� cards) helps  them in so many ways. Many  art therapists use  SoulCollage� in their work.  The big difference is that art  therapists are master's level professionals who hold a degree in art therapy or a related field, and have fulfilled a myriad of educational requirements including theories of art therapy, counseling and psychotherapy; individual, group and family techniques; human development; multicultural issues; research methods and practicum experiences in a variety of settings. They are skilled in the application of a variety of art modalities for assessment and treatment. In this way there is the distinction between "art therapy" and "therapeutic art", because scope of practice is at the heart of ethical work, and people using art as part of therapy may or may not have the special training required within this field.

 

SoulCollage� dovetails beautifully with art therapy. For instance, the word "Neter has more than one definition. It reminds us that images often have more than one meaning. The Source card can be compared to the work of spiritual art therapists such as Ellen G. Horowitz and Mimi Farrelly-Hansen, and art therapists might use the Belief Art Therapy Assessment when someone questions their religious or spiritual beliefs.

 

Each one of the suits mirrors some art therapy practices, such as the Community suit and Helen Landgarten's writings in her book "Magazine Photo Collage", or the PhotoTherapy technique developed by Judy Weiser. And then of course there's shadow work, which art therapists are familiar with thanks to the work of C.G. Jung. Using the cards for doing readings is similar to how art therapists might use Deborah Koff Chapin's "Soul Cards" with their beautiful Touch Drawings.

 

There are many more overlaps and similarities, and that is why I say "Both/And" to the process of SoulCollage� and the work being done by Art Therapists.

 

Kat Kirby is a SoulCollage� Facilitator and Trainer, and a Registered (soon to be Board Certified) Art Therapist in Prescott, AZ. She is a mentor in the Master's of Arts in Counseling program at Prescott College. In addition to SoulCollage�, Kat offers "Collage Gone Wild", mosaics, and other creative workshops at her new studio space.  Contact Kat.