Creative Solutions

'Art Talk' is a psychotherapy small group that I facilitate at my private practice. Besides being a clinical social worker, I am also a polymer clay artist and often use art as a part of the therapy process. Unlike art therapy, clients in this group focus on their life issues and problems, not on the art. The clay work that clients produce is a by-product of the therapy session.

This small group was the convergence of several ideas. Some clients, including nursing home residents, find it difficult to talk about their problems. This can be due to anxiety. Thus the client is in constant motion,i.e. foot movement, finger tapping. Anxiety can result in an inability to focus. There are also clients who rarely talk about themselves and their struggles. So therapy itself can seem like being lost in a maze. I believe I provide a welcoming and supportive environment for people to work on their life challenges. However, for some clients this safe setting is not enough.

At the time I was working on a series of clay quilts. I had wonderful conversations with my Mom about quilting. In my family there are several generations of quilters. She told me stories about how small groups of women would come together to work on a single quilt. These gatherings were about much more than quilting. The women would talk about their problems and receive advice and support from the group. Working on the quilt made it easier to talk about what was important in their lives. Thus an informal support group was born.

I thought about the clients who struggled to verbalize their problems and about the 'quilting bees' of old. Why not try a psychotherapy small group where clients
could also work on polymer clay projects. Would clients, like participants in the quilting project, find it easier to talk if their hands were creating? Thus 'Art Talk' was born a little over 5 years ago. It has been an overwhelming success. Once clients begin to work with the clay, serious issues begin to surface.
For me, it was another example of thinking about a problem creatively and finding a non-conventional solution. Do you have an example of creative problem solving to share?