{"id":157,"date":"2018-04-09T12:15:03","date_gmt":"2018-04-09T10:15:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/art-therapie-staal.com\/en\/?page_id=157"},"modified":"2021-11-22T17:32:12","modified_gmt":"2021-11-22T16:32:12","slug":"creative-systemic-art-therapy-how-it-works","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/art-therapie-staal.com\/en\/creative-systemic-art-therapy-how-it-works\/","title":{"rendered":"How it works"},"content":{"rendered":"<h3 class=\"orange\">Creative art therapy + systemic therapy<\/h3>\n<p>Both art therapy and systemic therapy are professional approaches for individuals and families encountering psychological challenges, who want to grow towards well-being. Your creations, your words and the thoughtful accompaniment of the therapist will allow you to <strong>express<\/strong> yourself, to feel <strong>heard and acknowledged<\/strong>, to <strong>discover<\/strong> and to <strong>reconstruct<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<h3 id=\"changing\" class=\"orange anchor\">Creating = changing : art therapy<\/h3>\n<p><strong class=\"orange\">Fine arts materials<\/strong> and their <strong>touch<\/strong> are marvellous <strong>starting points<\/strong>: they can be soft or hard, dry or liquid, smooth or rough, colours, blacks, whites and many shades of grey. They will invite you to work on paper or make three-dimensional creations:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>With hard oil crayons Lucile draws her <strong>anger<\/strong> onto corrugated cardboard. She pushes <strong>hard<\/strong>, leaving deep traces, thus giving shape to repetitious conflicts. Through her creations and verbal exchanges with the therapist she elaborates and integrates her feelings. She starts to colour the ribbed surface, which makes a surprising sound. She enjoys it, and becomes <strong>calmer<\/strong> towards the end of the session. In the following session, she explores soft pastels. With her fingers, she mixes the coloured powder on the paper&#8217;s grainy surface, and a drawing appears.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Emotions and associations can emerge, and words or phrases can be added to the productions. We do not interpret. There is no judgment. A visual trace helps to exteriorize frustrations, traumas, and work towards solutions. One feels better, and, in this studio, every creation is the right thing. For further reference, a wide range of examples is described in the <a href=\"https:\/\/arttherapy.org\/story-library\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">story library<\/a> <strong>of the AATA<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<h3 id=\"tools\" class=\"orange anchor\">Systemic tools<\/h3>\n<p>Specific systemic tools help introduce change in a <strong class=\"orange\">pragmatic<\/strong> way. They can <strong>open up<\/strong> blocked situations, leading towards realistic <strong>future projects<\/strong>. They allow transformation of depression, guilt and shame, addressing surprising repetitions. They make covert issues and trans-generational trauma accessible. One might want to contact the family member one hasn&#8217;t seen in years &#8230;<br \/>\nWhen a child, adolescent or adult is unhappy, the entire family is affected by it. When a person is perceived as the one who creates problems, we know that all family members suffer from it, and that the reason and the <strong>solution<\/strong> are both present within the family <strong class=\"orange\">system<\/strong> itself. The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.aft.org.uk\/page\/whatisfamilytherapy?\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Association for Family Therapy<\/a> <span lang=\"EN-GB\">provides answers to questions about systemic therapy.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong class=\"orange\">Circular work<\/strong> is an efficient systemic tool that leads to fuller understanding of one another in family, sibling and couple therapy, as well as in individual therapy. Thinking in a circular way connects people and <strong>stimulates empathy<\/strong>, which is a strong <strong>therapeutic lever<\/strong>. When several people are stuck in a fight, every person subconsciously contributes to the conflict. It is revealing and useful to see &#8211; together &#8211; how the past has led the system to the actual dysfunction, and how one can <strong>reverse<\/strong> such a counter-productive <strong>cycle<\/strong>. Once the cycle has been identified, emotions expressed and comprehension gained, people can use all this energy in a <strong>positive way<\/strong>, and mobilize the <strong>strengths<\/strong> of the system.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Evelyn and George complain that they&#8217;ve &#8220;lost their flame&#8221;, and the <strong>couple<\/strong> fights frequently. The therapist asks both partners to revisit their first encounter, and why they fell in love with each other. She asks her <strong class=\"orange\">questions<\/strong> in a <strong class=\"orange\">circular<\/strong> manner: &#8220;George, what do you think attracted Evelyn in you, why did she fall in love with you?&#8221;, and: &#8220;Evelyn, when you first met, what qualities of yours might have touched him, and made him fall for you?&#8221; Both partners revisit that exciting start of their love relationship. By imagining what the other person might have felt, they also put themselves &#8220;in the skin&#8221; of their partner. A few sessions later, George and Evelyn become aware of old personal wounds, and obtain understanding of their own reactions. They start to <strong>distinguish<\/strong> anger that is related to past traumatic experiences, which are usually based in one&#8217;s youth. They learn to see what belongs to whom and when, and by talking and thus healing their old scars, they can live <strong>more comfortably<\/strong> in the present. They start to go out more, as a couple, and with their friends.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong class=\"orange\">The family genogramme<\/strong> pictures and expresses everyone&#8217;s place as well as the different qualities of <strong>relationships<\/strong>, within the nuclear family as well as the larger inter-generational family. This <strong>symbolization<\/strong> can be very useful for <strong>understanding<\/strong> difficulties which have often emerged after war, immigration, loss or trauma, leading to feelings of shame, guilt or exclusion of members who are &#8220;cut-off&#8221; from the family. Lines of repetitive trauma or substance abuse can be traced and understood within cultural, historical and social contexts. Unspoken family trauma can be &#8220;<strong>acted out<\/strong>&#8221; by children or grandchildren who are attracted by the &#8220;black holes&#8221; that exist around unspoken shame. In such cases we find <strong>transgenerational traumatization<\/strong>. Adults might fear talking about a family secret in the first instant, but experience shows that such unveiling usually quiets down the children, that the new knowledge has a calming and reassuring effect on them, as well as on the adults. Several genogrammes exist, like the imaginary genogramme, which is very useful for children.<br \/>\nThe <a class=\"orange\" href=\"http:\/\/art-therapie-staal.com\/en\/examples\/#examples\">examples<\/a> page presents other systemic tools, such as the &#8220;<strong class=\"orange\">symbolic chair<\/strong>&#8221; and the &#8220;<strong class=\"orange\">systemic shield<\/strong>&#8220;.<\/p>\n<h3 id=\"therapy\" class=\"orange anchor\">Systemic art therapy<\/h3>\n<p>This new method uses the tools of both approaches, thus <strong>stimulating<\/strong> the integration of new behaviour: <strong>through<\/strong> &#8220;<strong class=\"orange\">saying<\/strong>&#8220;, and also through &#8220;<strong class=\"orange\">doing<\/strong>&#8220;.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Liz and Carl contacted me after <strong>their son<\/strong> Andrew <strong>suddenly left<\/strong> the family. In the past, these parents had been rather taken by several problems with their only son. Presently, after his departure, they suddenly find themselves back as a married couple. Andrew&#8217;s problems started when he was seven years old, and his leaving at 18 took place in an atmosphere of conflict. Liz no longer wants any contact with Andrew. She says she wants to get on with her life, and that she&#8217;s coming to the therapy for her husband, who feels devastated by the loss of his son, which he fears is definite. I propose to each parent to choose a sheet of paper, in the colour of their choice, and to subdivide it into four areas for four drawings. The <strong class=\"orange\">drawings<\/strong> can be <strong>abstract or figurative<\/strong>, according to how they each feel. The first three will picture themselves at seven years old, at 18, and today. The fourth drawing, tomorrow, will be made another time. Liz chooses markers, Carl prefers the soft pastels. While working on the drawing of age seven, Liz remembers her strong relationship with her grandmother. She finds her emotions back when she realizes that her grandmother passed away when she was in elementary school. Carl <strong class=\"orange\">talks<\/strong> about himself leaving his parents&#8217; home at exactly 18 as well. The two following sessions are used to explore and draw the personages of their families of origin, and the different relationships between them. <strong>Repetitions<\/strong>, &#8220;<strong>cut-offs<\/strong>&#8221; of family members and premature <strong>losses<\/strong> emerge. Liz realizes why she tried to protect herself from the underlying pain of her son&#8217;s leaving, which awoke the non-integrated pain of the loss of others in the past. Towards the end of the therapy, they each make their fourth drawing of &#8220;tomorrow&#8221; on the sheets from the first session. Carl draws himself shaking hands with another person, and says that he&#8217;d like to get in touch with an old school comrade again. Together, the couple enlists in a pottery course in their neighbourhood, and Liz decides to get in touch with one of her brothers again. They feel <strong class=\"orange\">more confident<\/strong> and more at ease with the idea of a possible future meeting with Andrew, when the moment comes.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>This form of therapy can also be suitable for those who function above all &#8220;with their heads&#8221;. Denied or suppressed <strong>emotions can be rediscovered<\/strong> thanks to the detour and the expression that fine arts techniques can offer. Through this active approach, new knowledge, awareness and interactions are reinforced by &#8220;doing&#8221;, first in a playful way in the studio, and then through <strong class=\"orange\">practical tasks<\/strong> to be realized in daily life.<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"orange\">Much in common<\/h3>\n<p><strong class=\"orange\">Systemic art therapy<\/strong> has much in common:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>with <strong>psychotherapy<\/strong>: with Evelyn and George, therapy also takes place <strong class=\"orange\">through talking<\/strong>. We revisit their personal roles in their nuclear families and the survival mechanisms they created in their youths. Then we analyze which mechanisms are still useful, and which ones are blocking them today. Together, we determine the therapeutic goals, and I offer them a framework and assignments that are adapted to them as a couple.<\/li>\n<li>with <strong>coaching<\/strong>: in Frank\u2019s case, a special educator who experiences a divorce, I highlight his qualities and the strong points he is showing in his creations and with words. We work efficiently. I do not propose long therapies when a brief therapy can do. Quite quickly, Frank succeeds in <strong>changing his perception of himself<\/strong>. In his case, increasing his self-confidence was enough to rediscover his <strong class=\"orange\">energy<\/strong> and <strong class=\"orange\">satisfaction<\/strong> at work.<\/li>\n<li>with working towards <strong>well-being<\/strong>: once Ann understood how to take possession of her personal space within the group, we rounded off the therapy with creations that allowed her to <strong>reduce her stress<\/strong> and increase her sense of <strong class=\"orange\">harmony within herself<\/strong> and with the other participants.<\/li>\n<li>with <strong>nonviolent communication<\/strong> (NVC): a very useful method for couples and families who can have violent or angry fights, but also for those who have trouble expressing their needs amidst friends or colleagues. For Lucile, this method of communicating in clear steps demonstrates respect to oneself and to the other. By learning to listen and to voice concrete facts, by expressing one&#8217;s own feelings and needs without offending the other, and by seeing together what both parties need and want, one can considerably <strong class=\"orange\">improve the quality of a relationship<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Confidentiality<\/strong> is an essential element of the therapy. For this reason, the names and situations in the examples on this site have been changed to guarantee the anonymity of patients and clients.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Creative art therapy + systemic therapy Both art therapy and systemic therapy are professional approaches for individuals and families encountering psychological challenges, who want to grow towards well-being. 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