Art Therapy and Creative Writing Groups in the

 Department of Youth Corrections Setting

 Art Therapy with Juvenile Offenders

     Teens in this setting typically have limited family support and often have a history of substance abuse, which complicates their bereavement experience.  Their losses, in general, are more complicated and often occur under less than ideal or even violent circumstances.  The group members often can make direct connections between their losses and their initial offense or crime.  The grief over the loss of their loved one is compounded by the losses associated with incarceration: freedom, independence,  choices, contact with friends and family as well as identity.  Establishing identity is a major developmental task for adolescents and art making provides a creative exploration and support the development of emerging positive identity of the teens.

     My involvement with Department of Youth Corrections has consisted of providing eight week groups focused on bereavement support.  Art therapy and creative writing directives have been utilized with this population in an effort to provide meaningful expression to the experience of losing a loved one and the resulting behavioral responses that are often connected to incarceration.  The creative process itself is healing and encourages a sense of integrity and autonomy.  Topics for group sessions included grief education, feelings, story of the loved one, coping skills and memorializing.

     Typical art directives may include collage work to illustrate the story of their loved one, creating a coat-of-arms to introduce them and their loved one to the group,

or mask painting to facilitate expression of feelings related to grief.

Benefits of Art Therapy

1.  Provides a form of non-verbal communication for teens that do not have a      

     good mastery of verbal communication.

2.  Acts as a bridge between client and therapist, especially where the subject

     matter is too embarrassing to talk about.

3.  Helps release feelings such as anger and aggression that are so common in juvenile   

     offenders.

4.  Enables a teen to process traumatic loss on a sensory level where it is initially  

     experienced.

    Riley, S. (1999). Contemporary Art Therapy with Adolescents.  London, Jessica Kingsley Publishers.     
   
     For example, creative writing was co-facilitated with a trained volunteer who is a professional writer.  Directives for free writing were given after a prompt was read which included poetry, topic discussion or song lyrics.  Teens were given a set period of time to “free write” a response.  Each group member was given the opportunity to read their work aloud to the group.  The writing exercise provided a way for teens to express their thoughts and feelings in a non-judgmental atmosphere and to develop and form vocabulary for their experience. 

     One group worked to choose writing selections to compile in booklet form which several students illustrated.  A copy was given to each group member and the work was shared with the facility program director and others.  The creation of the booklet provided acknowledgment and value to their creative work and gave the teens a forum in which to relate the powerful experiences of loss and change.