Many people who deal with depression, anxiety, trauma and other mental health challenges find creative expression to be a powerful way to process feelings that are difficult to articulate. Through art, people can externalize pain, fear, hope and other emotions in a way that feels safe and manageable.
To foster connection and communication with those who use Behavioral Health services on an outpatient basis, the Navigate Team created the Recovery Art Workshop — a weekly art class for young adults, ages 18-30. The Navigate Team is a specialty team that works with young adults living in the Nashville metropolitan area who have experienced their first hospitalization or episode of psychosis within the past two years.
“Our two peer specialists, people who have lived experience with mental health, are both very creative,” said Kelly Vance, MA, LPC-MHSP, therapist and Navigate Team lead in the department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Services. “A lot of our patients are super artistic and creative as well but have trouble communicating and expressing themselves. We wanted to create an outlet for our patients to add some structure to their day, get to know each other and express themselves — and art seemed like a good way to do that.”
One of the peer counselors created a weekly curriculum and schedule that covered the basics of art, shapes and shading; Expressionism and how to express feelings in abstract ways; and the creative process. The participants brainstormed together on what kind of art they wanted to create.
Many of the supplies used in the Recovery Art Workshop were funded by The Curb Center for Art, Enterprise and Public Policy at Vanderbilt University, an interdisciplinary arts center. Mediums involved canvas and paint, photography and welding.
“I like that it’s a place I can go to every week,” said Rosalyn Baxter, 23, a mathematics student at Tennessee State University. “I have friends there and can talk to people. It feels like a small community.”
The workshop began in early March and ran through late April, culminating in an art show in Luton Hall at Vanderbilt Psychiatric Hospital.
“The art exhibition was a huge success,” Vance said. “Patients felt confident in their artistic abilities and had the opportunity to share their artistic ideas with others, while staff got to see their patients in a new, non-stigmatizing light. We also had several families come to see their loved ones proudly show off their unique pieces of art. In the future, we hope to host other artistic shows, possibly involving additional mediums such as music or pottery.”
