A4TH provides expressive art therapy, mental health counseling, life coaching and, resiliency guidance to at-risk populations and community members dealing with life's challenges. Our Art as a Tool for Healing program assists at-risk populations and, community members by using expressive art and metal heath counseling, resiliency coaching and guidance . A person can describe a genuine part of self
. Sharing that truth leads to an awareness of one's ability to cope in a healthy way. Positive coping skills and, resilience to life’s challenges, help participants to tell their story, confront difficult emotions that have led to harmful and destructive behaviors. Attendees come to understand that their difficult past experiences can be seen as a personal strength and a valuable life skill in making self-improvement adjustments to their behavior. THE GOAL: The primary goal of our program is to help participants make healthy lifestyle choices, by improving their decision-making skills and to bolster the personal resiliency of participants. This program will help improve the participants’ overall quality of life while teaching coping mechanisms. Those coping tools will allow them to function more effectively amid life’s uncertainties. This program offers a social enrichment experience that delivers improved spiritual, physiological, and mental health. HOW IT WORKS: Participants in a group setting are encouraged and guided in an image-making exercise that allows them to express their anxieties & fears in creating a drawing of their own making... followed by a “talking circle” that allows for carefully monitored group input and discussion. This approach has been used successfully with a variety of populations (i.e. military veterans and others suffering from trauma-related situations including PTSD). by enabling participants to
(1) experience one another in a creative, safe and, tranquil social setting. (2) participate in an art-based and creative atmosphere with A4TH facilitators who have artistic backgrounds as well as experience in guiding people in image-making that is expressive and therapeutic in nature. (3) provide meaningful activities that have a legitimate mental health component. All of this comes from inter-acting with others doing sensory art in a group setting. Group Sessions: Led by Tim Mayer, an experienced facilitator who, over the past 11 years, has worked with over 4,500 individuals in more than 700 group sessions, many with military veterans suffering from a variety of mental health issues including PTSD, substance abuse, homelessness and other mental health conditions.. These one and one-half to two-hour sessions consist of an image-making period, a reflection period including carefully facilitated group discussion. Following the discussion, coping mechanisms and tools will be reaffirmed for participants. Upon conclusion of the session, attendees will be able to use these lessons in multiple situations experienced in their lives. Artists for the Humanities has been using this approach in group settings since 2009.Participants have expressed a sense of well-being from their participation and have found the program sessions to be enjoyable, engaging, and useful. The positive responses from participants indicate our approach and group sessions are having a positive impact on the attendees, their sense of well-being and their willingness to participate in this type of group activity. To schedule your group or learn where group sessions are being held, contact Tim Mayer Executive Director, Artists for the Humanities at [email protected] or (920) 915-5595 mobile.
