Brooke Parnell

Art Therapy plan

Topic focused: patients with acute to chronic stress
Age: adults. 18+

Day One
Materials needed:

Paint brushes
Cup of water to dip brushes in
Paper towels
A canvas or sheet of paper
Watercolor paint or acrylic

Objectives:

Today we will discuss what stress can do to your body and what can cause it. Then
the patient will have the chance to paint something that relieves them of stress. 

Introduction: (5-10 mins)

Today we are going to talk about the foundation of this week's work and progress..
Stress.
Stress can come and be seen in many forms, then it can affect your body in many
ways as well. Before we dive into the art, we need to go over what has caused us to
get here. 

There are a few types of stress but we are going to discuss  

Acute stress which is caused by something small or large that creates stress for a
short amount of time. For example, it could be a test, this month's rent, an
assignment due in 4 days, your child's attitude that seems to be lingering a few
days longer than you can handle, etc. 
Here are a few signs of too much stress that you might be experiencing: 

 Diarrhea or constipation
 Forgetfulness
 Frequent aches and pains
 Headaches
  Lack of energy or focus
 Stiff jaw or neck
 Tiredness
 Trouble sleeping or sleeping too much
 Upset stomach
 Weight loss or gain

Patient practice: (30 mins)

Now that we have talked about stress, let us think about the opposite of stress. I
want you all to think of something that makes you happy. This could be a place,
like Colorado which could lead you to paint the mountains. This could be your pet,
your favorite beverage or meal. It could be a memory, a color, a friend, anything
that makes you feel better. 
Once you have thought of that then you can take your brush and create whatever
you would like. For the watercolor, you can dip your brush in water, draw on the
paper with your watered brush, then get some paint on your brush from the pallets
of color, place it on the watered image on the sheet and watch the color run wild!
or you can put water drops in the paint pallets and then dip your brush into that.
Those are two ways that are commonly used with the use of watercolor. For
acrylic, the typical way to use that paint is by squeezing some paint out of the tubes
and dipping your brush into it. You do not have to do any of what I just said, but if
you are needing some guidance that is what I would do. The freedom is yours to
create. I will turn on some relaxing music and you will have 30 minutes.

Closure & clean up: (10 mins)

To wrap up today's art lesson, we will clean up all of our paints and brushes with
water and soap at the sink. Then after we clean up, we will gather in a circle and
discuss our art. You will have the option to describe what you have created and
then explain why you made what you did. 
 
 
  Sources:
An Expert on School-Based Art Therapy Explains how Art Therapy Helps
Children Make Sense of the Insensible. (2018, December 12). Retrieved April
21, 2020, from https://arttherapy.org/art-therapy-helps-
children-make-sense-of-the-insensible/

Stress and your health: MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia. (n.d.). Retrieved April
21, 2020, from https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/003211.htm
 Day Two
Materials: 

Many colors of clay. Red blue yellow white and black

Clay tools
Beads
Glitter
Jars
Water

Objectives: 

Today patients will have the opportunity to explore a new medium while opening
up to what helps them get through stress. We will also talk about another type of
stress.

Opening: (5 mins)

Today we are talking about chronic stress. This is stress that lasts for a while.
Examples of this could be college debt, sickness that you've been dealing with for
months, family issues. 

Here is what chronic stress can do to your body:

 High blood pressure
 Heart disease
 Diabetes
 Obesity
 Depression or anxiety
 Skin problems, such as acne or eczema
 Menstrual problem

If anyone would like to share what they might have experienced to cause
them chronic stress and how they got through it, you may do so if you feel
comfortable. 
Patient Practice: (30 mins)
The art experience today will be made with clay. Thinking about chronic
stress and ways you have gotten through it or what is helping you get
 through it, try and recreate that with clay. If you have not experienced
chronic stress, then feel free to create something that has helped you get
through something stressful in the past even if it was not chronic stress. You
have all of your primary colors (red yellow and blue) which will mix to
make any other color that you need. If you would like to create green, then
you need to mix yellow and blue. If you would like to make purple, then you
can mix red and blue. If you would like to make orange, then you need to
mix red and yellow. If squishing the clay around and not actually making
something is what your mind is telling you to do, then please listen to that
and do what is most relaxing for yourself. None of these projects should ever
cause you more stress. I'll turn on some relaxing music and you'll have 30
minutes to make whatever you want. 

Closure & clean up: (5-10 mins)

As we close today's therapy, we will clean up by putting the extra clay back
in the containers, please try to keep all colors separate. You may use the sink
and soap if needed. Once you are done cleaning up, let's join into a circle
and give anyone another opportunity to talk about what they made and why
they made it. Please feel free to explain as much or as little as you want.  

Sources:

Clay Art Therapy. (2018). Retrieved from

https://steemit.com/art/@wildflowerjessi/clay-art-therapy
Stress and your health: MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia. (n.d.). Retrieved April
21, 2020, from https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/003211.htm
 
 
 
 
 Day Three
Materials:

Magazines, Newspaper, brushes, glue, scissors, paper (many colors if wanted).

Objectives:

Today we will not be focusing on stress, but creating art that shows us what words
relieve us of that stress. While creating art today, we will be practicing using a new
medium.  

Opening: (5 mins max)

Now that we have covered the basic understanding of stress and what it can do to
our bodies, we are just going to create art today. There will not be any type of
“lesson” for the day. Today's art will be creating a poster of words that you find in
the magazines and newspapers that are on your tables. You'll cut out the words that
calm you and glue them on to your paper and then use the brush to paint glue over
the clippings to secure them down. 

Patient practice: (30 mins)

There are no guidelines for this poster and how it should look at the end. You may
create sentences. You can make a picture. You can even cut out images that calm
you down. The freedom is yours. The only objective is that we focus on things that
relieve stress and experiment our creative abilities with a new artistic approach. I
will play some relaxing music while you create!

Closure & clean up: (10 mins)

When you are done making your poster, you can clean up with the sink and soap.
Place all scraps in the trashcan and then we will take 5 minutes to reflect on our
posters silently. Then we will open the floor to anyone who wants to share as much
or as little as they want about their art. 
 
 
 Day Four
Materials: 

Tape, Large kraft or bogus paper, markers, crayons, pastel crayons, cd

player/phone with music app. 

Objectives: 

Today we will explore another medium and add movement with our art to
experience how powerful movement is to the body. 

Introduction: (5 mins)

It has been proven that movement can reduce stress. Mayo clinic state's three ways
movement to the body can improve your health and reduce stress. It can pump up
your endorphins, its meditation in movement, and it improves your mood. In
today's art, there will be a chance for you to move and make large movements. I
want to encourage everyone to try and get your body moving at least once in your
art.

Patient Practice: (15 mins) 

Today we are going to do something a bit more active. I have large sheets of craft
paper taped to the wall and some placed on the floor. Everyone will have their own
space to move around and work. You will also have one marker, one crayon, and
one pastel crayon. I will play three different songs for you and with each song, you
will make marks, lines, scribbles, swirls, anything on your paper based on how the
song makes you feel. You will need to section off your paper into three different
areas for this. The objective in this art experience is to move your body a little bit
and make art with no pressure to create anything specific. When you are stressed, it
is good for the body to move. So, this is an exercise for your mind and body. I will
play music with no lyrics and I’ll play each song twice or more if requested. You
can use whatever medium you want for whatever song you want. The freedom is
yours. 

Closure & clean up: (10 mins)

Once we are done with the songs and everyone has finished their art, we are going
to give everyone a chance to talk about what song they liked best and why they
liked that song. You can also tell us why you chose to make the marks you did

with that song. 

Sources:
Exercise and stress: Get moving to manage stress. (2018, March 8). Retrieved
April 22, 2020, from
https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/stress-management/in-
depth/exercise-and-stress/art-20044469
 Day Five
Materials: 

disposable camera, paper of any color, pens/pencils.

Objective: 

Today we are going to explore photography and practice writing how we felt about
our weeks worth of art and therapy.
 
Opening: (10 mins)

As we come to our last day of focusing on stress and how to practice reliving it, we
are going to practice some photography and writing. Before we start, I am going to
show you some photography tips

https://www.lomography.com/magazine/47429-getting-quality-pictures-from-a-
disposable-camera

Patient Practice: (30 mins)

As we begin our art experience today, I want you to photograph all your work that
you've made this week. I also want you to take some time to photograph your
favorite project you made this week. It can be the project that made you feel the
most calm, the project that was the most fun, the project that was the newest
experience for you, just whichever project that stuck out to you the most in a good
way. Then once you are done with that, you can use the rest of your camera roll on
other objects around the room or outside. Play around with your camera and
practice the tips we went over on the website. Take pictures of things outside that
make you feel better or something that gives you a breath of fresh air.  After you
have done that, we will finish up with a smaller activity. 

Closure & clean up: (20 mins)

To close this week and activity, we are going to journal our emotions. I'd like you
to write out what art experience was your favorite and why. I also want you to
write about which art experience calmed you the most. Now that you have done
many different types of art, reflect on the one that you could practice at home and
make a small plan of action that you can follow through with in your everyday life.
Once you are finished and the time is up for that, we will have our last opportunity
to talk about what was our favorite and why.