Running head: ENVIRONMENTAL ART THERAPY AS A … MP 2010_0.pdffractal of change in the positive realm. The directive in this experiential project was considered the catalyst for change

$Page 1: Running head: ENVIRONMENTAL ART THERAPY AS A … MP 2010_0.pdffractal of change in the positive realm. The directive in this experiential project was considered the catalyst for change$
Running head: ENVIRONMENTAL ART THERAPY AS A CATALYST 1

Environmental Art Therapy for Gemeinschaftsgefühl:

An Experiential Catalyst for Change in a Secured Residential Treatment Center

Presented to

The Faculty of the Adler Graduate School

_______________

In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for

The Degree of Masters of Arts in

Adlerian Counseling and Psychotherapy

_______________

By:

Connie L. Gretsch

ENVIRONMENTAL ART THERAPY AS A CATALYST 2

Abstract

Can environmental art therapy be the catalyst for positive social change in a residential treatment

institution for sex offenders? This question was pivotal in the design of this experiential

project. The mere act of painting a room evolved into an extensive Adlerian art therapy exercise

which was conducted in a maximum security treatment facility for sex offenders. This

Minnesota treatment facility exists for court ordered sexual offenders after they have served their

prison term. According to Alfred Adler the sexual offender exhibits a lack of social interest

from a poorly developed lifestyle (Adler, 1956). The focus of this experiential project was to

develop the social interest of the clients and to document and analyze lifestyle changes in three

different but related categories. Documentations of 42 client evaluations were conducted, focus

groups with staff and clients were held, learning objectives were outlined and working schedules

were designed. The findings of this experiential were multidimensional. Those clients that

became invested in this project, which was a steady group of ten clients, were observed to have

increased social interest according to characteristics that have been outlined by Alfred Adler.

The Adlerian social interest characteristics improved in the areas of attitudes towards: their

peers, their self, their difficulties, staff, the opposite sex and their own lives. Sharing and caring

became a theme in the working groups which was verbalized during the post-activity focus

group. The group painting process, based on the central environmental art therapy directive,

was observed and analyzed as having three metaphorical stages: spackling the wounds, the all

white purification stage and the color stage.

This painting process also began a spiraling effect on changing uninvolved clients, staff and

administration. As Adler often equated therapy with learning, the ecological system of learning


designed by Uri Bronfenbrenner was also used to describe the areas of change and movement

across therapy and learning environments. According to Bronfenbrenner the learning levels of

environments are divided into macrosystems, exosystems, mesosytems and microsystems of the

organization. In this experiential the Great Room was considered the microsystem and the

fractal of change in the positive realm. The directive in this experiential project was considered

the catalyst for change. Not only was this experiential a physically large undertaking, it also

moved socially across horizontal and vertical realms of treatment culture and policy, while

creating disorder and order in movement ,which is illustrated in the chaos theory rationale

section of this paper.

After the change in the microsystem experiential or what was also called the environmental art

directive was conducted, the social events of the two units began to change with the positive

planning of a governing body. The governing body made up of clients with two staff counselors

was a direct result of the changes that came about in the microsystem after this experiential was

conducted. This group made future plans for group events which included the two units that were

initially in conflict with one another, more importantly, they wanted to increase client and staff

communication. Individual clients that were involved in the project continued to pursue more

successful social growth attributes through education endeavors, on-campus work experience

and movements to higher levels of responsibility.


Acknowledgement

I would like to acknowledge my supervisor Dr. Haley Fox who allowed me to create and

conduct this experiential behind the bars where I found the freedom to create and experiment

with an idea.

I want to thank John Reardon, my advisor, for helping me take this chaotic movement of

thoughts and paper from disorder to order and seeing the value of this project.

I would also like to thank Dr. Lisa Mastain and her finely tuned eye as she read through

this paper with expert advice.

And finally I would like to thank my daughter for her constant encouragement and the

five gold stars she gave my paper.

Connie Gretsch


If you want, truly, to understand something, try to change it.

Kurt Lewin


Table of Contents

I .The Abstract----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------2

ll. Rationalizations of the Concepts and Methods-----------------------------------------------8

The Use of Art Therapy-----------------------------------------------------------9

The Use of Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Levels ----------------------------10

The Use of Adlerian Concepts------------------------------------------------- 12

The Use of Chaos Theory--------------------------------------------------------14

lll. Chaos begins-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------17

The Need for Developing Staff Governance-------------------------------- 17

Table 1 Work Plan----------------------------------------------------------------19

The Examination of Disorder and Order --------------------------------------22

The Catalyst of Change/ The Environmental Art Therapy Directive----- 28

Table 2. Work Calendar--------------------------------------------------------- 31

lV. Analysis of the Experiential---------------------------------------------------------------- 33

The Art Therapy Analysis------------------------------------------------------ 33

The Bronfenbrenner Analysis ------------------------------------------------- 39

The Adlerian Analysis ---------------------------------------------------------- 41

The Focus Group----------------------------------------------------------------- 46

The Chaos Analysis ------------------------------------------------------------- 48

V. Conclusion ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 49

VI. References ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 52


Abstract for the environmental art therapy directive experiential


Rationalization of the Experiential Methods and Concepts

By enhancing mental health treatment environments visually, and using art as the means

of enhancement, researchers have found clients to have lower levels of stress. In a review of

literature on art and the environment done by Norma Daykin, results suggested that the design of

the mental health setting affects the client psychologically, physiologically, clinically and


behaviorally (Daykin, 2008). There may also be effects on perceptions of community spirit and

other forms of ‘social capital’ (Britchnell, 1988).

The Use of Art Therapy

Because of this research and the unique, cutting-edge use of art in sex offender treatment

environments, an art therapy directive was the catalyst for change in this project’s microsystem’s

environment. This directive took the research suggestions from Daykin, one step further, by not

only increasing the visual art, but, by making the experience of creating the new visual

environment interactive with client involvement, therefore, making it a social event. Therefore,

change to the microsystem of this experiential was done by a visual form of physical

enhancement using social interest participation. Social interest according to Adler was the

gemeinschaftsgefühl of what people needed for healthy development. Gemeinschaftsgefühl was

difficult to define in an English word but the term “social interest” was agreed upon by Adlerian

to be the best English interpretation. Adler felt that all individuals needed positive social interest.

In the case of the sex offender Adler believed there was no feeling of social interest (Adler,

1956).

We all know what a fresh coat of paint will do to a room. We paint rooms to lift our

spirits; we want the old to look clean and new. Somehow by doing this our world, our room is

just a little bit better. We know this point is true just by the gallons of paint that go out the door

of Home Depot each day. Makeovers are a way of life in this culture. Of course applying this

“makeover” approach to an art therapy directive did go deeper into the psychological aspects of

personal growth and social interest. Since the book The Artistry of the Mentally Ill in 1922, by

Hans Prinzhorn contemporary writers in art therapy such as Allen, Moon, Malchiodi and

Cameron have continued to explore art and the relationship to personal growth (Vick, 2003).


The concepts of responsiblility to the project and the choice to participate were integral

components but not intended to be threatening on a deep individual level (Waller, 1993). Art

therapy also encourages the idea of group development, especially, in the ” makeover” of a large

room. There were constant situations where the group needed to make decisions together,

where one person needed the other to hold something and, most importantly, were one group

member needed the whole group’s support with a difficulty. The group often needed the

therapist to teach “social skills” at times, so the group could proceed (Strand, 1990).

Rationalizing the use of the Bronfenbrenner’s ecological model?

During the course of this experiential project, all social dynamic phenomenons were

examined by using this treatment organization’s forms of therapeutic/learning systems. They


were placed in the Bronfenbrenner model of the microsystem, the exosystems, the mesosystem

and the macrosystems.

According to Bronfenbrenner (1993), the microsystem is the immediate environment

consisting of activity patterns, social roles, and interpersonal relationships of the developing

person. The microsystem is the area of direct change for this experiential. It presents change and

movement in the physical, emotional, social environments.

The Microsystem Location: The Great Room

The Person: The client

The mesosystem is the process that takes place between two or more microsystems that

contain the person. The mesosystem for this project would be the social environment of the

physical, private living space and the Great room.

The Mesosystem Location: Residential units and the Great Room

The Person: The client

The exosystem is the process that takes place between two or more settings with at least

one of the settings not containing the person. The exosystems are social environments that are

larger and include treatment policies. It is the culture of the treatment setting.

The Exosystem Location: The Great room, Residential units, Administration

Persons: Treatment Staff and Policies The clients

Macrosystems contain overarching patterns of micro-, meso-, and exosystems which

reflect the given culture’s lifestyles and belief systems.

The macrosystems are social, emotional, and physical environments-that encompasses all

other systems with its influence, decisions and administration governance.


Rationalizing the Use of Adlerian Concepts

The Adler Lifestyle Tree shows:

The Attitude toward self: the self development or self destructiveness

The Attitude toward difficulties: ranges from self-pampering (avoidance of difficulties) to

struggling with difficulties

The Attitude towards others: cooperation vs. rejection, exploitation, domination, or

destruction


The Attitude toward the other sex: respect, acceptance, affection vs. contempt, rejection,

and abuse

The Attitude toward life: positive, generous giving to pessimistic, self-centered

All these attitudes affect the microsystem, mesosystem, exosystem and the macrosystem

of this organization. Attitudes of the clients that participate will be graphically demonstrated

later in the analysis section of this paper.

As stated in Bronfenbrenner’s definition of learning levels, lifestyle and belief systems

are the core of the microsystem. With Adler‘s description of the lifestyle and the importance of

the early belief system, one could say that Adler is at the core of Bronfenbrenner’s microsystem.

Social interest is the English interpretation of Adler’s German word gemeinschaftsgefuhl.

Alfred Adler felt that a person’s group or society was integral in developing the individual’s

character, which resulted in the emphasis on social interest. Social interest can be seen in

communities as three important tasks: working with others, friendship and love (Dreikurs R. ,

1989). Dr.Henry Stein believes that “Encouraging social interest and promoting a sense of social

equality are certainly parts of a general treatment strategy for rehabilitating sexual offenders”.

The chosen art directive for the room makeover project began with work and resulted in

friendships, creative expression and problem solving.


Rationalizing the Use of Chaos Theory

The degree of change that came about after the art directive catalyst was released into the

Bronfenbrenner levels of this organization can be described by chaos theory. The small fractal

that was changed by the painting makeover led to changes in all of the nested systems of the

organization and the dance between disorder and order began, which is John Reardon’s

definition of chaos (Reardon, 2002).




Changes and developments at the macrolevel and exolevel

Chaos begins

The Need for Developing Staff Governance

In 1988, the APA Task Force on Psychiatric Services in jails and prisons reminded the

APA membership that correctional officials were obligated to provide adequate mental health

care. Of the six principles the panel outlined, the need for a therapeutic environment in jails and

correctional facilities was listed. It further suggested that an environment can be created in these

facilities under clinical leadership and authority (Gussak, 1997).


The TEA (Therapeutic Environmental Advisory) group was formed by my supervisor at

this residential treatment setting to do just what was described in a 1988 APA proclamation. The

objective was to designate and approve environmental improvement projects that would be

carried out by members of the institution (staff and clients) in a mindful manner. Projects were

listed with main workers and those who would be champions of the projects. This team effort

was taken from the Kaizen model (Maurer, 2004). Workers would have hands-on, direct

experiences at the microlevel and champions would be support staff at the mesolevels. As noted

by the type of projects involved, changing the physical environment of the secured premises one

microsystem at a time was the main objective of the TEA Projects. During the projects, the

activities involved art, creativity and problem solving (the learning environment) with the intent

on having clients working in a group manner (the social environment), and projects also dealt

with client conflicts (the emotional environment).

The following work plan diagram shows the tasks that were listed by the TEA group as

needing immediate attention by the TEA group. Reading horizontally the adjacent actions steps

were designated along with the people (staff/workers and champions) responsible for the task

completion:


Table I TEA Group Work Plan

Tasks Definition:

Those tasks

listed by the TEA

group members that

needed to be

addressed 2009-10

Action Definition:

Major steps in bringing about the

physical, emotional, learning and social

environment changes

Workers/Staff Definition;

Hands on task development

working with social, emotional, learning

environments of clients

Working with physical

environment

Working at the microsystem level

Champion

Definition

Working with

macrosystems of

institution to aid

workers

Task

Action

Workers/Staff

Champions

1. Address

conflict and

entitlement issues

between MSI/MAP

clients.

Give “Great

Room” a new look.

Facilitate a group process through

which individuals with higher privilege

levels work together to conceptualize and re-

create a therapeutic environment in their

common space for cooking, relaxation and

socialization.

Rename the space.

Paint.

Prepare a specific work plan for the

space.

Connie Gretsch, art therapist

intern, designer, TEA group co-

facilitator

Clinical and security staff

MSI clients and Alternative

Programming clients at high privilege

levels.

Clinical

supervisor

Unit

Supervisor

2. Expand

horticulture program

in St. Peter.

Make recommendations to

recreational therapists re. Winter sowing

techniques and seed promulgating.

Recreational therapist

Client Groups

Admin

Recreatio

nal therapist

3. Replace Visit facility to meet with clients and Connie Gretsch, art therapist Admin


signage on walls of

Complex 1 with

inspirational slogans

or art.

staff.

Poll staff and clients to come up with

key slogans and plan (sign shop, art group)?

Get measurements.

Make necessary purchases.

Hold art-making groups, as indicated.

Mount signs.


facilitator

Clinical supervisor

Unit supervisor

Unit Residents, TBD

4. Select one

unit room in

alternative

programming to

“remodel,” with the

goal being a calm,

optimally therapeutic

atmosphere.

Convene community meeting to

recruit client volunteers for project.

Review and make design choices.

Prepare budget.

Plan and implement art-making

groups.

Complete remodeling project.

Evaluate results and identify second

Pexton room to remodel.

Conduct simple study to measure

client and/or staff responses to new

surroundings.

Connie Gretsch, art therapist


facilitator

Recreational Therapist

Clinical

supervisor

Senior

clinician

5. Address

empty walls of 2nd

floor lounges, etc.

Visit facility to meet with clients and

staff.

Examine and measure spaces.

Make necessary purchases.

Hold art-making groups, as indicated.

Connie Gretsch, Art Therapist

intern, designer , TEA group co-

facilitator

Senior clinician

Recreational Therapist

Unit Residents, TBD

Clinical

supervisors


As noted previously, there were several tasks outlined by the committee to be considered

by this new organization. The first decision made by the TEA Group was to start a painting

makeover in the Great Room (TASK #1, ABOVE), which was the recreational, day room for

clients who had earned a higher level of responsibility. However, recent changes in the overall

treatment policy mandated that a new unit, of developmentally disabled clients, had earned the

right to share the room with clients who already had that privilege for number years. This change

in policy created client upheaval and conflict among the two units. The Great Room makeover

was given precedent over others because of an urgent need to deal with this emotional client

conflict. The higher functioning group of clients did not want a lower functioning group of

clients in the Great Room. It was the hope of the TEA group that a working collaboration

between the two conflicting units on a makeover project might bring the two groups of clients

together, physically, socially and emotionally.

Further examining this phenomenon, the Great Room microsystem was about to change

because of decisions handed down from the macrolevel and exolevel systems. Chaos was about

to be experienced at all levels.

The group workers were the clients and the project leader would be the art therapist for

the working duration. It was decided that clients would be involved in the process as equal

members. This thought was equally supported by the work of Christopher Day, a designer of

community living projects. He feels that if designers would listen to the community, it was

serving and was conscious of their feelings by actually having them work on the project at all

levels, the process would ultimately serve the individuals of the community in a more efficient

way than a project that was designed and isolated from the community (Day, 2002).


The Examination of the Disorder/Order in the Microsystem

Physical Environmental Disorder Observations. Before starting the project the request

to get a series of pre-project pictures of the environment was made. Apparently several

photographs were taken but the following three were the only pictures that were processed

correctly and sent to the therapist. The photos speak for the situation and the environmental

feeling of the space. It is important to note that a staff member was the photographer. The

photographs of the trapped toad in the window well, the bar over the window well and the actual

condition of an area of the Great Room hold numerous symbols. They show the mutual feeling

of the space between staff member and client. The change that was to take place was not just for


the clients, it was also for the staff that was exposed to this oppressive environmental climate on

a daily basis. The symbolism of the trapped toad is interesting because many times the toad

represents the ugly or the unfortunate; however, its biological relationship to the frog is so close

that the symbolism of the frog and toad are sometimes the same. The frog symbols are

transformation, life and the “trapped prince”. Even more importantly, the toad is used by a

psychologist at this same treatment center to stand for the sexual offending part of his clients’

personalities in a visualization process.

While viewing the second photo of the bar in the window one can see the repetition of the

bar symbols as the movement to the third photo is made. The bar imagery continues and is seen

in the exposed copper pipes above the washer. An interior reminder of bars had been created,

probably, unconsciously. With the metal legs of the stools, chairs, tables and other visible

vertical lines, there are over twenty hard-edged vertical lines in this small photograph which

could be seen as relating symbolically to the window bars. This visual motif is seen throughout

the Great Room.


Trapped Toad

Window Bars


Besides the examination of photos it was also necessary to take a physical inventory of

the room before the project could start. These conditions of the room were noted: air quality,

light, space usage, color and function.

Air Quality: The air was stagnant and dusty. It was a lower level room with poured

foundation walls. Because of the secured necessity of this situation, there was no natural air flow

because the windows were permanently sealed with bars covering the outside of the windows.

Lighting: The barred window wells were filled with debris and at times small dying

animals that had fallen through the grid... The main lighting was fluorescent with plastic panel

covers which were filled with dust and dead bugs. This condition created a grayish green tint

over the room.


The blue and light brown wall color was applied by clients about 10 years ago. The

kitchen color was a lime green that had not been redone since the 1960’s. This kitchen color was

a source of much criticism and dismay. It represented the lack of concern for the room’s

importance

Living things –one plant

Art work-velvet matador, Vikings blanket

Space –disordered many chairs and tables, 12 large wardrobe shaped cabinets on wheels,

some attempts at creating a small TV room were already done, within this large open space. The

function of each area was undefined.

Ceiling: dropped with badly damaged sections

Floor: Dirty and marked by a constant layer of dust

Makeover proposals:

Air concern: There was really no way of changing the condition of the fresh air intake

into the room, but using a different type of paint would seal the cement walls and would

hopefully cut down on the daily quota of dust in the air.

Possibilities for future: air purifiers

Light: It was suggested that cleaning the panels that cover fluorescent lights and adding

clean white translucent curtains for windows would change the quality of light in the room.

Possibilities for future; full spectrum bulbs

Living Things: Plans were suggested for the purchase of more plants and an aquarium

was proposed.


Space and Function: Initially the space was disordered with furniture scattered around the

large area. -A washing machine when used added noise, heat and excess humidity to the room.

Refrigerators and freezers were placed wherever there was an electrical outlet.

Possibilities: Make certain smaller areas out of the large open space with color and

furniture arrangement boundaries. Move appliances if possible, to define a utility area away

from recreation and leisure areas.

Possible room designs (taken from client suggestions during an earlier art therapy

exercise)

TV room

Game Room

Reading Area

Dining Area

Kitchen

Storage Areas

Other environmental concerns: tiled floor needed to be cleaned, waxed and polished.

Some clients had been trained to do this.

The ceiling tiles were badly marked and mismatched. A proposal for new ceiling panels

would be presented to building owners.

After the visit to the room and a discussion in the TEA group, the makeover of the Great

Room was approved and an art therapy directive, titled The Enviro- Art Therapy Directive was

established as the change catalyst.


The Catalyst of Change = the Environment Art Therapy Directive

Objective

To promote community partnership and collaboration

To introduce the benefits of art therapy to programs

And populations unfamiliar with its use

To educate institutions, agencies, funders and the

public about the extensive applications of art therapy

To provide creative and therapeutic opportunities


for social interaction, communication, expression

and emotional development

To establish partnerships with other departments within the organization

Materials:

Paints Low VOC, White and color varieties wall

Watercolors Primaries

Wall glaze-water base non-toxic

Rags

Roller Pans

Stencils

Lazure Brushes

Procedure:

Steps-

Spackling

White base coat

Color paint application

The process technique

Lazure Painting

Therapeutic/teaching process for social and emotional environments. The learner is

central to the process throughout this activity. Learners can only make the best use of this

opportunity if they are actively involved in the painting, decision making and problem solving.

Adler’s sense and practice of encouragement is totally embedded in all of the following steps to

therapeutic learning.


Learning will go on without the therapist

Allow clients to work through things themselves

The art therapist creates learning opportunities by introducing new tasks and

creates a free flowing atmosphere

You can’t predict the therapeutic learning an individual will take from any

activity

You can’t predict how far a therapeutic learning experience will take another

person

There is a potential for therapeutic learning to be at different levels

Developing basic skills in an encouraging environment is relatively simple

A therapeutic learning activity is a means to an end not an end in itself

A review of the work is viewed with encouragement and constructively

Learn from the positive learners need to develop conclusions during the review

with help from facilitator. (Thompson)

With these teaching steps, one of the first lessons taught was: “if you don’t like it, paint

over it”. With this in mind the idea of process over product was really presented as paramount.

This idea was amazingly new to the clients who had experienced the feeling that everything they

did was written in concrete, figuratively and literally. Below is the Great Room work calendar

for November 2009 to December 2009. The work calendar is an excellent document of the

physical and emotional work that went on during the art directive process.


Table 2 Work Calendar for Great Room

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

Saturday

Sunday

Notes

15

16

Plan

for Saturday

Set an

afternoon or

morning time

for client

group issues

and color

choices

w. theme

decide on

partner for

Connie on

Saturday

Snacks

17

Brainstorm ways

to start

woodworking

projects

Quilting projects

Tiling project

for kitchen walls

Upholstery

project

budget

SherwinWilliam

s in SP)

18

Get Camera

Maybe

purchase

19 20 21

9-2

Paint day

Client

Group

topics

Issues : velvet

painting

What is the

issue?

Colors -final

plans for

layout

-

Themes

22

23

Decide on

partner for

Connie on

Saturday

Snacks

24

Decide on other

needs

Recommendatio

ns

Furniture, ceiling

etc.

25 26 27 28

9-2

Paint day

Client

Group

Topics:

Recommendat

ions for the

future

Projects that

should be

continued

Form a

committee of


clients to

make Great

room

decisions

Plans for

celebration :

Date

What

needs to be

ordered

30

Decide on

partner for

Connie

Snacks

plants

12/1

Group to plan for

celebration

2 3 4 5

9-2

Paint

Day

Kitche

n

Group

ideas:

Clients create

agenda

6

7

Schedule floor

cleaning and

buffing for

next week

8 9 10 29

12

9-2

paint day

Completion

Open house

Focus Group


Analysis of the Experiential

Analysis of the Art Therapy

The Spackling Stage. It was necessary to spackle the walls of this room because of the

many visible pits from a poorly constructed concrete pouring for the foundation of the building.

The therapist was not concerned with covering all the blemishes because the use of a textured

painting technique, Lazure, would mask the look of the wall marks. In a matter of minutes the

clients began attacking the walls with spackling with amazing energy. One wall was entirely

covered with a coat of spackling. Looking at this stage metaphorically the need to either cover

those wounded walls or to mend the walls represented the need to mend the wounds of sexual

offenses. It was a powerful gesture witnessed by this therapist. It was also powerful to see the


group working together on this task. It seemed that they were giving each other the energy to do

this work.

The All White Stage. After the wounds were filled and the holes were spackled,

everything was painted with a flat, snow- white and non-toxic paint. It was a therapeutic move

the therapist decided to make so the clients could see the room totally white. There was a total

envelope of white purity when you walked into the room. A sense of cleanliness and

detoxification was prevalent. Many group members wanted the room to stay white. However, the

white walls gave them a place to think about the transition to color and a place to imagine the

room with endless possibilities: a new space and a space to start over were symbolic at this point.

People are containers for their imaginations but for them to express their creativity they must


prepare a space (Malchiodi, 2002). This stage gave the clients a clean surface to work;

metaphorically, this therapist saw this stage as the stage of transition in treatment.

The Color Stage Kitchen Makeover


The Color Stage Great Room Space


The Color Stage the Viking Room


The Color Stage the Pool and Game Area

The work group had done some basic color theory exercises pre-project but it was still

necessary to present this group, with some structure, to the color choices. There was a plan to

start with a container of color choices and to let the clients become more independent in their

choices as the project developed. Expressing emotions through color, release certain emotions

that could stand in the way of healing (Ganim, 1999).

The technique of color paint application used is called the Lazure method, which is a

method of painting that was created by Rudolph Steiner for the Waldorf schools’ interior walls.

The painted method uses a series of thin color washes applied to the walls, which is illustrated on

the previous pages (Marberry, 1995). The method also uses brushstrokes that move in a lazy


eight pattern or the symbol for infinity which has also been referred to in this paper when

describing the movement of chaos.

Analysis using Bronfenbrenner’s ecology of learning spaces

Although the materials, mentioned in the Enviro-Art Therapy directive earlier, might be

considered a minor requirement of this experiential, the act of bringing certain materials into this

secured environment represents the far reaching concern the micro level of this institution has

over all the levels of the environment. It is important to note that the institutional restrictions and

steps needed to bring items into this secured area because items could be used as weapons

(macrosystem, exosystem, mesosystem concerns over the microsystem). Because of this concern

it was necessary to think creatively when having to substitute needed tools to complete this

makeover (microlevel creativity). When beginning to order and plan for the first day of the

directive in this restricted setting, such as this setting, careful organization was of the utmost

importance. Not only was the therapist conscious of all the materials needed to paint the large

day room, the therapist had to understand the state’s system of paying for things, what is allowed

in this restricted environment (contraband) and obtaining permission for bringing things into the

area days in advance ( microlevel personal adjustments) had to be followed.

The clients were in a container of a restricted environment, the microlevel had physical

walls, emotional walls, and social walls, and many of these walls were handed down from the

macrolevel system. More significantly, many of the walls were created at the personal

microlevel by each client. Because of these walls of containment, everyone involved in this art

directive was forced to create and problem solve in the most ingenious ways. The group became

the art backdrop for this to safely happen (Skaife, 2004). For example, one client was able to fix

the wheel on a cabinet by unscrewing the screws with a dime. The therapist was taught how to


open the paint cans without a screw driver. At times, it seemed like the clients were able to find

ways to break the walls of the system to get what they wanted.

Even though this determination and skill in creative problem solving was witnessed

among the clients, there was a strong feeling that they were not being heard on other unit issues.

The therapist felt that positive communication between staff and clients would really be the

underlying joint group goal of this project and it was then presented to the TEA Group. Through

this micro to macro level of exchange an important issue was identified which was the need for

clients to communicate their ideas as members of this social institution, and to do so in the form

of a governing board with a staff consultant.

At first the experiential was designed to clean up and enhance the microsystem room and

it went beyond that boundary, when significant positive behaviors emerged. Creative problem

solving began to take over the work sessions not only in the physical design of the room but also

it was witnessed in the social behavior and the emotional levels of the clients. This was seen

when clients began to take pride in their work, to share their ideas and to help one another on

certain tasks.

It is important to realize that this endeavor had many facets to it. Improving the room’s

physical environment was an important aspect, but not the number one reason. The major reason

for this Great Room project was to further develop the clients’ relationships, their treatment and

their learning by using the integration of art into their environment. In doing so the process

crossed many departments, some the Tea group had prepared for, others were handled in a

creative impromptu manner. The project developed a prototype for procedures for future

projects by extending the ideas to the social and cultural environments, changing perceptions and

bringing new knowledge to the environment (Drucker, 2002).


Adlerian Analysis: Social Interest Development Findings

The Environmental-Art therapy work was offered to all 42 clients but only a steady group

of 10 workers volunteered to be involved with the work. Of those ten men changes and social

behaviors were observed. Especially noted were the characteristics of social interest: cooperation

and group concern. The working group was central to the process throughout this art therapy

directive. In a way the act of volunteering became an assessment tool in social interest. The

clients could only make the best use of this opportunity if they were actively involved in the

painting, decision making and problem solving.

The inventory measurement tools. It is also important to analyze the following data

collected from a series of inventories created with Adlerian social concepts, such as value’s

expressed through empathy, universality, and positive striving for community (Ansbacher,

1956). The intent was to measure attitudes of the clients that would be asked to volunteer for the

environmental art therapy directive before the activity and after the activity. The inventory was

given previous to the directive to 42 clients and read orally while staff helped with any questions

but they instructed not give any opinions. The post inventory was given about two weeks after

the experiential was completed at the same population. At that time, there were 40 participants.


Table 4 Pre- Inventory results from the client population before the art directive was

presented

Nine Questions from the inventory

1. I feel comfortable and relaxed

2. I have a lot of energy today

3. In this I am among friends

4. I wish certain people were not in this

group

5. This group makes me nervous

Response Possibilties

Blue- Series 1-Strongly Agree

Orange- Series 2-Agree

Green- Series 3-Unsure

Purple- Series 4-Disagree

Turquoise- Series 5-Strongly Disagree


6. People work hard to get privileges

7. Some people here think they’re better

than the rest

8. I want to work with others to make

things better.

9. I can’t wait for group to be over.

Inventory Results

Numbers 1, 2,3,6,8 request an agree response to reflect a positive social attitude (an

average in the 2.0-1.0 range)

Numbers: 4,5,7,9 request a disagree response to reflect a positive social attitude (an

average in the 4.0-5.0 range)

Table 6 Comparison of average item responses

Question

#

Pre –

art directive

Post-

art directives

1 2.4 2.1

2 2.2 2.1

3 2.2 1.8

4 3.5 3.5

5 3.7 3.7

6 1.5 1.5

7 2.1 2.7

8 1.7 1.7


9 2.8 2.8

Questions that showed improvement:

1. I feel comfortable and relaxed

2. I have a lot of energy today

3. I am among friends

7. Some people here think they’re better than the rest

Questions that stayed the same:

4. I wish certain people were not in this group

5. This group makes me nervous

6. People work hard to get privileges

8. I want to work with others to make things better

9. I can’t wait for group to be over

From the pre and post inventory results the answers improved or stayed the same. It is

important to be reminded that this responding group included both client groups: those that

volunteered to work and those that did not. In the post group it would be a 10/30 ratio, 10

workers to 30 who did not volunteer. A question that reflects strong social interest, especially in

the area of universality, is #3. I am among friends, which showed a change of .4 from the pre

response to the post response.

Events timeline. This measurement tool graphically represents the horizontal

development of events before and after the art directive.


Table 6 Events before and after the room makeover

This graphic (above) shows the catalytic power of the experiential project (Room

Makeover) by illustrating the events that occurred before and after the initiation of the project.

The initial policy change which is on the left side of the environmental art therapy directive was

causing a negative effect on the population by initiating a conflict between two units. The choice

to insert the art directive at a critical time shows the beginning of the events changing from

negative to positive results on the right of the room makeover.


Positive events began with giving the clients a voice in such room makeover decisions.

This voice increased and eventually reached the staff in a positive manner by forming a Great

Room governing body with staff advisors. Social development was reflected in the desire to

include both units in a potluck dinners.

The Focus Group as Qualitative Measurement Tool

The final event conducted as a part of the Great Room makeover and the ending of the

environmental art therapy directive was an open house. This was a time when the clients were

able to show off their work to the rest of the organization including staff and clients. After the

celebration those who worked on the room and anyone else who was interested in the makeover

project could stay for a discussion. About twenty clients wanted to be involved while this

therapist and this therapist’s supervisor conducted the group. There were clients who worked on

the project combined with clients who had not.

These questions were asked:

Focus Leader: Who wants the two units to come to the Great Room together for shared

activities and events?

Clients present responded: All participants raised their hand.

Focus Leader: What have you learned from this experience (the art directive-makeover)?

Client A: At first I didn’t want to come. I was involved in painting the room ten years

ago and I didn’t think it should be painted over. Also, I knew it would be hard for me to take

instructions from a woman (the art therapist). But I learned so much. I became friends with

people I ignored before. I was able to take instructions.

Client B: We really want to have more things to do with the other unit but now that we

have done all this work we can’t schedule time together. There isn’t enough staff to escort the


other unit to this place. (My supervisor assured them that this would be brought to the staffs’

attention).

Client C. When the project first started I wanted to be a part of it I came down a couple

times but then I didn’t feel like I had anything to do with the decisions so I stopped coming.

Client D. Next time you do something like this you need to let us know in advance when

the Great room will be closed because we need to know this. We had plans for Xmas and we

couldn’t come down here to cook.

Client E: I really want to start cooking down here again I used to do it but I stopped now

I want to start to teach people.

Focus Leader: How is the Great Room governing board coming along?

Client F: We really only have had two meetings?

Focus Leader: Why only two?

Client F: We can’t get a staff person to supervise the meeting.

Focus Leader: This is all new to everybody but don’t give up on it. You have a channel

of communication open now use it to the best of your ability.

Focus leader: How many of you can start planning and working on a potluck to start the

social events down here?

Clients: A majority raised their hand

After the focus group, client- A. came to me and said he never knew what some of the

clients go through just to do one small task. He described getting really frustrated with another

client (from the disabled unit) when that client was trying to spackle the wall. He was having so

much trouble that client A had to redo the spackling. But then something changed and client-A

felt good about helping his fellow client and later, became that client’s mentor.


Client –discussed the frustration everyone felt when things started happening to the Great

Room without the clients or the therapist in charge of the project new about it

Client discussed the metal lockers arriving in the middle of the freshly painted room

without anyone telling anybody.

One client came up with a better place for them to be but was discouraged before he even

suggested the idea he said: They won’t listen to me. The idea was brought to the TEA group

and lockers were moved to the place he thought would be the best. This part of the project was

not only a revelation on social interest dynamics but just how important encouragement is to the

state of well being. Without encouragement everything is a never ending struggle for client and

therapist. The focus group also pointed to two more things one the continued need for

communication from the microsystem to other layers of the organization and communication in

the other direction.

Analysis According to Chaos Theory

As described in the chaos theory the tiniest, the most infinitesimal change or movement

in the microsystem is seen in all layers of the learning/therapeutic environment. In some

instances, it seems to extend to the outside layers and beyond. Again the Environmental-Art

Therapy Directive was the catalyst. However, the actual changes were visually seen in the

physical look of the makeover room, the emotional change of client/therapist and the social

change of the nested system layers (Bronfebrenner, 1993) of the whole organization. Emotional

(Ansbacher, 1956) and social changes (Stein, 2004) were analyzed earlier with Adlerian

concepts, however, organizational change explanations will be discussed using chaos theory

principles. (Reardon, 2002)

When the activity first began it was definitely approached with change in mind, but,


soon, the idea moved to innovation and transformation. The most successful types of innovation

are those that relate to unexpected occurrences, incongruities, process needs and behavior

changes within an organization (Drucker, 2002). Based on these four characteristics, the

Environmental Art Therapy activity qualified as a successful innovation.

The TEA group moved from selective feedback to open receptive behavior after the

directive began. The directive jogged macro to micro level consciousnesses. New language was

created for clients and staff. Thought was challenged especially in the areas of client therapeutic

environments (Reardon, 2002).

The Conclusion of the Environmental Art Therapy Experiential

Originally, this experiential asked if an environmental art directive could be a catalyst

for change in sex offenders ‘social interest within the confines of a residential treatment facility.

It started with a simple question but evolved into a catalyst that ignited a large reaction involving

the whole treatment community at a multidimensional level. Through a series of eclectic

documentations, measurements and observations the experiential has shown that an

environmental art therapy directive was the catalyst for change in social interest in several ways.

The first documentation of social change was the therapist’s observations and documentations of


the ten men who consistently volunteered for the project. According to the Adler lifestyle

attitudes these men exhibited social interest characteristics by the mere act of volunteering for

the job. Their social level reflected a change from those that did not volunteer, especially in the

area of friendships and caring about their lives. They also continued to develop in social

attitudes by moving to Adler’s life tasks, in the areas of work, and education.

Secondly the post-inventory of attitudes toward others and the room that was painted

reflected an increase in positive social interest especially in the social interest area of friendship

(Table 3). Another positive reflection of social changes and the most drastic demonstration of the

art directive as a catalyst was the horizontal depiction of the social events timeline that followed

the art experiential (Table 4).

It is important to recognize the use of many measurements modalities and system theories

when discussing the change of social interest and measurement. Because of the complexity of

the subject of social interest and the fluid nature of the concept, it is really impossible for one

measurement or observation to result in a dependable conclusion.

Future research and documentation on the ten men who volunteered over the next year is

recommended. It is also recommended that social aspects be broken down into categories of

social attitudes much like Crandall’s social assessment categories (Crandall, 1991). Since this

question really focuses on change, an audit format should be devised to look for success in the

area of social interest and to make plans for continued development exercises (Gilroy, 2006).

So it is recommended to continually audit the change of social interest in many different

tasks including continued art directives and to make careful predictions regarding change in

social interest. It is also recommended that research regarding other layers of the social system

at this organization examine the social interest categories at the exosystem, mesosystem and


macrosystems for correlations in change. If there is a change in one system it will be reflected in

the other related system layers.

Most importantly all interventions should be devised with treatment strategies that could

be patterned after the art directive described in this paper which was a community constructive

project with a therapist directly involved but it is important to note Henry Stein’s comment on

sex offender treatment:

However, unless the style of life is actually "dissolved" there is still the risk of repeated

offending. From an Adlerian perspective, the best way to fully protect society from any

individual's acts of aggression, exploitation, or destruction is to change that individual's

fictional final goal of dominance, superiority, and revenge. This may take more time and

skill than is actually available.

In this experiential there were changes denoted in the different aspects of social interest

in all the areas of analysis. For further study it would be important to devise and test a tool that

reflected the dissolved life style built on the dominant final goal. It would also be important to

use this experiential as a framework to develop that tool.

This experience has not only given this therapist numerous ideas for future research, it

also gave this therapist a sense of freedom to create while behind bars with my clients. The

social interest and encouragement was also experienced by this therapist. The results were

plentiful and the power of making a minor change truly did make this therapist understand this

treatment organization at several levels in just a short time.


References

Ansbacher, H. L. & Ansbacher, R. R. (Eds.) (1956). The individual psychology of Alfred Adler.

New York: Basic Books, Inc.

Bass, M. W. (2006). Social interest: A meta-analysis of multidimensional construct. In S. a.

Senvik, Readings in the theory of individual psychology (pp. 123-170). New York:

Routledge.

Bronfebrenner, U. (1993). Ecological models of human development. In Internation

Encyclopedia of Education (pp. 37-43). Oxford: Elsevier.

Crandall, J. E. (1991). A Scale for Social Interest. Individual Psychology, 47, 106-113.

Day, C. (2002). Spirit & place. Burlington, MA: Elsevier Ltd.

Daykin, N. (2008). Review: The impact of art, design and environment in mental healthcare: a

systemic review of the literature. The Journal of the Royal Society for the Promotion of

Health, 128(2), 85-94.

Dreikurs, R. R. (1989). Fundamentals of Adlerian psychology. Chicago, IL: Adler School of

Professional Psychology.

Drucker, P. (2002). The discipline of innovation. Harvard Business Review, 80(8), 95-102.

Ganim, B. (1999). Art and healing. New York: Crown Publishing.

Gilroy, A. (2006). Art therapy, research and evidence-based practice. London: Sage.

Gussak, D. &. (1997). Drawing time, art therapy in prisons and other correctional settings.

Chicago, IL: Magnolia Street Publishers.

Logdson, R. (n.d.). ColorSpace. Retrieved June 25, 2010, from Lazurepainting by Logsdon:

http://www.lazurebylogsdon.com/what_is_lazure.htm

Malchiodi, C. (2002). The soul's palette. Boston, MA: Shambala.


Marberry, S. (1995). The power of color. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Maurer, R. (2004). One small step can change your way: The kaizen way. New York: Workman

Publishing Company, Inc.

Reardon, J. M. (2002). Transforming chaos into change. Minnetonka, MN: Phoenix Process

Publishing.

Skaife, S. a. (2004). Art Psychotherapy Groups. New York: Brunner-Routledge.

Stein, H. T. (2004, October 18). The style of life tree. Retrieved June 19, 2010, from Alfred

Adler Institutes of San Francisco & Northern Washington:

http://pws.cablespeed.com/~htstein/q-a-6.htm

Strand, S. (1990). Counteracting isolation: Group art therapy for people with learning

difficulties. Group Analysis, 23, 255-63.

Thompson, M. (n.d.). Beyond the ropes. Retrieved 6 25, 2010, from MTA Learning:

http://www.mtalearning.com/Articles/principles-of-experiential-learning.html

Urie Bronfenbrenner. (2010, January). Retrieved June 10, 2010, from Emory University

Division Educational Studies: http://www.des.emory.edu/mfp/302/302bron.PDF

Waller, D. (1993). Group Interactive Art Therapy: Its Uses in Training And Treatment. New

York: Routledge.


Paint behind the bars –Cgretsch 2010


Documents

Running head: ENVIRONMENTAL ART THERAPY AS A … MP 2010_0.pdffractal of change in the positive realm. The directive in this experiential project was considered the catalyst for change