The proposal outlines an 8-week art therapy group for middle and high school students experiencing trauma, anxiety, depression, or anger. The group uses various art mediums and activities to help participants express and process emotions, build life skills, and develop a collaborative mural. Each session incorporates check-ins, art projects tied to therapeutic themes, and group discussions to provide insight and coping strategies. Post-tests are administered to assess changes in participants' emotional states.

1. Art Speak: Creative coping
strategies for anger, depression,
and anxiety.
Angela Houseknecht
Millersville University

2. Introduction
- Art Speak Barak Inc.
- American Art Therapy Association
- http://arttherapy.org/
- Literature Review
- Anxiety, Depression, and Anger
- http://arttherapy.org/upload/arttherapybibliogr
aphyselectstudiesarticlespublications.pdf

3. Proposal for Art Speak
Type of Group:
A. Definition: Art and Life-Skills for students
grade 7-12 (middle school/ high school) + exp.
Trauma and interest in art.
B. Setting: Harrisburg PA and surrounding area
students/ charter students
C. Voluntary Parental/ Care-giver consent and
student consent required.
D. Group Format: 8 week closed group. This
group will conclude with a jointly
constructed mural in the city of Harrisburg.

4. Proposal for Art Speak
Goals, Objectives, and Rationale:
A. Goals/ Purpose: Art-Speak will focus on improving
life skills by learning artistic and expressive coping
strategies for anxiety, depression, and anger.
B. Objectives: this group will consist of 3 components:
1. Artistic expression, exploration of media, and
acquisition of fine art techniques
2. Group interactions, appropriate communication,
and teamwork
3. Real world practice of newly acquired artistic
and behavioral skills

5. Proposal for Art Speak
Assessments:
Children’s version of:
- State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI),
- State-Trait Anger Expression Inventory (STAXI-2)
- State-Trait Personality Inventory (STPI)
Assess anxiety, anger, depression, and curiosity, and the
major components of these emotional states and
personality traits

6. Proposal for Art Speak
Rights and Expectations of Group Members:
A. Group members will also participate in
generating classroom rules that may include:
Confidentiality*
Respect
Actively listen
Participate
No judgments
No labels
Attend and be on time
B. *Confidentiality will be maintained with 3
exceptions:
Report of abuse
Threat to oneself
Threat to others

7. Pre Screening
1. Explain the type of group and practical
applications of the group.
2. Introduce myself and discuss my qualifications.
3. Get to know the student.
4. Answer questions/ build relationship with care-
giver
5. Administer pretests to assess anxiety, anger,
depression, and curiosity
6. Select students

8. Session 1
Goals: Lean basic drawing tools. Gain
personal insight into the self.
Rationale: Scribble drawings access the
unbiased memory of the right brain. Art is a
right brain activity that provides more honest
recounts of experiences because the right
brain is not inhibited by the rational or story-
telling aspect of the verbal left-brain. Art is
best used in conjunction with talking it out
(McNamee C.M. 2004).

9. Session 1
Materials: Paper and drawing utensils, music,
and a survey.
Introductions:
1. Explain the nature of the group, to use art
to learn life skills.
2. Share group rules and ask class if they
have questions or would like to discuss
adding a rule.
3. Share something about yourself that you
believe is unique. (During this phase model
and emphasize appropriate group norms)

10. Session 1
Working Phase: Telling our story with scribble drawings (McNamee
C.M. 2004)
1. Begin with a scribble warm up to try out a variety of materials
(pastels, pencil, crayon, and markers). After a warm encourage
students to choose a material that they want to explore.
2. Pass out a fresh sheet of paper to each student. Instruct the
students to close their eyes and scribble on the paper. Remind
students that they have complete freedom to express themselves
through the scribble and don’t worry about making anything pretty.
3. Allow up 5 minutes to scribble and then ask the students to take 5
more minutes to look at the scribble and as they see shapes and
themes immerge write on the scribble what you see.
4. Begin group discussion encouraging each member to share what
he or she sees about themselves and what they wrote. Each member
is to listen and then speak in turn.
5. After each member has shared ask the group, “Whose drawing
can you relate to and why?

11. Session 1
Transition Phase:
1. Thank the group for sharing
2. Remind students of outside of group
confidentiality.
3. Encourage them to look for other things in their
life that represents who they are to discuss during
check in for next meeting.

12. Session 2
Goals: Gain a basic understanding of
painting materials. Learn to use art to
express difficult emotions, thoughts, and
events.
Rationale: Drawings used in conjunction with
talk-therapy can provide insight in the
thoughts and perceptions of children who
have been exposed to traumatic events
(Clements, Benasutti, & Henry, 2001).
Clients are the expert of their own
experience (Solution-focused, De’ Shazer
1985)

13. Session 2
Materials: Acrylic paints, paper, canvas board,
brushes, water and cups, palates, and paper
towels (smocks optional).
Check in:
1. Thank them all for coming and being on time
(if accurate).
2. Remind them of the scribble drawing activity
from last week and ask who would like to begin
the check in process by saying what’s been on
their mind and/ what they were able to discover
about themselves.

14. Session 2
Working Phase:
1. Begin painting warm up activity. Allow the students
to try different paints and brush strokes, invite students
to explore the materials.
2. Ask students to think of a time or event that has
occurred in their life that difficult to overcome (offer
some self-disclosure of something he/ she might paint)
3. Ask the students to retain the memory that has
come to mind but do not yet revel the memory to the
rest of the group.
4. When the counselor begins playing music start
painting freely your memory. When the music ends,
stop painting.

15. Session 2
Transition Phase:
1. Ask: What do you notice about your painting?
2. Ask: whose painting do you notice and why?
3. Encourage discussion relating to what the
painting has reveled to them about their memory
of the event.
4. Give the students a few minutes of free time to
make art and relax before leaving the class.
5. remind them of check in time for next session.

16. Session 3
Session 3: Sculpting from experience.
Goals: Gain insight into the emotions left from the
traumatic event (anger, depression, anxiety)
Rationale: Fluid materials enable a gradual shedding
of defenses and increase the ability to reflect upon
emotions that may arise (Avrahami D., 2008). Artistic
tasks proved to be more a more effective and longer
lasting impression the student’s than traditional
methods alone (Morgan and Johnson 1995). The
symbol expressed on paper (or sculpture) enables the
client to distance him/ herself from the trauma and
the student then has the power to make changes or
recreate the symbol. This becomes a metaphor to self
(Cohen et al. 1995).

17. Session 3
Materials: 2 balls of clay per student.
Check in: Begin by asking students to reflect
upon last week’s painting. What feelings were
you left with?

18. Session 3
Working Phase:
1. Pass out clay to each student.
2. The counselor will begin playing music reflective of the
emotional experiences the students mentioned (angry, sad,
frustration, fear).
3. While the music plays the students will form clay that
indicative to their emotional state and can use the music
for guidance. The counselor will also sculpt along to model
the behavior and will also observe the students.
4. The counselor will turn off the music and ask the students”
What were you feeling in your body as you created?
What did you notice from this experience?
What do you notice about the sculptures or discussions
of the other students?

19. Session 3
Transition Phase:
1. Teach students the importance of relaxation as a
way to balance their feelings. Briefly discuss ways
each student relaxes. Introduce art as a way to relax
(Chapman et al. 2001).
2. Counselor will redistribute a new ball of clay to
each student.
3. Counselor will play a variety of relaxing music.
Students will sculpt for the duration of the music.
4. The counselor will then guide a discussion to
compare both sculptures on representing the difficult
emotions and one representing the relaxing emotions.
5. Ask the class to think about healthy ways in which
they can relax and to try one of those ways this week.

20. Session 4
Session 4: Hopes for the future
Check in: Which ways did you chose
to relax or did you choose not to
relax this week?
Goals: Continue to explore feelings
and insights and begin to think about
the future. In attempt to look for
exceptions as described by solution-
focused theory (De Shazer 1985)

21. Session 4
Rationale: O’toole (1999) stress that much
therapy in child abuse facilities is overly reliant on
exploring the past nature of traumas and there is
a need to address the child’s hopes and
expectations for the future. Students need to skills
to look for exceptions to times of being sad,
anger, or anxious. This class will focus on
understanding as well as creating aesthetics.
Materials: Paints, drawing materials, paper,
canvas, and brushes

22. Session 4
Working Phase:
1. Begin discussion looking for exceptions and
hope
Ask: the group to consider what they want their
future to be like?
2. Ask solution-focused miracle question.

23. Session 4
Transition Phase:
1. Students are prompted to select any materials they wish
to work with. Counselor will model appropriate behavior
and media sharing.
2. Counselor will begin hopeful-sounding music selected by
students.
3. Students will have the remainder of the session to listen
to music and create their vision for their future.
4. Counselor will end the music and the students will begin
to show work.
5. Counselor will guide discussion of each student’s hope
for the future.
6. Students will be asked to generate a list of ideas for what
they hope for their community and will come prepared for
the next meeting with ideas. These ideas will be used for
the mural project.

24. Session 5
Session 5: Begin Mural Design
Check in:
1. Students will be asked to briefly share list of
ideas for what they hope for their life as
well as their community.
Begin Discussion: hopes for individuals and
hopes for the group
Goals: Model appropriate critique and
teamwork behavior. As a group plan the
beginning design of the group mural. Select
a theme and design.

25. Session 5
Rationale: Students can learn appropriate
teamwork behaviors, saying I messages, and
listening skills. Motor activity associated with
creating art also provides a release of stress and
tension (Lusebrink, 1990). Students can
incorporate themselves including their
experiences and their culture into the mural.
Incorporating culture is an important piece
(Corey and Corey 2013)
Materials: Drawing materials and paper

26. Session 5
Working Phase:
1. Begin discussion by asking the students
to saying at least one thing they liked
about a group member’s idea including
their own. Counselor will model.
2. Counselor will ask the students to then
take turns discussing ideas to combine
elements from each student’s idea.

27. Session 5
Transition Phase:
1. Counselor will provide parameters for
execution of the mural design (size, materials
available, equal involvement).
2. Students will be asked to make a second draft
of their designs taking into account the discussion.
3. Counselor will guide a discussion:
How did the critique/ praise of your work
impact your design changes?
What did you learn from this experience?

28. Session 6
Session 6: Finalize Mural Design
Check In: Students will present their final
design ideas.
Goals: Select a final collaborative design
Rationale: Students have the ability to
learn from their experiences, share with
others, and work together. Children want
a sense of belonging (Adler) and this
affords them the opportunity. Students
can incorporate themselves including
their experiences and their culture into
the mural.

29. Session 6
Materials: Paints, brushes, tape, towels, and
clothing that can be ruined.
Working Phase:
1. Students will collaboratively discuss how the
mural should look and choose a final design.
2. Counselor will mediate any issues and model
appropriate behavior.

30. Session 6
Transition Phase:
1. Counselor will provide parameters for
execution of the mural design (size, materials
available, equal involvement).
2. Students will be asked to make a second draft
of their designs taking into account the discussion.
3. Counselor will guide a discussion:
How did the critique/ praise of your work
impact your design changes?
What did you learn from this experience?

31. Session 7
Goals: Execution of mural
Rationale: Students have the ability to learn
from their experiences, share with others, and
work together. Children want a sense of
belonging (Adler) and this affords them the
opportunity. Students can incorporate
themselves including their experiences and
their culture into the mural.
Materials: Paints, brushes, tape, towels.
Check in: Students will discuss what if any
concerns or questions about beginning the
mural.

32. Session 7
Working Phase:
1. Students will divide up the work amongst
themselves and counselor will mediate.
Students will work on mural the entire time.
2. The counselor will make sure to spend time with
each student and will ask him or her, how they
are doing.
3. The counselor will also protect confidentiality
by talking to any on-lookers and keeping
information to a minimum stating when they can
come and view the finished product.

33. Session 7
Transition Phase:
1. Students will clean up and join in
front of the mural.
2. Generate discussion about the mural
process.
Ask the group to think of ways in which
the group experience has changed
them.
3. Remind students of termination

34. Session 8
Session 8: Execute Mural Design and
Terminate
Goals: Administer post-test. Terminate
group.
Rationale: Termination is an important
part to ending the group process
(Corey & Corey)
Materials: Test and pencils

35. Session 8
Check in: Students will discuss what if any concerns or
questions about leaving the group and the finished
mural.
Working Phase:
1. Ask: How has this group impacted you?
2. . Praise group and share counselor observations of
the group as a whole. Individuals responds well to
encouragement and polyocularity (De Shazer,
1985)
Termination
1. How will you explain the mural to people who ask
you?
2. Admister post tests
2. Make referrals if necessary.

36. Discussion
Q: What are any changes you would make to
this design or otherwise areas of improvement?
Q: What is something you would like to know
about art therapy?
Q: What is something you took away from this
presentation?