Art Therapy

Blog Post #28

“A Mother’s Gift”

An interview with an art therapist

Carol Riddick has always loved art. In elementary school, her classmates often praised her artistic talents. But her biggest fan was her mother. She never threw any of Carol’s artwork away. To encourage her daughter, she would lovingly declare, as only a mother could: “Carol, you are the best artist ever!” It is not surprising that Carol went on to receive a degree in Illustration from Parson School of Design. But it was a life-altering experience involving her mom that led Carol to earn a master’s degree in Creative Arts Therapy from Hofstra University.

Even before she was aware of art therapy, Carol found herself naturally applying art as a tool to help others. As a recreation leader in a nursing home, she had the residents draw scenes from their childhood. They enjoyed reliving these long-ago memories and found the creative process delightful.

And she came across a newspaper article about a Harlem doctor working in NYC with physically-challenged youth. The doctor was using art to help these kids visualize normal interactions, without any limitation, by having them draw pictures of themselves running, riding bikes, playing baseball, etc. She remembers thinking, “I want to do that kind of work!”

When Carol’s mother was in her 40’s she began showing signs of early-onset Alzheimer’s. It was hard for Carol to watch her succumb to a disease whose prolonged, deteriorating effects caused her vibrant mother to become immobile in a nursing home, unable to communicate, totally reliant on others. In a moment of despair, Carol asked, “What am I doing here?” And wondered if there was any point in visiting her unresponsive mom. She then decided to bring along a sketchbook and spend the time drawing her mother.

“I started out with pencil, and eventually moved to colored pencils. Each time, I felt better somehow, and amazingly, I began to realize I had found a way to process my despair, resentment, anger and grief about losing her. The focused concentration on two loves – my mom and art – opened up within me a peaceful space devoid of negative feeling. One day, I realized she was watching me sketching her. We made eye contact, something I thought was beyond her psychological state, and with tearful joy I wrapped my arms around her. I realized that by drawing her, I had opened up a space where we could meet. I also realized there was a connection between art and healing that I was not aware of before. This incredible experience led to a 25-year career as an art therapist. It was my mother’s last gift to me.”

Carol's work as an art therapist brought her in contact with children in need, detox patients, veterans in substance abuse treatment, developmentally disabled adults, and families dealing with HIV/AIDS. She also spent 10 years working with inmates at Rikers Island Detention Center in NYC, as the first art therapist Rikers hired to help deal with inmate’s mental health. She encountered challenges on many levels including a limit on the types of art materials she could use. “I discovered some inmates had never colored pictures as children and said they didn’t know how.” But mostly her experience at Rikers expanded her understanding of love’s capacity to heal.

“I called my hour-long, group sessions: Present Moment Therapy. These sessions were not mandatory which meant the inmates wanted to be there. My goal was to provide a safe, pleasant, non-judgmental space for them which is really unheard of in jail. As they focused on making art for themselves, or cards and gifts for family and loved ones, they opened up and talked about whatever was on their minds. I have always found that people are very receptive to art therapy.” Her sessions with the inmates were so popular and effective that when Carol retired from Rikers, they had a dozen art therapists on staff. One inmate summed it up this way: “Thank you. For one hour you made me forget I was in jail.”

For those wishing to employ art as therapy to cope with current stress, Carol has a few suggestions that anyone can do: With music softly playing in the background, have fun experimenting with color using markers, color pencils or watercolors. Cut pictures and words out of magazines, arrange them according to shape, theme or color, then glue on to a piece of paper for an insightful collage. Doodle with crayons on watercolor paper, then apply watercolor paint for a wax-resist, pysanky-like effect. But even coloring in a simple coloring book works too!