Mental health patients find a voice in art therapy

By St. Clair Murraine
Outlook Staff Writer

Responding to a question about how art therapy helps patients at Apalachee Center wasn’t hard for Anita Martin, although the query caused her to pause.

She eventually found a case in point, recalling how an individual was not very talkative on visits to the center, where mental health is the focus of their work.

A piece of paper and some crayons changed everything.

“He drew from memory,” said Martin, a unit supervisor at Apalachee. “It got to the point where the patient was more involved on the unit than being isolative and sitting alone. He started engaging more.”

 Hundreds of clients at Apalachee have been expressing themselves through art for at least the last decade. Just last Monday some of their work was on display as part of a one-day exhibit.

Those who participated in the recent exhibit signed a waiver for their work to be displayed. In all there were more than 100 pieces on display.

Individuals who created the artwork are participants in the center’s art therapy classes. For many of them, art has become their voices, said April Fitzpatrick, art therapist at the Apalachee Center.

The program is intended to help clients “sustain their emotional wellbeing and offer a safe place for them to express some of those things that come up,” Fitzpatrick said.

Topics for art may change each week, but the one constant is that the clients are allowed to feel a “sense of control” through the choice of material such as crayon or other marker, Fitzpatrick said. As they become confident in their ability to paint, they are allowed to use water colors, plaster or clay. 

Change begins to occur over time.

Participants “go from being very isolated to being very socialized,” she said. “Go from low self esteem and not believing in themselves to being strong and very confident about their artwork.”

Art therapy isn’t new to mental health professionals, but Apalachee’s is considered the most robust in Florida. Before patients begin art therapy, their condition is evaluated to find the right starting point for the best outcome.

“We focus on very modest and specific goals,” Fitzpatrick said, “making sure they’re not over stimulated.