Blythe Mayfield (left)- Art Therapist at Solomon Family Solutions in Cleveland, TN Brooke Montague (right) - Art Expressionist at the Hart Gallery in Chattanooga, TN Tell me about what a job in your field really entails:
always changing. On Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays I usually have sessions in studio with individuals and then I go over to the office for supervised visitations. Wednesdays I got to Sweetwater and do Art Therapy at that branch with kids and families. On Fridays I go to two different schools and do groups there. Right now I work everyday of the week. Montague: The Hart Gallery is my base. I always come here to gather supplies and plan groups. As an Art Therapist I travel out into the community. I go to a lot of different places so it's never the same people or the same art process that I’m doing. My career as an Art Therapist pretty much varies depending on what I am doing from day to day. I am always challenged and on my toes.
are struggling (with mental illness or personal turmoil) so they are not at the most stable time in their life. Montague: A knowledge of art and how to make art. Very good listening skills, I do a lot of active listening. A lot of people close their ears to the homeless or those with mental illness. I think maybe that is one of the most profound experiences I can offer is to truly listen. I use all of the knowledge I gained in Graduate School and in life experience. Compassion. Good boundaries. How to facilitate groups. Crisis Management. Stress Relief.
seeing for many many months and I can only do so much within the hour with him. Knowing that at the end of the hour I have to send him home to an environment that’s not good for him legally or ethically. Basically just having to trust that what I’m doing is helpful. Also, I’ll be honest due to the lack of insurance I don’t have the benefits of paid time off. I don’t know how much I’ll be taking in weekly or monthly. However, I would still take this job any day because it is so fulfilling. Montague: Some of the physical part to traveling with art materials. I’m almost 50 and physically it's getting harder. I’ve been carrying art supplies out into the community since I was in my 30s. Sometimes just remaining calm and neutral when people are not at their best because you may have the best intention of helping and people can still see you as the enemy. To see each individual that comes before me with fresh eyes, sometimes when you’ve been doing something for a long time you forget to see the individual and you may make assumptions about people that are not true. You have to keep that in check.
expectation of working a full day and then a client will call in and cancel since there’s no penalty. Montague: I have two children and parents so I am in that sandwich where I take care of children and parents. Working full time is not an option for me. My Thursdays are very long days, I work 12 hours on those days when I have groups after work. My average day is between 8 and 10 hours. I work Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and occasional Saturdays. I work under 40 hours a week. Tell me about your career path:
not do a minor. Montague: I had a bachelor in Fine Arts, Drawing, and Painting. My minor was in Psychology.
Indianapolis. I was also able to get overrides for some of my courses through additional internships through the hospital. Montague: Yes, the way I discovered what I wanted to do was when I was studying abroad. As soon as I came back to the University of Georgia in the States I enrolled in as many Expressive Therapies courses as I could. I attended workshops where I knew Art Therapists were presenting. Meeting them, asking them questions, learning what they did. I took all the steps necessary to research Graduate Programs and volunteering in the community as much as I could with Art Therapists or people who were doing community art.
work but trusting that it is making a difference and it is helping because it does come back but it might be years later. Montague: Experience. Time.
Montague: My Masters was in a dual program at a small private Catholic college in Belmont California called the College of Notre Dame so I have my Masters in Art Therapy and Marriage/Family/Child Counseling. I’m a Chattanooga native, I left at 18 and came back at 30. Tell me about preparing for a career in this field:
with people first hand. As far as courses go probably Abnormal Psychology. Montague: My studio art classes where I learned how to use all the materials. You can not facilitate another person on the creative process if you do not know how the materials work. My psychology classes helped me better understand human behavior especially Abnormal Psychology.
they don’t usually understand it. In that situation I will say let me do a session for free so people can get a grasp on the process and that it's not just arts and crafts. Once they can see what it is they are with it and on board. There aren’t a lot of Art Therapy jobs posted. It is very rare to find anything posted, usually jobs will call for a recreational therapist because it's kind of an umbrella term. Montague: I am not licensed and registered in Tennessee. It has not thwarted me but I can say I have a Master’s Degree in Art Therapy but I have to call what I do Art Expression. It has not been a problem for me since I am very good at what I do. I feel confident in what I do will be spread through word of mouth.
and Ethics. Montague: Yes. A lot of my Master’s training was surrounding Ethics. The number one thing as a therapist is to do no harm. You have to learn boundaries, what’s appropriate, transference, and countertransference. It’s very important to know when you are working with someone’s emotional state. You can do damage if you push someone when their psyche is not ready. I think that is the most important thing: to not push a person past what their defenses are ready to do.
credibility. Montague: No. I probably will now that things have settled down. What other insight can you give to someone pursuing this field of study: Mayfield: I would say it needs to be something you are passionate about. You will have to trust
that work will come but you’ll probably have to educate people on it along the way. It’s not easy. You won’t go out for a position labeled Art Therapist and clock in at 9 o’clock everyday. It takes a lot of flexibility and faith. Montague: It’s very important to be able to write grants. A lot of young people when asking me about a degree and what they should pursue, unless you’re good at writing grants and figuring out how to produce an income in order to do what you love to do, you might choose something that allows you to bill insurance. Often times if someone is very interested in Art Therapy in Tennessee I recommend that maybe they pursue Occupational Therapy where their hours can be billed and put their focus on art. It just makes it a little bit easier on how you get paid. Make sure that you are passionate so that you want to show up. Serving others is draining and requires a lot of energy. Always take care of yourself so that you don’t get burned out and depleted. Part of my Graduate program requirements were that I be under the care of a therapist.
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