VISTAS Online
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   Reaching the Tough Adolescent through Expressive Arts Therapy Groups
                                                             VISTAS 2006 Online
      Reaching the Tough Adolescent through Expressive 
                             Arts Therapy Groups
                              Poppy K. Moon, NCC, LPC
                            E-mail: poppymoon@gmail.com 
     Poppy Moon, NCC, LPC is in private practice in Tuscaloosa, Alabama 
     where she specializes in psychotherapy with children, adolescents, young 
     adults, and their families.  Currently Ms. Moon is completing her doctorate 
     in sand play therapy at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa.
      
                                              
     Our group of teens stared at us with angry eyes and hands crossed tightly 
     across their chests.  One girl primped and applied lipstick while another 
     adjusted her hot pink thong so it showed just over the top of her jeans.  
     “So”, Brad, my group co-leader said to the group, “what’s up with you 
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   Reaching the Tough Adolescent through Expressive Arts Therapy Groups
     guys today?”  No one answered.  It looked like the group had an unspoken 
     agreement that we would be getting the silent treatment.  “Well Brad,” I 
     said in my sweetest voice, “I guess since no one is talking then we need to 
     make puppets.”  The kids looked dubious.  Brad agreed, “Poppy, what a 
     great idea! The puppets can talk for the kids!”  Brad and I started pulling 
     out supplies – felt, hot glue, sparkles, google eyes, shells, marbles, Mardi 
     Gras beads, yarn, markers, and scissors.  We spread the materials out on 
     the floor and went to work making puppets.  Slowly, our surly group of 
     adolescents slid out of their seats onto the carpet, fingering the materials 
     with interest.  “Can I use these black sparkles to make a pimp puppet?” one 
     teen asked.  “Whatever you think is cool.” I replied.  The boy quickly 
     grabbed up the black sparkles before anyone else could claim them.  Brad 
     and I glanced around the room.  Now instead of a room full of angry 
     adolescents, we had a room full of industrious teens busily creating 
     puppets.  The girl with the thong was happily adding a pink thong to her 
     puppet.  Another teen was deep in discussion with another group member 
     about how he could add a do-rag and braids to his puppet with the hot glue 
     gun.  Ah, the magic of art therapy works again!
     Adolescents are perhaps the most difficult group to counsel.   Neither child 
     nor adult, teens are in a kind of developmental limbo.  They are too old for 
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   Reaching the Tough Adolescent through Expressive Arts Therapy Groups
     time out, yet too young to shoulder grown-up responsibility.  Many 
     therapists are reluctant to work with adolescents in therapy because they 
     require a great deal of personal energy and patience. This is unfortunate, 
     because adolescents benefit greatly from therapy with a counselor who 
     understands the special needs of this unique group of young people.  This 
     paper will (1) describe how group therapy is an ideal therapy to use with 
     adolescents, (2) demonstrate how expressive art therapy groups can be used 
     effectively with teens, and (3) give hands-on examples of art activities that 
     can be used with different adolescent groups.
                           Adolescents and Group Therapy
     Teenagers are used to being in groups.  In school they learn in groups, most 
     sports are played in groups, and they hang out with groups of friends.  
     Therefore, group therapy is an ideal choice of therapy because it is a setting 
     that is safe and familiar.  Bandura (1989) believes that social interaction is 
     key to the developmental process.  Adolescents learn by watching each 
     other interact and seeing the results of these interactions (Bandura, 1989) .   
     Most teens are referred to therapy because they are having trouble with 
     interpersonal relationships (e.g. parents, peers, teachers, authority figures) 
     (Leader, 1991) .  The group setting provides a safe space where the 
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