Creative Healing in Mental Health
“Creative work, as is so beautifully demonstrated in this film, is timeless, an inherent part of being human, and always accessible to us.” — Janet Adler, Ph.D., ADTR, Author &...
“By creating art, a person symbolically re-creates him or herself and begins to put the pieces back together.”
— Mickie McGraw
This film is about courage, commitment, and creative coping. It tells the story of Mickie McGraw, who overcame polio at age 11 to become an art therapy pioneer. With Dr. George Streeter, a psychoanalyst who was also an artist, she co-founded and ran an Art Therapy Studio in a rehabilitation hospital. When she retired they renamed that part of the hospital the Mickie McGraw Activity Center, and in 2010 received the prestigious Cleveland Art Prize.
The film tells the story of both individuals and of the unique program they developed 45 years ago. Not only is it well integrated into the hospital, but it has also extended the benefits of art centered therapy throughout the community through studios and contracts with other organizations. This model can serve as a blueprint and an inspiration for many other hospital-based art therapy programs.
The film is followed by 2 Discussions of its contents by participants: Barbara Streeter and Cathy Bryan.
Total Running Time (including discussions): 1 hour, 2 minutes
Related Films
Breakthrough
This film, sponsored by the Lucy Daniels Foundation, captures the intimate experience of eight artists who have had psychoanalytic treatment. The film also demonstrates the growth and freedom made possible...
Two Dance Therapy Workshops
With Anne Brownell’s articulate narration, the viewer is given an intimate look at the work of two pioneers in expressive arts therapy - Norma Canner and Penny Lewis.