{"id":7961,"date":"2025-01-10T15:30:00","date_gmt":"2025-01-10T15:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/?p=7961"},"modified":"2025-01-10T15:30:00","modified_gmt":"2025-01-10T15:30:00","slug":"art-therapy-helps-veterans-process-complex-emotions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/?p=7961","title":{"rendered":"Art therapy helps Veterans process complex emotions"},"content":{"rendered":"

Originally published:<\/strong> 2025-01-10T15:30:00+00:00. Historical source article: benefits, rules, amounts and deadlines may have changed. Check the official source for current information.<\/p>\n

Detroit VA\u2019s art therapy program allows Veterans to express their emotions through the creation of art. Led by creative arts therapist Shelley Knoodle, Veterans meet in groups to explore their feelings and create a range of artworks. Veterans, who often do not consider themselves artists in the traditional sense, find joy and healing through the act of creation.<\/p>\n

The art therapy program partners with the Detroit Institute of Arts (DIA) for two four-week workshops throughout the year. During the workshops, participants gain inspiration from the DIA\u2019s art collection before spending time in the studio to create their own masterpieces.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was suggested to me to try art therapy by my counselor and social worker at the VA,\u201d said Darren Lapsley, Marine Corps Veteran. \u201cI went in, got into the program and loved it. It helped me process some complex emotions that I had been pushing down for a long time. I was able to overcome that through art therapy and learn how to process emotions through it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s amazing to have something displayed at DIA.\u201d<\/h2>\n

At the end of the year, the DIA displays participating Veterans\u2019 art through the Community Group Art Exhibition. It provides the opportunity for a variety of community service programs across Wayne, Oakland and Macomb counties to showcase the art they created during their workshops.<\/p>\n

Detroit VA<\/a> was one of the first participants in the program. This year, Veteran participants created prints and clay ceramic footprints depicting objects and places that bring them joy.<\/p>\n

Navy Veteran Lisa Corrigan\u2019s footprint included various scenes of her travels, showcasing a cruise ship, a cuckoo clock from Germany, buildings in Spain, the Rock of Gibraltar, Hidden Lake in Alaska and a Canadian mountain range where she has family.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt feels amazing to have something displayed at the DIA. Never in a million years would I have expected to have something there,\u201d said Navy Veteran Brigette Perry. \u201cArt has helped me be able to deal with my emotions. Sometimes you don\u2019t know how to express them or get them out but it just flows through the art.\u201d <\/p>\n

Additional information is available on the DIA website<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\n

Source: U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs<\/a>. Its Veterans is an independent publication and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the U.S. government.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Art therapy program partners with Detroit Institute of Arts, which displays participating Veterans\u2019 art.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":311,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7961","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-u-s-veterans-news"],"yoast_head":"\nArt therapy helps Veterans process complex emotions - Its Veterans<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Art therapy program partners with Detroit Institute of Arts, which displays participating Veterans\u2019 art.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/?p=7961\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Art therapy helps Veterans process complex emotions - 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