Art at Remand Centre helps rebuild lives

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The women at the Northern Treatment and Remand Centre have big issues they can’t always explain, not even to themselves.

So they do artwork.

The institution, seeing the benefit to inmates of art linked with psychotherapy, has employed Maria Parella Illaria as its “art therapist” for the past 18 years.

Artwork, hands-on creating under the guidance of Parella Illaria, brings the women to focus, encourages them, indicates their present state of mind and gives them a means of showing how they feel and a way to communicate without talk.

“Clients are often working through issues that are too hard to verbalize,” said Parella Illaria.

“Using art therapy they are able to work through extremely hard feeling without having to put them into words…in a manner in which they can be objective about themselves.”

Workers at the centre found women far more damaged than men by the time they are incarcerated. Judges often try to keep mothers with their children for longer. Women traditionally have a harder time dealing with prison, often children separated from them being cared for by family members or in foster care.

The program at Northern Treatment focuses on helping build connections with lost family members, and estranged children.

The women at the centre “find the art therapy very engaging,” said Mark Sicoly, acting superintendent of treatment. “The program is very hands on and tactile.

“The offenders have had a lot of very hard cognitive work to do dealing with feelings and emotions and the art therapy … really rounds out their therapy experience.

“They embrace the program and ask for it. The program teaches them life skills of using arts and crafts to help find balance in their lives,” said Sicoly.

During a visit to A New Link, an early years harm reduction program for pregnant and parenting women who have substance use issues, a group from Breton House, an abstinence-based, home-setting recovery house, shared their experience with art therapy.

The women create functional items that express their progress toward recovery.

Erin, a member of the group, had decorated a small box that will contain her sobriety tokens.

Sherri said, “I have learned to express my feelings through art. Before this program I never considered myself a creative person.”

The program is “soothing and relaxing,” said Jocelyn.

“It makes me happy,” said Sherry and Tracey said, “We all need some happy.”

Denise Talentino, addictions counselor at Breton House said, his clients arrive with myriad concerns and issues. Art therapy isn’t about “what they create. It’s about getting their minds off of other things, lets them focus on what’s in front of them and gives them a break.”

Women in art therapy can gain a sense of accomplishment, find their strengths and learn how better to cope, said Parella Illaria.

“It works because it occupies the part of the brain that is in the here and now. Art itself requires problem solving; you have to be present and work through frustrations.

“One can hide very easily behind words; it’s harder to do that when engaged creatively. In art you can express things that you don’t have words for and art therapy can help a client access that bank,” said Parella Illaria.

Maria Parella Ilaria, local Art Therapist has her Masters In Art Therapy from Concordia University in Montreal, one of the only Canadian schools that is approved by both the Canadian and American Art Therapy Associations.

Just because it’s an artistic expressive medium doesn’t mean that it’s therapeutic, especially if the person that is running the session isn’t trained, said Parella Illaria.

For the protection of the public it’s important to have a practitioner who is experienced and educated in both the creative process and psychotherapy.

You can like art , but you can’t necessarily facilitate art therapy because you like art, she said.