I chose to engage in sewing/embroidery, something I had no prior experience with or exposure to before entering this program. I was apprehensive of the delicacy, precision, and slowing down of movements to sew each stitch but knew how beneficial it could be. It has been a particularly difficult time for me medically, as I had gone to the ER and felt really depressed about how my problems had progressed rapidly within the year. More so, it brought back the recollection of sixteen years of doctors/hospital visits with countless “professionals” not believing or invalidating my pain and knowledge of my body. Hence, my super novice looking but sincere embroidery work that helped me release my frustration, sadness and convey my narrative that I feel is not taken seriously. With said experience, though, I wondered how many times adolescents were not taken seriously for the emotions they spoke about or were labeled and stigmatized unfairly for it.
Thinking about this population with depression, I felt that sewing, embroidery, and story cloths would be a great way for adolescents to tell their stories, connect to peers, increase ego strength, build frustration tolerance through new skill-building or mastery, and express themselves through different materials besides the conventional markers and paper. I mostly had in mind adolescents of communities in which the arts weren’t as promoted or accessible. These weren’t things I was exposed to or offered in school or therapy when I was younger, so I believe exposure to many different art materials is great when I envision working with this population. After assessing and ensuring safety is the top priority and there is no one at risk of self-harm or harming others, I would encourage adolescents to write down a powerful statement they resonate with or message they would like others to grasp. It would be encouraged for them even to address the source of their pain, i.e., depression, person, situation, to externalize their emotions and have the embroidery piece as a source of containment. They would be able to create their own narrative within the ring, which will help “assist individuals in identifying and separating themselves from the problem, rename the issues, and externalize and re-author the story” (Homer, 2020, p.112). Embroidery serves as a great way to self-reflect and engages in many components of the ETC simultaneously. Overall, I believe adolescents could benefit from using this artistic approach in therapy to use their voice and make connections with one another and themselves in relation to depression.
References
Homer, S.E. (2020). Embroidering Pieces of Place. In L. Leone. Craft in art therapy: Diverse approaches to the transformative power of craft materials and methods. (pp. 99-115). New York, New York, Routledge.