Teen Crisis Intervention Via Art
Teen crisis intervention is the most powerful when it induces in the troubled teen a vision for the future that they never before could imagine. When their talents and skills are tapped and they can feel the high of recognition for a job well done. Often addictive personalities trade one addiction for another. If it is a positive addiction,it is a powerful change. Such as this photography and essay course introduced into a teen rehab program in California. What better way to recover than by being “addicted” to the joys that you can produce from your heart and mind.
“Kim, a recovering drug addict, is one of 20 teenagers with photos on display at the Anne Arundel County Circuit Courthouse in Annapolis. The exhibit, “Insights: The Identity Project,” is composed entirely of work by children involved in the county’s Juvenile Treatment Court program.
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The project, a partnership between the county and VisionWorkshops, a nonprofit photography mentoring program, is a mandatory component of the drug court, now in its fourth year. County residents, ages 13 through 18 with substance abuse problems and legal woes, are lent cameras so they can take photos and keep journals about who they are and what makes them tick.”
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Often teen age drug abuse is the result of a sense of emptiness and futility. But for a teen to be able to examine their feelings and their world and interpret them according to their own light is a transformative experience. For a troubled teen to discover their creativity is a powerful gift.
Teen Crisis Intervention