The Willowbank Creative Center is an organization in Blacksburg dedicated to “address issues of body, mind, and spirit in experiential, creative, and practical ways.” Run by two licensed therapists, Carole McNamee and Paula Markham, the center offers counseling services, Qigong, and creativity workshops. McNamee was willing to share more about the center and its use of the arts in therapy.

NRVoice: How did you personally become drawn to the therapeutic uses of the creative arts?
McNamee: My interest in the arts dates back to my childhood when I studied both art and dance. My interest in the therapeutic uses of the creative arts stems from a major midlife transformation (from professor of computer science to marriage and family therapist with a specialty in the use of the expressive arts) that was aided and abetted by my return to both art and dance. I have an exhibit opening in the Wallace Hall Gallery [at Virginia Tech] this month that chronicles my use of the visual arts as part of this life transition.

NRVoice: Does anyone “fail” at being creative? How do you measure the effectiveness of this therapy?
McNamee: I do not believe that one can “fail” at being creative. Whatever is expressed is precisely what needs to be expressed. Art products are not to be judged but to be explored. The results of art therapy can be measured in the same way that any other therapy is measured—by comparing pre- and post-therapy behaviors and/or levels of symptom distress.

NRVoice: Are people resistant to the idea of healing through creativity, or do your clients are naturally drawn to it?
McNamee: I get both responses and everything in between. Some people are excited by the opportunity to use art, others would prefer not to engage in art activities.

NRVoice: Tell us more about your involvement in the Arts in Healthcare Project and in particular about your research with cancer patients.
McNamee: I started the Arts in Healthcare project in 2005 as an outreach effort of The Family Therapy Center of Virginia Tech. Its mission is to promote the healing influences of the creative arts with individuals challenged by chronic medical conditions and their families.

In spring 2006, the Arts in Healthcare Project sponsored a research study exploring the effects of creative arts experiences on levels of distress in cancer patients. Seven women participated in the study, meeting as a group for two hours each week for eight weeks and engaged in a variety of expressive arts experiences, including mandala drawings, collage, mask making, painting, soapstone carving, and collaborative art. Participant responses to the creative arts and the group experiences were overwhelmingly positive.

At the close of the project, participants provided feedback on their experiences indicating that they felt an increased ability to express themselves, an increased understanding and acceptance of their response to their illness, a feeling of not being alone, and a recognition of art as healing. All seven participants expressed a desire to share their work and associated narratives in an exhibit. The participants felt a desire to educate the public about the experience of being a cancer patient. The exhibit has appeared in four venues over the past year including The Armory Gallery [in Blacksburg], the Wallace Hall Gallery, The Bower Center in Bedford, Va., and Glade Church in Blacksburg.

NRVoice: Would you consider your classes to be holistic or favoring either mental or physical well-being?
McNamee: I consider all of the activities at Willowbank to be holistic and focused on an integration of the mind and body.

NRVoice: How do you find your methods are received by the local medical community?
McNamee: Inquiries from physicians have been thoughtful and reflect an openness to alternative influences. Referrals for the cancer group as well as other Willowbank activities have come from several local physicians.

NRVoice: What misconception about your services or these practices would you most like to clear up?
McNamee: There are actually two misconceptions I would like to clear up.The first is that art is just for children and those who are verbally challenged. Art provides avenues of expression for all ages. The second is that the therapist will “analyze” the artwork. It is my belief that the owner of artwork is the owner of the meaning. If I engage in an interpretation of a piece of art, that interpretation tells me something about myself and not necessarily anything at all about the creator of the work.