Connecting with patients who have been diagnosed with mental illness can be extremely challenging, especially in the early stages of treatment, when they may be the most nonverbal.
Susie Sherrill, Ph.D., LPC, combines her love of art and teaching with her experience as a professional licensed counselor to lead clients into recovery. Sherrill uses art when she provides therapy at Skyland Trail, a community-based residential and day treatment facility for adult patients with mental illness.
"I've done art all my life, and using it to help patients with mental illness is incredibly rewarding," she said.
Sherrill is quick to explain that she's not an art therapist. "I'm a therapist who uses art to reach my patients."
Sherrill, who began her career as an elementary school teacher, earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of North Carolina. She received her master's degree in counseling at West Georgia College, then enrolled in an interdisciplinary doctoral program at Emory University.
"The program at Emory allowed me to study a variety of subjects, from psychoanalysis to Jungian psychology and dreams," she said. "It's amazing how it all can come together to help patients."
Skyland Trail has three campuses: a long-term residential facility, a short-term residential facility and a health and education center for community-based therapy. Sherrill works part time at Skyland Trail, which is affiliated with the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Emory University for clinical services and research.
She has worked at Skyland Trail for eight years and was instrumental in developing the art therapy program. She spends most of her time in the facility's art studio, teaching group art classes, but, because she is a licensed counselor, she also works with support groups and co-dependency groups and leads cognitive therapy sessions.
"Our art is done in two forms, process art and product art," she said. "With process art, we have patients express themselves on paper, then [we] ask them to talk about what they've created. It gets their curiosity going in the direction the artwork sends them, and it allows them to open up about their feelings."
Sherrill said that artwork created in this type of therapy setting is not typically shared with others.
Art on display
However, the patients at Skyland Trail also create works for art shows and sales throughout metro Atlanta, including at the High Museum of Art and the Very Special Audiences Christmas sale in the Healey Building in downtown Atlanta.
Skyland Trail will host a public art exhibit, "Arts in the Garden," on May 11, from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., with works created by patients and people from other mental health facilities. The event will feature nearly 100 artists and will include music and art demonstrations.
"This is what we call product art, and it's extremely valuable to our clients, because it gives them the experience of successfully interacting with the world through various groups," Sherrill said. "They begin to feel more comfortable maneuvering in the community as they gain confidence in themselves and their abilities."
Sherrill said that she is careful to be objective and open about her patients' work.
"I tell the patients that I'm the nonjudgmental observer," she said. "Being a therapist who uses art or other creative media in the treatment process requires compassion, empathy, intuitiveness and good observation skills. You have to be able to multitask."
The average starting salary for therapists who use art in treating patients with mental illness is in the low to mid-$30,000s, although it can be much higher for those in private practices, hospitals or rehabilitation centers.
Her love of art and the ability to help patients return to a sense of normalcy are Sherrill's primary motivations.
"Getting to know each patient and being able to help them with their treatment and recovery is extremely fulfilling," she said.