How Can Art Therapy Benefit Someone Dealing with Loss and Grief? An Interview with Melissa J. Hedlund

Credit: Melissa J. Hedlund

Today SevenPonds speaks with Melissa J. Hedlund, MCAT, ATR-BC, LCPC, an artist, art therapist and social justice community organizer. Currently based in Aurora, Illinois, she is the executive director and co-founder of The Light of The Heart, a community art therapy project. She holds a BA in Psychology, BS in Biological Sciences with an Emphasis in Premed, MAs in Counseling Psychology and Art Therapy. She completed a three-year training psychology program specializing in relational trauma. She is currently in the middle of completing a somatic experiencing practitioner program, i.e. expressing arts through the body. The Light of The Heart has the rights to hold private screenings of the Oscar award-winning film, Inocente, in the community.

Zoë: What is The Light of the Heart and how did it get started?

Melissa: We are a 501(c)(3) not for profit community art project in Aurora, Illinois. It is my true soul’s calling, my passion, my baby. I spend every waking moment thinking about it. I am the executive director and co-founder. I believed the idea entered in my mind a while ago. I did not have the words and images for it until August 2010. In the summer of 2010, I was the art director at a camp for at-risk youth in East Aurora. The camp’s focus was on peace. Many children were from single parent households with parents working two or three jobs and the kids having so many responsibilities. Most of them were incredibly defeated, disconnected and would not make eye contact. My job was to make art with them. As we made art, the brick walls they constructed around their hearts slowly disintegrated and light shone through. Those children brought the words and images to me. The Light of The Heart provides art therapy and counseling. We give individual and group sessions as well as specialized workshops. We create community outreach projects, such as the Mural of Love. The Mural of Love asked the question, “What do you love?” The mural spans 96 square feet —the largest in Aurora. There is an interactive component with the mural to continue the conversation. We also do pop-up galleries, where we display art in the vacant windows in downtown Aurora. There are lots of vacant windows due to the current economic downturn.

Zoë: As an art therapist, what is your personal clinical approach?

Melissa: I pull from many theories—Buddhist, Positive, Jon Kabat-Zinn’s Mind-Stress Reduction, Somatic Bodywork and, of course, art therapy. I tell my clients the importance of being present in the moment and realizing that the feelings you have matter. I have them sit with themselves and be present in their bodies. A prevalent cause of disease is a disconnect in the body. A lot of my work is grounding. I explore what people need: words, images or whatever they may be. I help them learn how to love themselves.

Zoë: What inspired you to work in the field of art therapy?

Melissa: After starting out as premed undergrad, I then shifted because I was depressed and feeling sad. When it came to apply for the MCAT, I knew I needed to create art even though it had been years. I bought paper at a 99 cent store and started painting. I immediately felt better. I started doing more research about art therapy and read a book by Pat Allen called Art Is a Way of Knowing. This book validated my calling of art therapy. It was a pivotal moment in my life. I wanted to bring this gift to others.

Melissa J. Hedlund at screening of “Inocente” with the guest of honor, a homeless teen who spoke on her struggles and how she turns to creative expression to manage all that she goes through.
(credit: Melissa J. Hedlund)

Zoë: Your website mentions that “wherever there is darkness, there is light.” Can you expand on that in relation to loss and grief and its connection to art therapy? How is art therapy beneficial for people dealing with loss and grief?

Melissa: With the darkest of our darks, art is the brightest of brights. An example of this brightness is the stars that shine in the darkest sky. Loss and grief are incredibly painful and suffocating. I’ve worked with people who have suffered horrific losses. As a way of dealing with that depression, I have them come to the studio and create art. Art is a powerful connector that connects individuals to the light. One’s own shadow is biggest and darkest when the sun is the brightest outside. They go hand in hand with each other. That’s true with loss. When we lose something, we gain something. When there’s a death, there’s a new life.

Melissa J. Hedlund’s 3 Tips When Considering Art Therapy to Help with Loss and Grief

1. Try it.
2. Be open to benefit from the process.
3. Seeing your struggles in a visual, concrete form helps you truly heal and grow.

Zoë: Do you have any advice for readers who are considering an art therapy session to deal with loss and grief? What can they expect? Do the activities vary between different age groups?

Melissa: I wouldn’t say that they differ from age to age. It’s more that they vary from client to client and where they are in the moment during sessions. We use all types of media, such as clay, paints, and mixed media. It’s a gentle way to come back to yourself and the beauty in your life despite the darkness that has been cast over it.

Zoë: Thank you for speaking with us!

Melissa: Oh yeah, absolutely. Thank you so much!

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