Name: Hennessy De Jesus

Activity: Color the Feels

Sources:

Devine, M. A. (Ed.). (2016). Expressive Arts as Therapeutic Media. In 1244156178 922504738

J. Dattilo & 1244156179 922504738 A. McKenney (Authors), Facilitation techniques in
therapeutic recreation (pp. 233-236). State College, PA: Venture Publishing.

Hutchinson, S. L. (Ed.). (2016). Leisure-Based Stress Coping. In 1244143585 922496968 H. R.

Porter (Author), Recreational therapy basics, techniques, and interventions (pp. 333-336).
Enumclaw, WA: Idyll Arbor.

Vliet, N. M., & Bogenschutz, A. P. (Eds.). (2015). Spinal Cord Injuries. In 1244150844
922501335 H. R. Porter (Author), Recreational therapy for specific diagnoses and
conditions (pp. 370-372). Enumclaw, WA: Idyll Arbor.

Equipment:
• Canvas
• Paint brushes
• Acrylic paint
• Paint palette
• Paper towels
• Cup of water
Activity Description: The purpose of this activity is to relive stress through expressing emotions
in art. This activity would be beneficial for participants with C5 Spinal Cord Injuries as it is
considered visual arts as therapeutic media. This could be used to stimulate improvement in not
only physical, social as well as cognitive domains.

1. Gather a group of no more than 5 participants.

2. Choose a location that is well lit with natural lighting. This activity could also be
performed in an outdoor setting.
 3. Set up a table covered with an artist tablecloth.
4. Give each participant a palette with paint, a cup with water, a paper towel and paint
brushes.
5. Pass out a blank canvas to each participant
6. Ask the participants to share their current stress levels on a scale from 1-10. (1 being
none – 10 being extreme)
7. Prompt the participants to display these feelings onto the canvas.
8. Allow time for everyone to complete their paintings, ask questions throughout to
promote social interaction.
9. In the debriefing, RT will ask questions about what each of the paintings mean to the
participants and allow room for discussion.
10. To wrap up, RT will then ask participants to rate their current stress levels again and
allow them to reflect on what they’ve benefited from participating in the activity.

Primary social interaction pattern(s): The primary social interaction pattern for this activity is
extraindividual. The action of painting is being directed towards the canvas, in this case requiring
no contact with another person. This activity is promoting self-expression while stimulating
cognitive processes and strengthening basic motor skills. Similarly, this activity can also be used
as a leisure coping strategy.

Adaptation: A Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) occurs when the spinal cord is damaged due to trauma
or illness. Spinal cord injuries are divided into two categories, paraplegia and quadriplegia.
Paraplegia is an injury from C1-C8 which is in the cervical portion of the spinal cord, otherwise
known as the neck area. An individual with a C5 spinal cord injury has a fair amount of upper
extremity control. Consequently, it would be appropriate to work on strengthening motor skills.
An adaptation that could be made to this activity is the use of a tennis ball that is placed above
the paint brush. This will aid the participant in gross motor skills because they will allow for a
comfortable grip while performing motions in painting.