A 17-year-old in a 30-day chemical dependency program shows inconsistencies between drawings and verbal associations. What action is recommended?

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Multiple Choice

A 17-year-old in a 30-day chemical dependency program shows inconsistencies between drawings and verbal associations. What action is recommended?

Discrepancies between what a teen says and what their artwork conveys signal a need to collaboratively explore the underlying meaning behind both forms of expression. In art therapy, images can hold feelings and experiences that words haven’t yet captured or are shielding. By inviting the client to describe the drawings and how they relate to their verbal statements, you create a safe space for the nonverbal material to be named, interpreted, and integrated. This process helps reveal ambivalence, defenses, or unresolved issues connected to their chemical use and recovery, which is especially important for adolescents who may withhold or mask difficult emotions. Exploring the images and verbalizations together promotes insight, strengthens therapeutic alliance, and reduces resistance by validating the client’s experience rather than challenging them directly. It’s more productive than ignoring the incongruence, stopping therapy, or attempting to confront the client in front of others, which can undermine trust and engagement. Always remain curious, nonjudgmental, and patient, and consider safety checks if imagery suggests risk, then coordinate with the treatment team as needed.

Discrepancies between what a teen says and what their artwork conveys signal a need to collaboratively explore the underlying meaning behind both forms of expression. In art therapy, images can hold feelings and experiences that words haven’t yet captured or are shielding. By inviting the client to describe the drawings and how they relate to their verbal statements, you create a safe space for the nonverbal material to be named, interpreted, and integrated. This process helps reveal ambivalence, defenses, or unresolved issues connected to their chemical use and recovery, which is especially important for adolescents who may withhold or mask difficult emotions.

Exploring the images and verbalizations together promotes insight, strengthens therapeutic alliance, and reduces resistance by validating the client’s experience rather than challenging them directly. It’s more productive than ignoring the incongruence, stopping therapy, or attempting to confront the client in front of others, which can undermine trust and engagement. Always remain curious, nonjudgmental, and patient, and consider safety checks if imagery suggests risk, then coordinate with the treatment team as needed.

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