Grant Proposal to Support a Pilot Art Therapy Project for a Short-Term Outpatient Chemical Dependency Group

Chemical dependency has become an overwhelming problem in San Mateo County as well as throughout the United States. Daily newspaper articles decry the horrors and havoc that it plays in people\u27s lives. Addicts and their families are often reduced to hollow shells. Relationships and employment are threatened, and children of the addicted can be psychologically and even physically crippled. According to the medical model, addiction is a disease which, although cannot be cured, can be arrested. An eight week Outpatient Art Therapy Pilot Program is proposed to explore visually aspects of life pertinent to recovering chemical dependents. With the consent of the participants, art works produced will be included in slide presentations and made available to interested community groups. The slide presentation will serve to promote an understanding of chemical dependency and the stages of recovery. An informational brochure will also be produced. The brochure will focus on the use of art therapy in treating people affected by chemical dependency