Art therapy with Singapore Cancer Society

Visitors at Singapore Cancer Society’s Adopt Songsong workshop at Affordable Art Fair Singapore 2019

The term ‘art therapy’ may raise eyebrows for some. Being a new treatment explored by patients dealing with mental and physical health issues, art therapy can be foreign territory, even for long-time art enthusiasts. While some therapies focus on domesticated tasks, such as gardening; art therapy programmes expanded to include hobbies like drawing or painting, where individuals are encouraged to use the expressive capacity of making art to communicate their thoughts and emotions.

Nowadays, art therapy is a relatively well-known, tried and tested therapeutic tool used within mental health care, prisons, schools and other medical environments. In this blog, we speak to Kyl, an art psychotherapist from Singapore Cancer Society (SCS) and some of her patients to get acquainted with what art therapy looks like in Singapore.

It is an honour to have SCS as our Official Charity in 2022: $2 from every Arty-Licious Evening ticket sold will be donated to support cancer patients and a portion of proceeds from the workshops will go to SCS’s cause too. Read on to learn more!

Hi Kyl, could you briefly introduce what Singapore Cancer Society is and what you do?

Kyl: Singapore Cancer Society is a charity founded in 1964. We are the largest non-profit organisation dedicated to supporting cancer patients and their caregivers in the community.

Our mission is to minimise cancer and maximise quality of life for those who are impacted by cancer. We try to achieve this by providing end-to-end services: starting with cancer prevention by encouraging early screening and detection as well as palliative care services for dignified end of life support. In addition, we also provide important services like counselling, cancer rehabilitation and welfare assistance.

Describe art therapy and the kind of programmes Singapore Cancer Society runs for its community

Kyl: Art therapy is a form of psychotherapy that uses art media as its primary mode of expression and communication within a therapeutic relationship facilitated by a registered art psychotherapist. Currently, we have various art therapy programmes specially curated to meet the needs of our cancer patients that include 1-1 sessions, group art therapy and community projects.

What are some of the ways you have seen art therapy benefit cancer patients, survivors and even people with loved ones who are battling cancer?

Kyl: Art therapy invites a host of health and cathartic benefits.

1) It enhances self-esteem, greater life appreciation and acceptance

2) The therapeutic relationship allows individuals to develop trusting emotional bonds

3) The relationship between patient, artwork and therapist supports meaningful self-expression which helps to open dialogues, tap into the deep and vulnerable parts that require healing and strengthen psychological functioning.

For older patients, art-making provides them with a sense of control in terms of selection of art materials, narrative construction and building legacy. Here are some quotes we collected from our patients about how art therapy has been for them:

“We are able to breakthrough our old selves with help and care from Kyl; to live a better life with purpose and to bless others.“

Sia Li Chan, 72

“I like this art therapy so much. There is music during the drawing sessions. Can make friends.“

Chan Han Ping, 48

“I enjoyed the me time spent on art and the opportunity to reflect on my life. Excellent programme. Keep going!“

Chua Mee Li, 61

“We’ve got a good and professional therapist, Kyl, who executed the programme well. Empathetic and respected our views giving us enough room to express our deepest thoughts freely. We bonded over the sessions.“

Sofia Lim, 46

“It helps me to destress by expressing freely through artwork. It also helps to organise all my thoughts. Very therapeutic, peaceful and stabilise my emotions.“

Sarah Lee, 45

“Art can be one of the ways to let go of stress and express your inner self. I have practiced some forms of art and I enjoy them. I also enjoy meditation at the beginning and interaction during the sharing.“

Wong Li Ping, 59

“I have learned 1. how artistic expression and reflective sharing can help give clarity and a sense of peace. 2. Setting an intention helps with focus and keeping things in perspective.  3. That there’s really so much to discover in all our emotions, thoughts, ideas – whether beautiful, sad, joyful, or disquieting. Loved the programme, and looked forward to the sessions.“

Diana Jiriya, 33

“By sharing experiences and thoughts from other participants and the lessons, it broadened my views and thoughts. Is a good programme that I would encourage my friends to participate in.“

Chen Wei Siong, 70

“Self-reflection or looking inwards can be very helpful for healing, but it’s hard to find the time and space to do so in our everyday lives. The program provides one with the avenue to do so and with help from the therapist. The program was well-paced. Kyl held the space well given it was a group of complete strangers coming together to share something quite personal.“

Alexis Teo, 42

Do you have any advice for someone new to the process of art and recovery?

Kyl: Before art-making, I always tell my patients that aesthetics are secondary, self-expression is primary. For a long time, we learned in schools to prize aesthetics over expression. In art therapy, self-expression comes first.

One of the aims in art therapy is how we use art to express and communicate our inner realities, using art to represent the inward significances and find meaning in them.

If you notice a critical voice that tells you, “Ah I can’t draw,” “I am not good at art,” or “I don’t know how to draw,” just acknowledge what it has to say but don’t listen to it and continue with the art endeavour.

In art, it is all about following your intuition. Suspend that judgment, connect with your emotions, pay close attention to whatever arises from your senses – and begin.

If you have difficulty starting, find a piece of music or an artwork that speaks to you or resonates with your mood. Without overthinking, you can randomly write down the words that come to your mind. That is free association and one way of reconnecting with your emotional self/ inner child. The other one is scribble drawing and working on it until the image starts to make sense to you. In order to make sense of it, you need to connect with your emotions and allow the projections to happen. This is another way of tapping into our preconscious.

Tell us about one memorable experience from your past art therapy workshops or artist collaborations

Kyl: I vividly remember this occasion where I was conducting my first group art therapy session as an intern at SCS. It was with a group of six women and four of them broke down when they sat together in a circle with their artwork in their hands. In that instant, I was taken aback and felt really anxious. But it was also then that I realised how powerful group art therapy is—coming together with similar experiences and making art together in a safe and non-judgmental space. It creates a positive psychosocial support system that helps our patients to feel less alone.

Group art therapy gives us a chance to observe how other members of the group cope with a problem. Exposure to new behaviours and thoughts can help to correct an emotional experience and shift perspectives. Each person in the group can serve as a role model as they progress. Hence, their participation matters; they matter.

We are so grateful for Kyl and her patients for giving us such a comprehensive overview on art therapy. Come embrace the cathartic benefits of art therapy for yourself with Singapore Cancer Society at Affordable Art Fair Singapore (18 – 20 November 2022, F1 Pit Building). There’s just a few weeks to go so be sure to purchase your tickets!