At the core of Art and Therapy: The Story of an Artist Therapist and His Film of A Pioneers Group is a single adult group art therapy session lead by artist, Vera Zilzer, at a psychiatric outpatient hospital in NY showcasing what art therapy can do. Through these recorded sessions and patient interviews, we are able to witnesses the dynamic Zilzer, not just as she leads the art therapy group but also in the impact she and the art left on patients.
The goal of Zilzer’s work as the art therapist was to help her clients relate to the everyday world through art and help them relearn how to express their own feelings. Through the use of portraits in her sessions, she helped them accept themselves and increase their self-esteem. Other times, with the patient’s permission, she would draw directly onto their drawing as a means of recreating the complete images of their lost memories.
Filmmaker, psychotherapist and an artist Hughes (Majie) Lavergne shares his own reflections about Vera Zilzer’s unique approach as an art therapist and the role Zilzer’s art therapy group impacted patient’s healing process and their lives.
