People We Serve • 181done, he suggested that she see a therapist. Because Sally was articulate and very high func-
tioning in both her academic work and her part-time job singing at a church, my first impres-
sion was that she was having an adjustment reaction to being so far away from home. After
several months of therapy, however, she was still quite depressed and behind in her studies.
She was so full of things that pressed to be conveyed, I simply let her words flow to relieve
the pressure. Being in my space, however, she was aware of the art materials and the table
with others’ sculptures on it and had commented on some of the pieces. One day I wondered
if she had ever tried painting or drawing, and Sally said that she had loved art when she was
little, but that she was sure she was “no good” at it now. Assured that the art was for therapy
and not for show, she was able to start experimenting at home, a suggestion I sometimes
made for those who were inhibited about creating in front of me. When she brought in her
first drawings and paintings (Figure 8.12), I was astonished (DVD 8.6).
Not only were they beautiful, they also revealed the extent of her well-masked pathology,
which included occasional paranoid delusions (A). Thanks to the clues in her artwork (B),
Sally was able to be placed on medication for her mood disorder before she had any psy-
chotic episodes. Thanks to her hard work in therapy, accelerated by what she learned from
her artwork, she was able to finish her degree program. Sally’s art became a welcome outlet
at times of stress. When she left for a job in another city, her parting gifts were framed paint-
ings and permission to tell her story.
Unresolved Grief Finally Faced: OLIVER (36)
Although Oliver lost his mother when he was only six, his aloof and grief-stricken father
was unaware of his son’s withdrawal. Because of this early loss, Oliver’s problems as an
adult brought him to a series of therapists, as he struggled to work through all of the
confused feelings within. Only then could he give up self-destructive behaviors, which
he had tried to use, in vain, to cope with his pain.
In his thirties, Oliver sought therapy for his pervasive depression and persistent problems
with women (DVD 8.7). After several months, he shared with me his adolescent sketch-
books, in which he had continued to grapple with his mother’s death. His drawing of a lonely
Figure 8.12 One of Sally’s powerful paintings.