I-DEAL Project 2004: Art Therapy with Diabetes Patient

I-DEAL Project 2004 was educational project fund by Aventis Pharm. My initial plan of the project was to enroll 20-24 of my diabetes patients who had experienced various degrees of anxiety, stress or depression in their lives on a regular basis. My goal is to find out how effective art therapy and the use of social support systems can help diabetes patient change behaviors to help them better understand the emotional needs of their illness. I have found over the years that my diabetes patient and other patients with chronic diseases have high levels of self imposed stressors or have multiple episodes of depression.

Plan of the (I-DEAL Project 2004) was to use our group art therapy project in a six month long course for a group of diabetes patients who were willing to try new approaches to gain a better understanding of their behaviors and to assist them in adapting new coping skills for daily living. Our goals were to improve their self management/education skills for their individual needs; assist them in developing life long coping skills; provide up to date diet, exercise and weight management education; provide them with educational information that can be gained by proper use of daily glucose monitoring; and allow them to complete self assessment of their disease by using group and individual art therapy exercises. Their will be also be completing a series of self assessments for improving their individual mental outlook and psychosocial approaches to having to live with a chronic disease on a daily basis.