Exploring Art Therapy: An Interview with Dr. Day Butcher
This summer Poiema Visual Arts will be holding its very first biennial arts conference, “Finding Our Place: The Artist, the Church & Placemaking,” in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. As we prepare for this exciting event, we want to introduce you to some of the unique individuals who will be presenting this year. Our speakers bring together a rich mix of experiences that we feel sure will encourage and challenge all who attend.
Today, we are privileged to share with you a brief interview we recently conducted with Dr. Day Butcher. In addition to being on staff at Lancaster Bible College, Dr. Butcher is a licensed, practicing Art Therapist. We invite you to sit back and read along as we learn more about her journey and passion for helping others to heal through creativity.
Q. Poiema Visual Arts (PVA): Could you spend a few moments sharing with us about your personal “artist story”? What are some of your earliest memories of interacting with art and creativity?
A. Dr. Butcher: It is amazing when you get to look back at the path God has led you to pursue. In hindsight, you get to see clearly the connections even though in the moment the journey seemed curved, rocky, or perplexing. I have never considered myself a true ‘artist’ but have always loved the process of creating. I can remember dabbling in the arts in various ways during my early life. Childhood efforts consisted of fashioning dough food for my dolls, drawings from how-to-books, and in 7th grade taking my first dedicated art class. However, I never fully pursued or developed that skill early in life. I put it aside until my senior year of high school and later, as God would direct me, I re-entered the field majoring in art education in college. During college I honed some of my skills and discovered my passion and artistic abilities for throwing pottery and photography. I especially enjoyed the process of creating interesting pieces from lumps of clay. During this time, I started to understand and make a connection to a verse I had heard many times - “Yet you, Lord, are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand” (Isaiah 64:8).
Q. PVA: Did you grow up in a Christian home? How did your perception of God and Christianity impact your desire to make art?
A. Dr. Butcher: I grew up in a Christian home and attended church, but I never connected my skill with my faith. Only as an adult did I realize that God has gifted me with my artistic skill and moreover, how to use those skills not for myself but to connect with others in need. After graduating from college, my plan to become an art teacher seemed clear but God had a different path for my life. I had the opportunity to work with students affected by disabilities and discovered the wonder of how art can become a way to connect and communicate with others. The Lord showed me that my gifts and talents were to be used in a different manner. He revealed another gift He had instilled in me – counseling – leading me to become an art therapist.
Q. PVA: What initially encouraged you to pursue a career in art therapy?
A. Dr. Butcher: As I alluded to earlier, my path veered while substituting in several school districts in Rochester, NY. These experiences – one good and one appalling – are forever etched into my memory as turning points in my journey. The first, a good experience, was the joy and enormous smile I saw on the face of a non-verbal teenager as we interacted over a picture of a bear roaring at the viewer. This interaction showed me art was not only about mastery or teaching one to develop a skill, rather it was a way to connect with someone on a level we could both understand. I did not teach him anything that day – but he taught me a great deal about the power of art.
The second incident still leaves a sour taste in my mouth. While shadowing an art teacher, I watched in disbelief as the students with disabilities were pushed to the side as their aids completed the art project. Yes, they interacted at a minimal level, however, nothing compared to what I knew could occur from my own previous experience. This was a missed opportunity for the students to connect with a creative process. Instead, they had to look on as the artwork was completed for them. God used these experiences to stir in me the desire to use art therapy to help individuals with disabilities.
Q. PVA: There is a difference in definition between therapeutic art, art therapy, and creative arts therapy. Could you briefly tell our readers what these terms mean and which of them applies to what you do within your practice?
A. Dr. Butcher: Correct. In brief terms: therapeutic art describes how art can be used as a healing process to de-stress, for recreation, or even self-care. As an artist, getting lost in a piece of work can be healing in and of itself. Art therapy is a mental health profession that is facilitated by a trained and certified art therapist. Art therapy has distinct treatment goals based in the psychological theory and process. It intentionally uses the creative process to meet one's needs. Creative arts therapy or expressive therapies are umbrella terms for art therapy, music therapy, drama therapy, narrative therapy, and dance therapy.
One distinction that is made in art therapy (and the other creative arts therapies) is the counseling space. Art therapy is not just for artists or about one’s artistic skills. It is about the process and product of creating art. As an art therapist, I choose specific materials and ‘projects’ to work on with my clients in order to facilitate the healing process. This is unique to each of the individuals I work with. We use several mediums and/or modes; such as drawing, painting, 3-D construction, play doh, and even paper airplanes.
Each state has different requirements for art therapists to practice. To practice in PA, I only need to be certified by my national board as an art therapist. Therefore, I am a registered board-certified art therapist (ATR-BC). However, because I am foundationally using my training as a counselor, I am also recognized as a licensed professional counselor (LPC). Additionally, because I practiced in the state of New York, I have been able to maintain my licensure there as a creative arts therapist (LCAT).
Q. PVA: How do you perceive the Lord at work in your daily journey?
A. Dr. Butcher: I continue to see the power of the process, which renews my confidence that this is my gift from God. I really do believe it is a gift from God. That is not to say that I don’t doubt my abilities sometimes. But in those moments, He gives me encouragement and reminds me of His calling on my life. These moments come in the form of a child letting me enter their world, the calming process of drawing, the building of social connections and friendships along the journey, the expression and movement beyond the deep despair of hate and depression, and the learning of new skills.
Q. PVA: Professionally speaking, you wear two different hats. You serve as a counseling professor and an art therapy practitioner. Why do you feel that it is important to split your time between these two roles?
A. Dr. Butcher: As I mentioned, my path has been curvy and perplexing at times. About 11 or so years ago, God directed me back to my original path of teaching but in a different manner – He directed me to obtain my doctorate and teach at a collegiate level. I believe we can be called or gifted in many areas; mine is both as a practitioner and a professor. It is a privilege to train up good counselors at Lancaster Bible College | Capital Seminary & Graduate School. Moreover, it is my joy to walk alongside my students as they discern what it means to be a Christian counselor and how this fits within a Biblical worldview. We wrestle with how to integrate our faith into this profession and walk with hurting people that do not have the hope of Christ.
I need to continue my practical knowledge and skills within the field to teach students effectively. Plus, I must admit, I enjoy working in both worlds. It is exciting to be able to use the gifts God has given me to serve LBC | Capital as well as supporting children and families in my community as a professional counselor.
Q. PVA: There may be those reading who are also interested in becoming an art therapist. What educational requirements/process should they expect in becoming licensed?
A. Dr. Butcher: To become an art therapist, one must get a master’s degree from an approved institution and take the national exam for certification.
Q. PVA: What will you be sharing with us during your breakout session at Poiema Visual Arts’ 2023 conference? Is there a message you hope those attending walk away understanding better?
A. Dr. Butcher: I will be briefly explaining what art therapy is and then inviting attendees to experience an art therapy intervention for themselves. This presentation is open to all conference attendees. My desire is to show the benefits of using art therapy as a tool for promoting creativity and staying curious in the artmaking process. I hope to instill in those attending my session that the process is just as important, if not moreso, than the product.
Q. PVA: What excites you most about participating in our conference this summer?
A. Dr. Butcher: I always enjoy gathering with people and talking ‘shop.’ The exchange of ideas, hearing people’s stories, and seeing other’s gifts is uplifting. I am fairly new to Lancaster, so I am looking forward to meeting other creative souls using God’s gifts in south-central Pennsylvania.
