A big part of our therapy is the balancing act of collaboration. “Directed Painting” is described in the curriculum as putting on a play. The MnemeTherapist is the director, the client is the actor. We are guiding them through the process, but they have artistic control. From picking out what painting they want to do, to color choices and choosing the title, our artist is calling the shots. At the end of the session, we want them to be able to say, “Look what I did.”

From Founder, Noell Hammer :

“This amazing painting is by my late friend and special client ,Flo. She still had a great sense of humor and always made me laugh through our sessions. She suffered with expressive aphasia, meaning difficulty finding and using words correctly. When she was naming her painting, I would give her choices of two words to help the process. We were trying to finish the sentence: Flowers for my _____, so I gave her a choice of table or elephant. She gave me one of her "looks," rolled her eyes  and said, "My elephants don't eat flowers."

From Noell Hammer

When I started this project, I just tried to reproduce the originals in my own style. I lost the integrity of the original, their strokes, exuberance, even the runs and smears. But by employing the process I use with my photography, I could combine my style, a hybrid abstract impressionism without changing their content to create a design that honors their achievement and personal struggle. Learn more about MnemeTherapy