Art as Healing: Using Creativity to Empower Recovery

Monmouth Arts
May 12
2 min read

By Sabrina Halk

For our latest ArtZine and as part of our Mental Health Awareness Month coverage, we’re spotlighting a New Jersey nonprofit using art as one of its many tools to serve individuals in the recovery community.

Collaborative Support Programs of New Jersey (CSPNJ) is a peer-led not-for-profit organization that provides community-based services that promote responsibility, recovery, and wellness through community wellness centers, supportive and respite housing, human rights advocacy, educational programs, and other wellness-focused innovations.

A statewide behavioral health agency, CSPNJ has a strong presence in Monmouth County, with wellness centers in Freehold and Neptune. The organization has grown from three drop-in centers to what is now a nationally recognized leader in the design and delivery of wellness and recovery-oriented services, offering opportunities for people to live, learn, and work in the community of their choice. The group’s motto is “Our greatest resource is the life experiences of persons working through their own recovery.”

Beverly Fernadez, CSPNJ’s Deputy Director of Central Region, is one of the forces behind the inclusion of art-related activities into the organization’s programming. “Incorporating art into our program offers members a creative outlet for self-expression, emotional healing, and community connection,” she says. “Artmaking gives a sense of empowerment and allows individuals to explore their stories in a supportive, non-judgmental space.”

Fernandez explains that art is a natural fit for the centers, which have the goal of creating a warm welcoming place where people can gain skills and motivation to set and achieve the personal wellness goals necessary for recovery.

Art activities, like the "Breaking Generational Curses" workshop held in March, provide members with a creative outlet to process feelings and achieve personal wellness goals. Jenn Wood, a resource specialist with CSPNJ led the workshop. Wood, who is currently pursuing her graduate degree in art therapy, included meditation, discussions and feedback into the workshop. One participant said, “I didn’t know how much I needed this until I started creating. It helped me put my feelings into something real.”

Fernandez is looking forward to more creative activities for members, who appreciate having a space for self-expression, emotional healing, and community connection. Other art events have included tie-dye workshops this spring and eco-art workshops in late April. Coming up are eco-art workshops on May 12th at 2pm at the CARE Center in Neptune and May 15th at 2pm at the Freehold Wellness Center.

For more information about these events or Collaborative Support Programs of New Jersey, please visit their website at www.cspnj.org or contact Beverly Fernandez at bfernandez@cspnj.org.