Holistic therapies are common practices in many addiction and mental health facilities. Yoga therapy, art therapy, and music therapy are a few of the mainstream holistic services incorporated into clients’ treatment plans. These therapies are beneficial for personal growth, understanding of self, creative expression, and developing healthy coping mechanisms. However, these are not the only options. Pushing the boundaries of creativity and imagination to invite healing and growth, Destinations for Teens offers magic therapy as well.
Destinations for Teens is one of the only recovery facility offering magic therapy, extending its care from its base in California to the rest of the United States. It remains crucial to continually broaden therapeutic approaches, employing engaging and creative modalities, to guide adolescents back onto a positive trajectory. One of the crucial goals of the facility is to provide useful treatments, therapies, and other services that directly benefit clients and their needs. For teens, this often includes blending experiential activities and evidence-based treatments into their treatment plans.
What Is Magic Therapy?
Magic therapy at Destinations for Teens is a program hosted by a skilled magician who is also trained in therapy. Through a combination of captivating magic tricks and evidence-based therapeutic techniques, including dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), our magician helps clients overcome adversity and develop valuable life skills in a fun and engaging way. By integrating magic with therapeutic principles, our program offers a dynamic and effective approach to healing and personal growth.
It is an engaging practice that positively challenges clients to learn new skills, improve their confidence, and foster connections with others as a group coping mechanism. Through interactive sessions led by our skilled magician and therapist, participants not only enjoy the wonder of magic but also develop valuable coping strategies and a sense of camaraderie with their peers. This therapy is a kind of creative arts therapy, or holistic therapy that uses magic and illusion as tools for growth in mental health and addiction challenges. These tools are also used to creatively address mental health and addiction issues instead of putting young clients in a traditional therapy session that may be overwhelming or feel too professional.
Through mastering magic tricks, clients engage in a process akin to the skill-building aspect of DBT, fostering emotional regulation, mindfulness, interpersonal effectiveness, and distress tolerance in a dynamic and interactive environment. This unique approach not only offers a refreshing alternative to conventional therapy but also empowers clients to develop essential life skills in an engaging and supportive setting.
Magic therapy is often paired with other services offered at Destinations for Teens. These include individual and group talk therapy sessions, family counseling, and other holistic or non-traditional forms of therapy. Part of the teen treatment program at Destinations for Teens is to provide numerous modalities and services to foster growth and long-term recovery success while remaining client-oriented. Each client is encouraged to gravitate towards whichever holistic approach they find most fitting and beneficial for their individual journey. By offering a variety of therapeutic modalities, we ensure that every client receives personalized care tailored to their unique needs, preferences, and goals, thus providing a comprehensive circle of healing and a way for us to be very client-oriented. Each client can gravitate towards whichever holistic approach they see fit, and that helps them.
This therapy has also been used in hospital-based programs to support those coping with illness, hospitalization, or chronic pain. In these practices, children and teens are engaged in an interactive, close-up magic practice. Humor, socialization, self-esteem, choice, and control are all enhanced when magic therapy is used in these settings. Because magic therapy is an interactive experience, children and teens feel empowered by their progress and ability to perform regardless of whether they are in a hospital-based or recovery-based setting.
The Benefits of Magic Therapy
There are many benefits of magic therapy, especially among teens and adolescents who may feel like their growth is stagnant in their healing because of common clinical therapies. Because they are actively working towards developing a DBT skill in magic therapy, clients are putting their energy into a positive project. When finally completing a magic trick or making any progress in the process, their confidence and self-esteem boost. Struggling with mental health and addiction often dims one’s confidence, so having an outlet to rebuild and strengthen this helps alleviate clients of this hardship. Magic therapy helps minimize clients’ self-doubt as they make progress with magic and illusion to invite self-assurance.
Likewise, magic therapy fosters creativity beyond artistic expression. Clients must think outside of the box. This is a completely different kind of creative self-expression that removes the pressures of traditional talk therapies while still encouraging a deep exploration of one’s emotions and thoughts. From there, clients can practice problem-solving skills and communication skills. For those coping with social anxiety, these clients are put in front of their peers to showcase their magic performance in a judgment-free environment. Rather than just using magic therapy as a creative outlet like other holistic therapies, magic therapy puts these gained skills into practice.
One of the most remarkable outcomes of magic therapy is its ability to mend fractured family relationships. Adolescents often struggle to communicate with their families during treatment, leading to strained dynamics and unresolved conflicts. Magic therapy offers a unique avenue for family bonding, as siblings engage in learning and performing magic tricks together. Picture siblings practicing card tricks, mastering illusions, and marveling at each other’s newfound skills. Suddenly, they have something beyond their treatment experiences to share and cherish. Magic becomes a bridge that spans the gap between siblings, fostering connection, laughter, and shared moments of joy.
The Importance of Inciting Creativity in Recovering Teens
Generally speaking, regardless of age, creativity has been an outlet linked with positive mental health outcomes. Specifically in teens, creative exercises in healing and recovery help remove this preconceived notion that recovery is a medically and clinically exclusive process. Often, this notion can hinder progress in their journeys because they are not actively engaged with the services. Creative practices, such as magic therapy, though, invite active engagement and growth.
Teens may also struggle with verbal expression, especially when these challenging feelings and thoughts are new. Creative therapies give teens an outlet to express themselves truthfully and fully. This not only helps them understand what and how they feel but also helps their team construct treatment that is personalized to their needs. These practices may also be enjoyable for the client, making it a positive experience overall that invites joy and growth.
Call Destinations for Teens for Magic Therapy Today
Here at Destinations for Teens, we offer many holistic and creative services for our teen clientele. Among these is magic therapy, which is only offered at our recovery facility across the country. Magic therapy uses magic and illusion as tools for growth in healing and recovery. Often, teens feel stagnant when only using clinical services in their healing journey due to not feeling personally engaged with the practice. Here, though, clients learn how to perform their own magic tricks, giving them an outlet for creativity, focus, and empowerment. Through this process, guided by a skilled magician, teens engage in problem-solving, confidence-building, and communication improvement. To learn more about magic therapy and other teen programs, please call us at (866) 678-8123.