Patients are at the center of all our work here at Oregon State Hospital and in this issue of Recovery Times, we are honored to share a submission from a patient who wrote to us about how art therapy has helped him in his recovery journey.

Over the past six years as superintendent of OSH, I’ve witnessed the dedication of our staff, how they celebrate patient success and how they work in partnership with patients to help them achieve their goals.

As I prepare to retire this month, I know that I am leaving behind an amazing group of people who truly believe in the mission, vision and values of OSH as they support and guide patients in their recovery.

OSH Chief Medical Officer Dr. Sara Walker has agreed to take on the role of interim superintendent and will provide stabilization and continuity in leadership and in the care of patients. I am confident that the next chapter in the OSH journey will be a good one.

Dolly Matteucci

Editor’s note: This special feature is thanks to Gavin, an OSH patient, who reached out to Recovery Times with a written submission about how art therapy and his art therapist have impacted his recovery journey. With his permission, we’re sharing Gavin’s submission and his interview with OSH art therapist, Matt Eveleigh, whom he credits with helping him create a symbol – a yellow triangle – that helps ground him in times that he needs it most. Art therapy is one of many therapeutic practices offered to OSH patients as part of their comprehensive treatment care plan. Recovery Times staff collaborated with Gavin and Matt to edit the content for brevity and clarity. Gavin is pictured below holding one of his triangle sculptures.                                                                                                   

I used to believe that everyone and everything was controlled by a secret technology. Both staff and patients were used by it in order to communicate with me, and I lived in fear for my life every day because of it.

I came to the hospital and met many people who became those who would lead me out of darkness. One man in particular has altered my course of destiny. He is an art therapist. He helped me recover by giving me hope. He helped me feel safe and I owe him a debt of gratitude for rescuing me from the boiling waters of schizophrenia.

In the beginning I thought the technology controlled the man. He just didn’t know it controlled him. That was something I secretly knew. Everything everyone said secretly to me was not real, but yet, it was what I perceived to be real, and all of it enforced the secret technologies’ will. Little did I know that there would be this man who I thought was controlled by a secret technology that would give me hope.

This man said to me, “draw a shape,” so I drew a triangle. He then said, “fill it in with color that represents safety.” So, I filled it in with yellow. He then put his hand on my shoulder and said, “you are already safe.” It didn’t matter if he was communicating this message because of the technology or from his own free will, I was safe, and the meaning of the yellow triangle began.

I found out later that this was a grounding technique. One where looking at a yellow triangle reminded me (while my illness was active) of those words he spoke in a moment where I was most vulnerable. Without his words, I would still be shaking in my bed in fear. Without him, I would not have had a triangle to remind me during one of my most recently triggered moments. Without him, I would be alone in the dark, afraid and delusional.

So does the treatment here at OSH work … I believe it does, but it is only because of the unique and individualized treatment I received. Not all residents have had the same positive experiences as myself. Honesty, I can only be used to highlight the good in OSH, the hope I feel, the safety of those who are mental health warriors, the kindness of those who work tirelessly for 40-60 hours a week, and the truth that all staff have the potential to be great. As someone I once knew said, “it doesn't matter what y'all are doin,' as long as you're all on the same page." This goes for both residents and staff.

Gavin: Why did you become an art therapist?  

Matt: I was at a crossroads and needed to decide what I was going to do with the rest of my life. Art therapy brought together threads that had been a part of my life. The answer was right in front of me. I wanted to do something useful and there was a local art therapy program where I lived in Portland.  

Gavin: How many art therapists are at the hospital?  

Matt: In Salem, there are five and two in Junction City. We are understaffed.

Gavin: How do you guide patients to a place I’ve gotten to?  

Matt: Well, it’s a relationship. I see it as two people working together. Obviously, the training is important, but it’s not a recipe book. The relationship is foundational. A lot depends on what the person wants and what they need because the two things may not be the same. You and I have been working together for a while – which allows us to explore different things.  

Gavin: I feel you’ve provided an atmosphere to explore – to find meaning in shapes and art on my own and guided me to cope with something that’s torture. It’s not easy to deal with what I have to deal with on a daily basis. You say patients get out of it what they put into it. It’s not just doing art. It’s about creating an atmosphere where people discover their mental illness on their own.  

Matt: That’s a big part of it.  Art is an expression of the mind that made it. The triangle came from within you. So did the color. They needed to be brought together, and that’s what the art did.  And you’re right- the atmosphere is important because someone has to feel safe enough and empowered enough in order to do that. Many folks here are having experiences which in our culture, are often seen as ‘symptoms of a mental illness.’ Looking at them this way can sometimes mask the fact that they might well contain significant meaning for the person having them. Art can be a way to express and explore that safely. Especially when it’s hard to express through words. 

Ask Jerilyn Klingenberg about her day, her work, her life and it will not take long for the conversation to center on one of the people she’s helped over the past 47 years as an art therapist. Each reply leads to a story of someone’s journey of self-discovery and healing.

As she plans to retire on March 29, she’s leaving filled with hope for the future of her patients, including one she’s worked with over the years.

“They’ve created these art books of interventions – guidebooks – about emotional regulation with these positive affirmations of words and pictures. It’s all about their recovery,” Jerilyn said. “I know they’re going to move forward and life is going to be good for them. There’s a lot of great facilitators here that helped make that happen. For me, it shows how art therapy works.”

For her, it’s the perfect retirement gift. It is what she and every member of a patient’s treatment team come to work every day to support – patients achieving their goals and preparing them to return to the community. 

As OSH’s deputy chief medical officer, Dr. Wilnise Jasmin uses her expertise in primary care medicine, population health, and hospital administration to help the hospital continue its mission and commitment to improving patient care and safety.

Her work is varied with a focus on the aspects of hospital processes and committees tasked with maintaining quality standards, making strategic decisions to enhance patient care whether it through   improving quality metrics or decisions for technology implementation or utilization review related to patients and the hospital’s electronic health record system. She also provides leadership to teams working to implement and track changes related to hospital accreditation and supervises the hospital’s laboratory and pharmacy services where work is currently underway to modernize the delivery of services of these departments.

While her primary role is administrative, she also connects with patients as a physician. On Fridays, she provides primary care services in the Medical Clinic and is participates in the on-call physician schedule.

“I’m really enjoying it and love the resources available. The nurses there are wonderful and very good at screening, so I have all the information I need to treat the patients,” she said.

Jasmin started at OSH in June 2023 and reflecting on her journey to OSH, she was drawn to the hospital’s unique interdisciplinary team model to provide comprehensive treatment to patients. A patient’s interdisciplinary team may include members from medical, psychology, psychiatry, nursing, social work, licensed recreation, creative arts and occupational therapists, other direct support workers and the patients themselves.

“That was something I didn’t see in Illinois where I was working before,” she said. “If you want the experience of working with an interdisciplinary team that includes patients as members of the team, you’ll have many different areas that will complement your work here. You’ll find support for the work you’re trying to do. Whether it’s psychiatry, primary care, social work, psychology, nursing, peer support– there’s room for you here.”

Jasmin comes to Salem from Chicago where she worked for the city’s public health department as the medical director of behavioral health services.

“Everyone has been so welcoming,” she said. “Not that I didn’t expect that; it was so nice to have that welcome. Everyone has tips on places to visit and getting to know the state. I’ve also enjoyed working with the patients here. They’re very appreciative of the care they receive here. There’s such a stigma against mental health and we’re working to connect with them on a human level. It’s gratifying to know that I can help them and make a difference.”

In the past nine months, Jasmin has noticed something else inspiring about the staff at OSH – “There are people here who spend the majority of their career here and you see them get promoted here. That shows me that there’s room for growth.”

OSH is the custodian of the cremains of 2,320 people who resided and died at Oregon institutions from 1914 to 1973. Through an online directory and efforts from volunteers like Phyllis Zegers, the cremated remains of more than 1,100 people have been reunited with their loved ones. Zegers’ volunteer work involves researching and writing biographies on findagrave.com and direct outreach to potential family members. Many times, these bios – like excerpts of the one below about Agnes A. Lane, reunited with family in 2020 – create a link to a family’s unknown past.

Agnes was active in the suffrage movement in Oregon and was a founding member of the Stenographers’ Suffrage Society and a member of the Oregon State Equal Suffrage Association. Oregon voters approved women’s right to vote in the state in 1912 and Agnes was one of 16 women present to witness then-Governor Oswald West sign a proclamation in recognition of the vote on Nov. 30, 1912.

She continued her advocacy for women to be involved in politics and was active in organizations that are similar to today’s League of Women Voters.

In 1923, Agnes was diagnosed with a condition that today is known as schizophrenia and she was admitted to OSH in 1928. She died 19 months later of heart problems at the age of 60.

Each September, the hospital holds a memorial ceremony to recognize those individuals who passed while at OSH, and to celebrate families that were reunited in the past year.

OSH invites anyone who thinks they may have a family member who passed away at OSH, Oregon State Tuberculosis Hospital, Mid-Columbia Hospital, Dammasch State Hospital, Oregon State Penitentiary or Fairview Training Center to check the online directory.

Families who identify relatives on this list and want to claim the cremains should complete and submit the “Request for Cremated Remains” form. Questions regarding the cremains can be directed to the OSH Health Information Department at 503-945-2976 or at osh.cremains@odhsoha.oregon.gov.