Alliance's Marta Hernandez and Sandra Brazzell featured in Memphis Magazine

Our Turning Point Peer Support Center Supervisor was recently featured in Memphis Magazine for her creative approach to mental health support.

Marta leads art therapy groups where clients discover that putting emotions into paintings, working with clay, and creating something beautiful can be transformative during difficult moments.

One of Marta's recent pottery class stories captures everything we love about her work: A client became frustrated when her clay piece turned out crooked. Marta encouraged her to break it down and build again.

The client was initially upset, but after rebuilding, she loved her final piece. As Marta shared with Memphis Magazine, "Sometimes in life, you have to build again."

Memphis Magazine also featured Sandra Brazzell, Alliance's Addiction Services Program Coordinator, who provided deeper context on why creative interventions work so effectively. 

"Art can be used as an intervention in the therapeutic setting, not only as a coping skill, but also as a way to communicate and to help a client process," Sandra explained in the article. 

She emphasized that for those who struggle to find words for their challenges, art provides a safer alternative—one that's neither right nor wrong, but simply is. 

Sandra highlighted the neurological benefits as well, noting that art improves neural plasticity, focus, attention span, and memory. When done in group settings like those at Turning Point, creative activities also strengthen social and communication skills. Her insights demonstrate how Alliance integrates evidence-based understanding with innovative practice across our addiction recovery and mental health programs.

Thank you to Chris McCoy and Memphis Magazine for highlighting the incredible work happening in our community.

Read the full article: https://memphismagazine.com/health/the-art-of-wellness/