art therapy

ART THERAPY

Art therapy, sometimes called creative arts therapy or expressive arts therapy, encourages people to express and understand emotions through artistic expression and through the creative process

International Art Therapy Organization (IATO)

Art has the potential to change lives and often in profound ways. When words are not enough, we turn to images and symbols to tell our stories. And in telling our stories through art, we can find a path to health and wellness, emotional reparation, recovery, and ultimately, transformation.

Art Therapy Alliance

• Art therapy is the deliberate use of art-making to address psychological and emotional needs. Art therapy uses art media and the creative process to help in areas such as, but not limited to: fostering self-expression, create coping skills, manage stress, and strengthen sense of self. Art therapy has provided mental health treatment for clients who have experienced trauma, grief & loss, depression, chronic illness, substance abuse, and more.

• Art therapy emerged as a distinct profession in the 1940s when hospitals and rehabilitation facilities increasingly began to include art therapy programs along with traditional "talk therapies," underscoring the recognition that art making enhanced recovery, health, and wellness. Since that time, the profession of art therapy has grown into an effective and important method of treatment and assessment with children, adults, families, and groups in a variety of settings.

History of Art Therapy

Currently, the field of art therapy has gained attention in healthcare facilities throughout the United States, Europe and within psychiatry, medicine, psychology, counseling, education, and the arts.

In the late nineteenth century, French psychiatrists Ambrose Tardieu and Paul-Max Simon both published studies on the similar characteristics of and symbolism in the artwork of the mentally ill. Tardieu and Simon viewed art therapy as an effective diagnostic tool to identify specific types of mental illness or traumatic events. Later, psychologists would use this diagnostic aspect to develop psychological drawing tests (the Draw-A-Man test, the Draw-A-Person Questionnaire [DAP.Q])

Rooted in Freud and Jung's theories of the subconscious and unconscious, art therapy is based on the assumption that visual symbols and images are the most accessible and natural form of communication to the human experience. Patients are encouraged to visualize, and then create, the thoughts and emotions that they cannot talk about. The resulting artwork is then reviewed and its meaning interpreted by the patient.

• The "analysis" of the artwork produced in art therapy typically allows patients to gain some level of insight into their feelings and lets them to work through these issues in a constructive manner. Art therapy is typically practiced with individual, group, or family psychotherapy (talk therapy).

Benefits Art Therapy

• Self-discovery.

• Personal fulfillment

• Relaxation

• Stress management

Preparations

• an introductory session

• appropriate materials and space are available

Materials• paper, • canvas, • poster board, • assorted paints, • inks, markers, • pencils, charcoals, • chalks, • fabrics, adhesives, clay, and natural items (like

shells, leaves, etc.).

"The group pictures begin with choosing a place to work, the shape and the medium. Each person is encouraged to voice preferences or even abhorrence. What is acceptable becomes apparent, not usually quickly. Once the paint has touched we are focused, we move around each other to reach the spaces we are drawn to... the marks we leave are a record of a curious intimate dance of strength, dominance, respect, mutual interest, distress and amusement."

• "In art therapy I have found a way to have a voice.The longer I get to know and work with group members, the safer I feel putting myself on the page.Occasionally I even put myself at the centre, finding a way to work co-operatively within the group."

"Working on group painting was different depending on my mood on the day. An interesting experience and mostly enjoyable in a way. I felt I had to hold back somewhat because I didn't want to "step on anyone's toes" but part of me felt like I needed to leave my mark in a positive way. Preconceived ideas of things hindered me in expressing myself freely."

PROFESSIONAL BODY

• International Art Therapy Organization (IATO)

• Art Therapy Alliance

• American Art Therapy Credentials Board (ATCB)

• British Association of Art Therapist (BAAT)

• Australian and New Zealand Art Therapy Association (ANZATA)

PLEASE MAKE USE YOUR KNOWLEGDE ON PSYCHOLOGY AND ART/DESIGN TO INTERPRATE THESE OUTCOMES…..

"A true work of design must be able to move people, to convey feelings, to trigger memories, to surprise, to go against the grain... We work on expressive languages and on the expressive potential of the items... From this point of view, design intended... to conjure up images in people's minds, which makes them a bit happier, still has tremendous potential."-

Alberto Alessi via Alessi