Throughout the fall semester, I have been exposed to a multitude of therapeutic modalities and felt overwhelmed with the idea of choosing one of these approaches to utilize during encounters with future clients. Also, I harbored anxiety over envisioning myself as an art therapist and picking a specific population to work with. However, I feel that I have come along way since my first class at Adler and feel more confident about my decision to enter the field of art therapy. Although I expect my approach to art therapy to grow and develop though out my career as a student and practioner, I have started to define certain aspects that I hope to implement once I start providing therapy in the outside world. While writing a paper on existential and behavioral therapy, I found myself agreeing with concepts represented in both methods. Existential therapy is appealing because of its focus on encouraging the client to take responsibility for their actions. Viktor Frankl, a psychologist who made a considerable contribution to existential therapy, once said, “Freedom is only part of the story and half the truth … That is why I recommend that the Statute of Liberty on the East Coast be supplanted by a Statute of Responsibility on the West Coast.” I think that it is dangerous to consider yourself a “victim” and that you aren’t accountable for your actions. I agree with the importance of understanding environmental factors and how it affects how a person processes information. Viktor
However, contemporary existential theorists and practitioners believe it is changing or has changed, with a broader focus on in-depth inquiry with implications for social change (Schneider, 2011). Another core weakness of existential therapy is its focus on self-determination, which may not fully consider the complex issues relating to oppression of the individual. Additionally, many clients may expect a more problem-centered approach to counseling offering a more structured approach than existential therapy typically
harnessed by the art therapist to allow the client a creative outlet to express intense and changing
I was so impressed that well performed art therapist with good counseling skills during the processing of art therapy, the people improved their emotional, behaviors and self-esteem after taking art therapy. I found that my creativity and skills could be used in a more rewarding way to contribute to the community. These experience inspired my decision to pursue my further study in Counseling, and hopefully to become a professional counselor one day in the future.
Therapy in the form of making art is a beautiful combination, and that everyone from the mentally ill to the “normal” minded human could and can benefit from. Determining a specific situation or condition that can be assisted with Art Therapy is difficult, due to the fact that this healing tactic can reduce mental disorders in all. Dynamically Oriented Art Therapy applies emphasis on the unconscious mind for the source for spontaneous image; whereas, Art as Therapy relies on the soul healing power of the creative process of generating art. All the different approaches to Art Therapy all hold one key factor in common . . . the therapist themselves. The therapist creates the atmosphere, and forms a bond with trust and understanding. Art
Existentialist ideas are brought into the therapeutic process as hermeneutics; the methods of interpretation of personal meanings which enable the therapist to better understand the client’s issues in living.R By working through a multiple of universal aspects of what it is to be human a client is helped to seek new ways of living.
An art therapist’s goal is not to get their clients to create great works of art as much as it
As the name suggests, existential therapy is derived from existential philosophy developed in the late 19th Century and focusing on fundamental questions
Future research should examine the use of art therapy with specific diagnostic populations in an effort to more target groups who benefit most from this form of intervention. One of the personal advantages taken from the process of completing this assignment has been the opportunity to reflect on my approach to working with adolescent clients. For instance, it has become easier to express what has been learned through experience about the needs of the adolescent client especially with my internship this spring semester.
Expressive arts therapy is the use of art modalities, creative process, and aesthetic experience in a therapeutic context. It is a therapy of the imagination (McNiff, 1992). Effective communication is an essential element in therapeutic relationships and, although verbal language is the most conventional means of conveying information, other forms can convey just as much as words. The arts are an alternative form of communication that has recently received recognition for their value in therapeutic settings. There is a long well-established connection between the arts and psychology. Expressive arts therapy builds on a natural, complimentary relationship between the two disciplines. As a formal therapy, this form is relatively new with its
In art therapy, the art product is observed as the artist’s personal projection of feelings, concerns, and thought processes. Art-making can be an effective method to promote growth and maturation for adolescents, who can make use of the metaphor and symbol to communicate emotions and developmental issues they are facing (Miller, 2012). Art therapy is a fine therapeutic tool that enhances the communication of adolescents, who often feel more
Western traditions narrowly define art as a market-oriented specialized discipline (Levine & Levine, 2004). When art is used therapeutically, content and meaning take priority over mechanics and technicalities.
In the contemporary, there are numerous approaches to the counselling and therapy. One of the currently popular ones are the existential and the cognitive-behavioural therapies. This essay will compare and contrast the existential and cognitive-behavioural approaches to understanding and working with fear and sadness. Firstly, their history. Secondly, their perceptions on the fear and sadness. Thirdly, their approach to the diagnosis. Then, the therapeutic relation in them. And finally, the processes of therapy of fear and sadness. Throughout the comparison, I will indicate which of the approaches I am more drawn to and why.
Art therapy is a mental health profession in which clients, facilitated by the art therapist, use art media, the creative process, and the resulting artwork to explore their feelings, reconcile emotional conflicts, foster self-awareness, manage behavior and addictions, develop social skills, improve reality orientation, reduce anxiety, and increase self-esteem. A goal in art therapy is to improve or restore a client’s functioning and his or her sense of personal well-being.
Existential therapy has brought about the change of thinking about the world around us in a different perspective. It also has to do with tolerating the principle that our actions are inadequate by external circumstances, the existentialist position rejects the notion that our acts are single-minded. In this are a range of choices accessible to each of us and we are free to choose and therefore responsible for our own choices and actions. We must form and live with our own individual freedom to the fullest. This paper will explore some of those concepts from Existential therapy and I will answer such questions like what does personal freedom to look for myself. There are a multiple other questions I will touch on in this paper and really explain in detail about what Existential therapy entails. Now that we know where this paper is headed, let’s first look at what personal freedom means to me.
Remember, this isn’t an art class. A therapist’s focus is never to critique your expressive art or your technique. They don’t care if what you draw or paint is pretty to look at. They only want to understand what your art means to you. They will help you interpret the meaning behind your art. As a result, you shouldn’t be afraid to enjoy art therapy if you are not artistic. Painting or drawing a masterpiece is not what art therapy is about. It’s about healing through expressive means.