Art Therapy As An Industry

It is easy to dismiss art therapy and to look upon it as a pleasant but unnecessary intervention for older adults because it is not perceived as a cure. Art therapy utilizes visual art making mediums such as painting, drawing, and sculpture (Malchiodi, 2011). The creative process of art making employs the ability of art to express thoughts and feelings in nonverbal communication. Its purpose is to maintain or improve mental and emotional well-being (Malchiodi, 2011). It is worth considering art therapy as a treatment option, aging can cause a significant amount of loss. Deteriorating physical health or decline in cognition, caring for a loved one who is suffering from Alzheimers, dementia or some other form of lost capabilities, loss of independence, social isolation, and grief caused by the death of spouse/partner, or friends are common events that older adults live with. This can affect a person's sense of well being and purpose in life which has been associated with negative effects on their physical health (Pinquart, 2002). Mental health issues such as depression and anxiety can increase in people 65 years old and older. Art therapy is particularly good at addressing mental health issues that affect a person's sense of wellbeing. A review of Outcome Studies (Slayton, D'Archer, & Kaplan, 2010) concluded that there is a pool of quantifiable data to support the claim that variety of symptoms, age groups, and disorders can be effectively treated with art therapy. Loss is

Art has been a part of our culture since the very beginning of time and has been used for many different purposes. The creation and viewing of art has the ability to transport us to another time or place, to calm us, to help us express our emotions and define our sense of self. It is only natural then to wonder how we can use these emotions towards art to learn more about a person and their situation as well as how to use art to help someone cope with any harmful emotions or difficulties they may be dealing with. The field of art therapy aims to do just this. Art therapy employs the use of many different mediums and techniques such as painting, modeling, and drawing as a unique way to diagnose a mental condition. It also uses these mediums as a method to help alleviate and manage harmful symptoms by helping patients to de-stress and express their emotions in a healthy manner, especially if they are unable (or unwilling) to verbalize their thoughts and feelings. For adults with anxiety and/or depression, art therapy has shown to be a wonderful coping mechanism, helping them to relax and develop a healthier self.

Art therapy is a Multi-Functional Psychological therapy that helps the mental mind in connecting things that are disconnected like a patient with alzheimer's where the patient's medial temporal lobe that’s the part of the brain that controls memory. The medial temporal lobe is vital in the brain because that is where the brain recollects the memories and stores them. When you get older the lobe gets weaker in which causes it to disconnect thus causing “memory loss” or dementia. In art therapy we like to cause a visual reconnection of that nerve so in which a patient then can remember more but in a visual stance as in some people like to look at photographs to visually which allows memories to reconnect. These programs are put into place to help anyone with mental issues they are put in place just to help.

I found the article  "The expanding reach of art therapy: though it's a relatively new approach to mental health treatment, art therapy is gaining traction and making a difference in people's lives." on the Gale Group website.

2013). Ultimately, to ensure the provision of art-based therapies in mental health care are informed, evidence-based and embody the principles of clinical governance for safe and quality practice, the literature surrounding this issue must be appraised through a critique and synthesis

Like the case example of Bridget in the article, “Art Therapy: A Proposal for Inclusion in School Settings” where she was assessed by the school art therapist, Marie learned to also use art to process her inner physical and emotional pain in an environment where she felt safe. Since the beginning of Marie’s assessment and interaction with the art therapist she began showing baby steps and signs of progress. With that being said, Marie’s trauma was so severe and had been going on for years, therefore it became clear that her need for continued art therapy was necessary and

being sound mentally and emotionally that is characterized by the absence of mental illness and by adequate adjustment especially as reflected in feeling comfortable about oneself, having positive feelings about others, and being able to meet the demands of daily life. With this information it is clear that mental health has a major effect on how a person lives their life and art work is no exception. One of the most difficult mental illnesses to understand is schizophrenia, one in a hundred people have schizophrenia (Moderating factors for the effectiveness of group art therapy for schizophrenia: secondary analysis of data from the MATISSE randomised controlled trial, 2013) making it hard to study accurately. According to

Art therapy is based off of experiential family therapy which emerged from the humanistic approach of existential psychology. Gladding (2014) says that The foundation of experiential theory is that the individual within the family are unaware of their true emotions and if they are aware of them they suppress them. Experiential approaches incorporate family play into session which is good because it helps,

My senior art therapy capstone class gave me the tools not only to understand my personal art making process, but the benefits of artistic creation for other individuals as well. Through this final project, I was able to therapeutically process a traumatic event in my life and turn something negative into a positive light. Process-based art therapy highlights the educational and transformative properties of art making and natural creation.

Art therapy, the use of creative processes as a means of aiding one’s well-being. Art therapies allow individuals to express themselves through creative means. Often the process of making art is the core of the process of art therapy: through the work, individuals can experience themselves as empowered, valued, able to achieve, and able to deal with a task. Art can articulate deep feelings and can bring unconscious issues to the fore. Group art therapy approaches can also foster social interaction. Kruppers (2014) (para. 1).

harnessed by the art therapist to allow the client a creative outlet to express intense and changing

Why I chose Psychotherapy through Art Therapy, is the same as asking why puppies adopt little boys. The urge I believe was born in me; art makes me want to change the shape of things as they are, to leave behind a mark on this world that will make a different in some degree. I have loved art in all its forms from the time I have memory. I became interested in expressive therapy as a career through my studio art minor classes at Virginia Wesleyan College. I came to Virginia Wesleyan an amateur artist and loved the idea of helping others through expressive art. I personally know it to be a pleasurable distraction where hope is experienced through art symbols, art media, and sensory stimulation. The impact of creating art and how that process

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.

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

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.