Expressive Art Therapy

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.

According to the test I took, the top 3 careers I would be great at based on my personality was Art Therapist, Area, ethnic, and cultural studies teacher, postsecondary, also Advanced Practice Psychiatric Nurses.

Fard, Farah Joan. "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." Art Business News, Winter 2015, p. 34+. Fine Arts and Music Collection, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?p=PPFA&sw=w&u=hillsbor&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA436797590&it=r&asid=1bc151430b53c85d758e9329f6ecf46a. Accessed 22 Nov. 2017.

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

Creative arts therapists may work with a variety of people. They can work with children who need support and counseling, people that are in homeless shelters, and prisoners in a correctional facility. A prisoner explained how this unique type of therapy has helped them, “Drama showed me how to interact with others. Most of all, it gave me a way to have excitment in my life without the use of drugs.” Creative arts therapy can help anyone who is struggling with mental illnesses and can improve their mood to help them be happier and to help with daily

Goals and interventions. In this theory the therapist is to keep within the parameters of the problem as they were described by the client. The therapist must stay focused on the presenting problem and find new meanings around it. They also must be a respectful listener who does not understands too quickly and lets the client give more explanation. When giving client more space to talk rather than asking question right after another can be very exhausting which in this case, the therapist lets the client have a voice to bring out their inner talk. The intervention is very effective in this theory when the therapist ask the question in certain way in which leads to another question and opens more closed doors. I believe that the style of questioning in this

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).

School Behaviour and Status: Mary is attending Malvern Collegiate, completing grade 9 courses. Mary appears focused on completing grade nine, academically she has returned to above average. Mary’s teachers have praised her improvement in her academics and behaviour.

Art-based interventions use the creative process to help clients communicate and understand their thoughts and feelings (Case & Dalley, 1992). There are a variety of approaches one can take when using art in interventions, as it is a versatile technique. It can be combined with other forms of therapy, such as rational emotive behaviour therapy (Roghanchi et al., 2014) mindfulness training (Coholic, 2011

The Article, “Art Therapy Strategies to Raise Self-Esteem in Female Juvenile Offenders: A Comparison of Art Psychotherapy and Art as Therapy Approaches” by Liz Hartz, & Lynette Thick seeks to find the benefits of Art as therapy and Art psychotherapy methods during artistic experience. The research problem is to analyse the differences between these two art therapy approaches administered over female Juvenile offenders, with self-esteem, peer-relations, behavioural conduct and social acceptance as the measuring scales. The Abstract provides a clear indication of improved self-esteem among the clients of both the treatment groups.

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

Almost every theoretical orientation has adapted the use and techniques of expressive arts therapy in some way. Humanistic psychology, for example, emphasizes the importance of play, creativity, and spontaneity. The creative process is intrinsic to self-actualization. Self-actualization makes life more meaningful and enhances abilities,

According to the definition of the International Expressive Arts Therapy Association (n.d.), “Expressive Arts combine the visual arts, movement, drama, music, writing and other creative processes to foster deep personal growth and community development. It evolves multimodal approach within psychology, organizational development, community arts and education. By integrating the arts to our inner resources for healing, clarity, illumination and creativity.” As to provide quality and ethical Expressive Arts Therapy, only Registered Expressive Arts Therapist who received professional training and supervision can practice Expressive Arts