The Definition Of Art Therapy

Throughout the centuries, there is no definite definition for art therapy. It is hard to define art therapy because of the broad populations that art therapy can be integrated in. Many art therapy pioneers concentrated in different areas and they developed their own theories within their concentration. Therefore, it is hard to define what art therapy is. According to the American Art Therapy Association (AATA, 2014), art therapy is a professional field uses art-making in a therapeutic setting with populations who experience illness, trauma and for those who seek personal development.

The consensus regarding art is art is for artists, or it’s merely a hobby. But, what if art could alleviate symptoms of depression, or help those with PTSD? All of us has had to deal with some form of psychological issues in our lives. Whether causation of the problem is stress from work, caring for children or parents, cognitive decline, illness, depression, death, trauma or violent crime, these issues have affected us all. “… art can engage the mind and emotions more effectively than other forms of therapy” (Habib & Ali, 9). Society should implement art therapy in conjunction with traditional treatments in the above mentioned psychological issues and instances of nonverbal or closed-off patients.

question, here is a definition “Art therapy is the application of the visual arts and the creative process within a

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.

When children are presented with Art Therapy, it may be geared towards creative style and imagination.

According to an article published in Art Therapy: Journal of the American Art therapy Association, “…art therapy strengthened personal, spiritual and social development” (pg. 72, Kapitan, Litell, Torres, 2011). Additionally, it could also help children reduce “acute stress symptom” (pg. 103, Chapman, Morabito, Ladakakos, Schreier, Knudson, 2001). This type of therapy can be used to build child’s self-esteem by encouraging them to express themselves openly through art.

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.

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

Art therapy as an intervention For the purpose of developing a therapeutic intervention we will suppose that a preadolescent child with similar adverse experiences in reffered for art therapy in a school setting due to heightened social anxiety and poor peer relations. Art therapy is appropriate for children who are socially anxious as they often have trouble communicating their emotions verbally. the presence of art between the therapist and client allows for non-verbal communication.

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).

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

Similarly, we are well known with the fact that art therapy has a remarkable benefits. It also can distract people from pain and illness. According to the article "Art therapy with adolescent", understanding adolescent is a challenge. Tennegers are very sensative so instead of confessing they put themself in a emotional risk. Therefore, science has invented an art therapy to such childrens who are very poor at expressing themself. They join art therapy, draw/paint their thoughts and express their feelings and their problems through their art. The picture shown is drawn by a teenage boy who is mentally disturbed by his alcholoic mother. He had tired to reflect how he sees to faces his mother through the picture. The 2 masks represent the 2

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.