The Importance Of Art Therapy

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.

Art therapy is said to use “three levels of intervention.” These levels include engaging in the clients senses through the physical manipulation of art materials, using the client’s art as a “symbolic container of their traumatic memories, and “cognitive reflection” guided by the art therapist. The therapist helps to “guide” where the client’s focus lays in terms of their traumatic memories; the goal of the therapist is to help the client integrate elements of their experience, other than the extremely negative, into their

When veterans serve and return from fighting for their country, they can be largely affected mentally and physically. The use of art therapy can be a healing tool to help them forget the bad experiences that they witnessed. When they are in combat, they can develop mental or behavioral issues. One of the most common forms of this that several veterans have accumulated is post-traumatic stress disorder, PTSD. This disorder results when an individual is greatly affected by a traumatic event. Some symptoms of this disorder include flashbacks of the event, dreams of the event that causes the individual more stress, and physical reactions to things that reminds them of that event. The patient's mood turns very negative and he or she can be easily scared of certain things.

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.

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.

The use of art therapy after a disaster is an emerging approach to dealing with trauma. Disaster can result from natural events, manmade events, personal events, or a combination of any of these. Adults, families, and communities go through considerable suffering during disaster and deal with many trauma related symptoms and issues. Children experience trauma in dissimilar ways and are usually helped the least. Adult treatment procedures, in some respects, are similar to those for children. However, they have distinctions. Group therapy has been found beneficial for all survivors. Art therapy for adults,

To test whether an art therapy program is effective at reducing recidivism in serious violent and chronic juvenile offenders, a large control group, and a large experimental group was randomly chosen and assigned. The control group was given an alternative form of treatment (other than art therapy, they were shown videos of violent and chronic juvenile offenders participating in art therapy programs) to act as the baseline for how well those who receive actual art therapy might benefit. Art therapy ran in 1-hour sessions, and videos ran for 1 hour.

Childhood trauma appears to be a critical factor with association to serious disorders in childhood and adulthood. The DSM-V TR primarily categorizes most traumatic experiences under the development of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Knowledge about, the cause, development, and effects of, traumatic stress aids in the beginning steps of the assessment of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and the appropriate treatments for recovery. Art Therapy, used within the groundwork of Herman’s Three Stage Model for Recovery, can serve as an effective treatment method to aid the recovery of those who have suffered from PTSD.

Years ago, coloring was for children. Although occasionally an adult who was babysitting would color with the child, that adult wouldn 't normally pick up a coloring book on their own. Recently, a new trend in coloring books for adults has changed the way adults relieve stress. Coloring books for adults has reached an all-time high with many books on bestseller lists. While this may be a fun hobby for some, others find serious stress relief from coloring inside these books.

In this section of lectures in Introduction to CHHS, Health Care and Rehabilitation were the main topics that were discussed as well as different organizations that worked in this specific section of health and human services. The lectures included: “Psychiatric Nursing”, “Crisis Intervention”, “Medical Yoga Therapy”, “Art Therapy”, “Therapeutic Animals.” Although this may not have been my favorite section overall, this segment did include my new favorite lecture, Art Therapy. A few new terms that were introduced to me during these lectures were: the occupation of an Art therapist, the art spectrum, the domination versus partnership system for collaboration, the BPS pentagon, and the concept that yoga medicine is not the same as a yoga class,

Upon researching careers in design, I think therapeutic design would best suit my future goals. I am an art therapy major, therefore, I believe in the expressive healing power of design. At first, I thought design careers only pertained to the advertising industry, home design, or architecture. However, the concept of therapeutic really applies to not only myself but also in the field of art therapy. After walking the TED talk about design being used as a tool to help others problem solve within their communities, the values of design changed my how I viewed it. I like the ideas of design being used a problem solving tool for the greater good. In art therapy, design is being used to assist with someone’s emotions, hopefully creating a comfortable

To become an art therapist, there are certain duties, special skills and talents, as well as a higher education requirement. As an art therapist, I will need to be able to talk with clients, while involving studio art, such as drawing, painting, sculpting, etc., to asses the disorders or needs of the patient. I will have to write a progress report after every session and, using that, design sessions that are specific to one’s goals in therapy. In most practices, I will have to supervise staff, volunteers, or interns and purchase needed equipment. Depending on the institution I am working for, I will be able to plan art showcases or field trips to museums. The talents an art therapist needs tend be very communicationally skilled. One has to be socially perceptive, an active and appropriate listener, reasonably deductive, orally comprehensive, and recognize speech. Also, one needs to be able to critically think, make decisions, and coordinate

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.