Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
More handpicked essays just for you.
psychological impact of art
essays on the benefits of art therapy used for special needs children
essay on using art in therapy
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Recommended: psychological impact of art
Art Therapy and the Disabled
In chapter twenty-one of the course textbook, the reader is presented with the case of Mrs. Day. Day was in an auto accident and it was necessary to amputate one of her feet. The chapter tells of Day’s progress through art therapy and the issues that had to be overcome in order for Mrs. Day to come to terms with her treatment. Outside research has shown that art therapy is useful in the eyes of the patient with a disability.
The text speaks of the patient as a depressed thirty-five year old woman who after the accident refused to speak of the ordeal with staff or family. The goals of the therapy, as stated in Landgarten are:
“Art therapy goals and treatment in rehabilitation encompass
the following: gain a rapid transference; work on denial as a
defense by having the patient concretize her disability; expression
of rage and impotence; reveal guilt or punishment fantasies;
clarify the prognosis; work through perceptual inaccuracies,
mastery and catharsis; acknowledge former strengths; activate
motivation for recovery; regain some sense of identity; increase
self esteem, accept limitations along with new body image; delineate
new modes of adaptation; deal with discharge anxiety; rehearsal for termination and home reentry.” (Landgarten, 348)
Through the therapy, Mrs. Day seemed to come to terms with her amputation and was able to express things that bothered her. In two articles “Creating Art: Your RX for Health” and “Group-oriented community-based expressive arts programming for individuals with disabilities: participant satisfaction and perceptions of psycho-social impact.” The reader is told about patients who have disabilities or have suffered losses and how art therapy or even just creating art has been very therapeutic for them.
Take for example the case of Randy Souders of Ft. Worth, Texas. Souders, had always liked painting before he had an accident at age seventeen which left him paralyzed from the shoulders down. When he was in the hospital his physical therapist strapped a paintbrush to his hand and insisted he try. Souders says that to his “great shock and surprise the painting turned out much better than I could have dreamed.” He felt a new sense of self worth and has since turned art into a career. (Longman, 69) Helen Kossoff, another disabled person who has turned to art says, “Art is a way of spending time,. Not to be sitting around too much and thinking about yourself.
Throughout history there have been countless souls who were willing to challenge the norm of their everyday life. These individuals work towards change, help those around them, and strive for a better tomorrow. One individual who has been recognized as such was Shirley Riley. Riley was a prominent art therapist during her lifetime. This paper will discuss Riley’s professional career as well as her personal and fairly private life.
In this reading, the author discusses their opinion on Deaf Art. During their own experience, they explain the expression and point of view of Deaf artists. As seen in their work, these artists gather their point of views: positive and negative. The author also discusses two of the Deaf artists that have influenced themselves the most. One of these artists is Chuck Baird and the other is Betty G. Miller. Seen on the website, the two pieces created by these artists seem to have significant meanings behind them. Furthermore into the author’s view of Deaf Art, he/she shares the value of Deaf art to this community. Because Sign Language is a visual way of communication, it makes sense that the community creates expressive art without words. This can also be seen in Deaf theater, storytelling, performances, etc. Not only does this art effect the Hearing world, but also strongly impacts the Deaf community.
Hinz, L. D. (2009). Expressive therapies continuum: A framework for useing art in therapy. New York: Routledge.
One of the most memorable experiences I had last summer was visiting the American Visionary Art Museum in Baltimore, Maryland. (3)At this museum, professional artists had created none of the works hanging on the walls. Visionary art is an individualized expression by people with little or no formal training; the rules of art as a school did not apply here. While I was there, I learned that for many years, the artwork created by patients of mental institutions, hospitals, and nursing homes were disregarded and destroyed by their caretakers. After seeing what powerful and telling work came from many people in these situations, I found this information to be very distressing. Fortunately, the development of art as a form of therapy has changed the medical attitude toward art created by the healing in the past fifty years. While the work created through this therapy is rarely showcased as at the American Visionary, it is aiding therapists and their clients in reaching a new awareness.
Trauma, as defined by the American Psychological Association, is an emotional response to a terrible event like an accident, rape or natural disaster. In order to process and overcome a traumatic experience, most seek a therapist. This is especially true for individuals who have dealt with childhood sexual abuse. There are different types of therapy and therapists that exist that individuals go to. Art therapy is a kind of psychotherapy that uses art as it’s main technique of communications in order to improve the emotional and mental well being of the patients. It combines the areas of human development, visual art such as drawing, sculpture, painting and other kinds of art and the artistic process with counseling and psychotherapy.
What do you do without either of your arms? What do you do for a living constrained to a wheelchair? What do you do without control over your own body? Many people in the world today spend their lives wishing things were not as they were, attempting to forget how they are, or trying to change how they are going to be. When "disabled" people succeed, it is commonly thought that those individuals are amazing for overcoming their disabilities and thriving in life. Is this really what they are doing? The following three women, Mary Duffy, Frieda Kahlo, and Vassar Miller transform their disabilities into the ability to create complex forms of art that force the audience to gain a different perspective on disabilities. Their disabilities become their power. The artists use this power to force their audiences to look at their disabilities in an utterly new way using the "stare and tell" method. These women do not succeed despite their disabilities, but instead succeed because of them
“Art therapy is a form of therapy in making of visual images (paintings, drawings, models etc.) in the presences of a qualified art therapist contributes towards externalization of thoughts and feelings which may otherwise remain unexpressed”(Walter & Gilory, 1992).
Kramer, Edith. “The Art Therapists Third Hand: Reflections on Art, Art Therapy, and Society at Large.” American Journal of Art Therapy Feb. 1986: 71-86.
Art therapy has emerged as an exceptional profession in 1940’s. “ 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”. In the late nineteenth century, French psychiatrists Tardieu and Paul-Max Simon viewed art therapy as a cogent tool to identify specific types of mental illness or distressing events. Art has also been associated spiritual power. The artistic forms of the Hindu and the Buddhist mandala and the Native American sand painting are considered powerful healing tools. One goal of art therapy is to ameliorate or restore a client’s normal functioning and his or her sense of personal well-being. Art therapy can provide the client-artist with critical insight into emotions, thoughts, and feelings. It helps in Self-discovery, Personal fulfillment, Empowerment, Relaxation and stress relief and physical rehabilitation. It is a two-part process which involves creating art and discovering its meaning. Art therapy has proven to be a powerful tool for treating Alzheimer’s disease. Alzheimer’s patients can use art as a form of expression, particularly individuals who can’t communicate
Fortunately, a few weeks were given to me to observe in person the sessions, and I am supported by my on-site supervisor and learning from art therapy classes. The points I may miss in my art therapy sessions will be learned from supervisors or art therapy class and classmates. I also would like to share my experience. The relationship between the supervisors and the intern will be an important factor that elicits better effects of art therapy, as much as the relationship between the therapist and the client.
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 own influences, history, processes, techniques, and considerations.
People from all around the world suffer from many different anxieties and troubles. They turn to things they enjoy so that they can forget reality and be somewhat happy or simply to communicate with one another. Most of the enjoyment is temporary and not sufficient, that is why they continue doing what they do. Creative Arts Therapy, also known as Expressive Arts Therapy, helps those who find themselves completely lost and have nowhere to go or anyone to go to. They can express themselves however they please. In order to better understand arts therapy one must have a knowledge of creativity, emotions and, of course, people.
Brooke, S.L. (2004). Tools of the trade: A therapist's guide to art therapy assessments (2nd ed., Rev.). Springfield, Illinois: Charles C. Thomas.
The arts have influenced my life in amazing ways. Throughout my life, art has been the place I run to and my escape from the world. As I’ve grown older, art has become so much more than that. Every piece of art I create is a journey into my soul. It’s a priceless way to deal with my emotions and my struggles. I create art not only because I enjoy it and because I want to, but because I have to. Somewhere deep inside there is a driving force, urging me to put my heart down on paper. I become emotionally attached to each of my pieces because they are like dashes on the wall marking my growth. Each one is the solution to a problem I have dealt with and overcome.