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Reflective essay on art therapy
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All types of Therapy work to develop the human body to a healthy state of processing and developing mental and physical actions. Therapeutic Art involves the creation of art in order to increase awareness of self and others. This in turn may promote personal development, increase coping skills, and enhance cognitive function. It is based on personality theories, human development, psychology, family systems, and art education. Art therapists are trained in both art and psychological therapy. Therapeutic art has created an individualized process of expression and self-exploration with the intent for extensive therapeutic intervention. In the process patients can experience the underlying message of your art, which will aid within the healing …show more content…
Children especially are in a constant state of Brain plasticity and should take advantage of this fragile state to effectively communicate their thoughts through artistic outlets, one that they struggle to verbally state. Art Therapy recognizes this plasticity and uses it to accomplish therapeutic intervention. Besides helping the emotional wellbeing of patients this specific form of therapy has proven to help general illnesses as well and has shown significant strides in studies involving dementia, alzheimer's and cancer patients or other terminal illnesses. Art Therapy has completely remodelled the term therapy and this intensive process towards a patient's healing. I believe that this new therapeutic journey is not only extremely effective but should be taught in elementary schools as …show more content…
Art Therapy at a young age could help to prevent the effects of mental illnesses at older stages. Statistics state that about 50% of students ages 14 and older with a mental illness will drop out of school, and 70% of young children in juvenile or state penitentiary's suffer from a mental illness. Some of these effects are irreversible NAMI organization found that 90% of those who committed suicide suffered from a mental illness. As a country we need to be providing children with effective ways to counteract there dibilitaty disease to not only help communication, but to save a childs educations, criminal record, or even their
Rubin, J. A. (2001). Approaches to art therapy: Theory and technique. (2nd ed.). New York: Routledge.
A 6-year-old girl sits next to her therapist, with signs of anxiety upon her face. Pieces of paper, pencil and some markers are placed in front of the girl. She is hesitant to speak out, but these colors do help release some of the tension in the air. She begins to draw and paint, in a matter of fifteen minutes she finishes with a sequence of fourteen pictures:
Many people see therapy as something for people who are weak mentally, “Therapy is the art and science of helping children make sense of thei...
Widened with amazement, my eyes watched as my fingers swirled the blobs of red and blue paint into a deep purple. The smell of tempera paint and wet wood-chips surrounded me that rainy day in the small playground of De Colores pre-school. I vividly remember feeling that astounded thrice more; first, when I roamed the aisles of Michael’s craft store for the first time, secondly, when I perfected my favorite shrimp dish, and lastly after my first psychology course. Though I have had countless positive and exciting experiences, I have also had some pretty impactful negative ones. Dropping out of high school was the biggest blessing in disguise of my life. It led to my enrollment in a concurrent enrollment program at a local community college that changed my life, through which I met some resilient people that I will always remember. Art therapy is my number one career choice and the Master of Arts in Art Therapy program at Notre Dame de Namur University
If I was an art therapist, I would ensure that no one should be “afraid” of expressing his or herself through art. I believe that art is like a story, where people can open up and draw about their life experiences. Through observing their work, I have a better understanding of what has troubled them and would try to help them encouraging them to continue doing this creative outlet that would eventually reduce the problems they have. I believe art is the language that can be used to communicate with others on a deeper level. I am always open to new creativity, and art therapy is the best method for me to be immersed in this new creativity to have a better understanding of
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.
Quantitative studies began in 2003 to look at the effectiveness of art therapy with incarcerated persons (Campbell, 2010). The studies included and inmate behavioral study, the formal elements art therapy scale (FEATS), the Beck depression Inventory, short form (BDI-II), and the adult Nowicki-Strickland Locus of Control (ANS) (Campbell, 2010). This study showed support for art therapy and that art therapy may help improve mood, behavior, and socialization while increasing internal locus of control (Campbell, 2010). With these positive results more studies are
Brooke, S.L. (2004). Tools of the trade: A therapist's guide to art therapy assessments (2nd ed., Rev.). Springfield, Illinois: Charles C. Thomas.
Interpersonal Therapy (IPT) is short term and is theoretically rooted in communication and attachment theory. While it was originally created for just the treatment of depression, its use has been greatly expanded. This therapeutic method is well researched, but upon doing my own research, offers no recorded evidence of the use of art in the therapeutic process. This is discouraging, but not overly daunting, if a therapist is willing to be creative. What I feel that is most compelling about this theory is its attention
Art can benefit the unhealthy as well. With 34,000 soldiers coming back from Afghanistan as proposed by Barack Obama, there are many who consequently have mental disabilities or post-traumatic stress disorder. To cope with depression, or other symptoms, many doctors have used art programs...
A picture is worth a thousand words, art can have the same effect. Art can often give meaning to the words we choose. Art can also give a voice to the words we can find to describe what we feel or think. As a drug and alcohol counselor, our clients will often at times not be able to put words to what they are feeling or thinking. Sometime clients may also need to be able to just stop to experience what they are feeling rather than over thinking and explaining their life. Art therapy techniques can elevate such obstacles in chemical dependency treatment for clients.
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.
Art therapy is a psychotherapy where free expression through art materials is used and works as a stress-relieving activity or to help the therapist in finding a diagnosis. Medical art therapy is used specifically for people who are undergoing aggressive medical treatment, are physically ill, or are experiencing trauma to the body. In children who have cancer, art therapy can be especially beneficial. Often, children do not understand what is happening to them or why it is happening to them, and they become very scared. This can also place stress on the parents, who want to console their child but do not know how to do so. Luckily, the use of art therapy in the medical setting can help not only the child undergoing treatment, but also the patient’s