Since the days of the cave men, 20,000 years ago, people have been using art to tell stories and communicate. The materials may have gotten more sophisticated, but to this day humans use art to express themselves, tell their stories and explore their world.
We see reflections of ourselves in the movies we watch, the books we read and the music we listen to. Art connects with us in a way that is unique and very personal and for this reason can be used as a way of exploring our world and our place in it.
Art Therapy is more than creating art, and contrary to popular belief, is not about “interpreting” the work of others. At school we are taught to read novels and explore the meaning behind the author’s choices. Often meaning is assigned where there was none intended and this is because the reader will bring their own stories and background to the work, and because of this the meaning can be different for each reader.
Nor is Art Therapy about colouring books. The rise of “Art Therapy” colouring books has introduced many to some of the mindfulness attributes of colouring but offers little in the way of therapy. An Art Therapist will select materials and activities that are tailored to the client’s goal and help explore this goal. There are connections being made to our subconscious while participating in Art Therapy and deeper work happening.
“Trust the process…”
In brief, Art Therapy is a form of psychotherapy that uses art materials to explore issues and help work towards goals and personal growth. The final artwork is not the goal of Art Therapy and although the work created in sessions can be brilliant, they can also be messy, raw and sometimes confronting. What is more important is what comes out of the process of creating the artwork. Materials are chosen for their connection to the goal and the intent of the art is clearly set out at the beginning of the session. An Art Therapy session is not about creating a pretty picture, but about exploring issues from a different angle and gaining insight during the process.
Many people find in hard to put to “put into words” thoughts and ideas they may be struggling with and Art Therapy is a way of accessing these thoughts without having to talk about them.
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Art Therapy is Person Centered or Client Centered, meaning that the client is at the center of the therapy. All work done in Art Therapy focusses on the goals or situations that the client wants to explore and is done at a pace that suits the client. The process is a collaboration between the client, Art Therapist and the Art.
Often in Art Therapy sessions, the art produced will do the “talking” and help provide insight and clarity to the client. This insight and the connections made are important and can have a huge impact, but they can also be highly personal. Due to this, the connections made during sessions do not need to be verbally shared with the therapist. The important thing is that these connections and insight are occurring, not that they are then being discussed. An Art Therapist will gladly discuss connections you have made and insights that have come out of the art, but this occurs only if the client wishes to. This can make Art Therapy less confrontational for clients and allows them to explore issues in their own time and at their own pace.
As Art Therapy is non-confrontational, the therapist will not express their own ideas about the art works and will never interpret the work of their client. Art is a very personal thing, and it is impossible for someone other than the creator of the art to know what the meaning behind a piece of art it. An Art Therapist can help guide you to a better understanding of your own work but will never impose their own ideas.
Many programs for growth and development are structured in a way that leaves little room for variation. Each Art Therapy client is unique, and as such cannot be made into fit into a structured program. Life happens, things change, and Art Therapy provides the flexibility to be able to change and adapt on a session-by-session basis to move with the needs of the client.
There is no fixed number of sessions for a client to attend. Once a situation is explored or a goal attained, the client can end their sessions. Although it is always possible to return to Art Therapy as new goals and challenges arise.
Self-care and stress management
Mindfulness, meditation and journaling are all forms of self-care that can help manage the busy lives we lead today. These are all tools that can be taught during Art Therapy sessions and help establish self-care routines that allow clients to better manage their daily lives. There are multiple ways Art Therapy can be used to set self-care routines, establish sleep routines and better manage stress.
Personal growth and development
Exploring issues and concerns through Art Therapy sessions allows clients to get to know themselves better, develop skills and understanding of their own personalities, character traits and learning styles, allowing them to better understand themselves as a whole in the process. This leads to more self-awareness, understanding of personality types and traits and how to interact with them and ultimately, a greater understanding of themselves and the world around them.
Improve self-confidence
Personal growth and development leads to improved self-confidence. Building skills and confidence, learning to deal with setbacks and change, and increased awareness also helps an individual grow and experience better self-confidence.
Build emotional awareness and regulation
Work targeting emotional identification and regulation can be a focus of Art Therapy and can be greatly beneficial for those who struggle with identifying emotions in themselves and others. Once emotional awareness has been established it is then possible to work on building strategies that enable an individual to manage and regulate their own emotions and set strategies in place to help minimize the impact of big feelings. The focus on emotional awareness and regulation has proven to be beneficial for children on the Autism Spectrum Scale and help establish skills and strategies that can used to navigate the world of today.
Improves psycho-social skills
The way we are expected to behave in society today is very rarely explicitly taught to children. Our manners, morals and social norms are, more often than not, learnt by observation unconsciously as we grow up. For a person who has missed these skills, life can be difficult. Focusing on developing skills and explicit instruction around increasing emotional awareness and regulation, developing empathy for others and other social skills can greatly aid the ability of those wanting to better interact with others.
Video from The Science of Happiness
A great overview from Thirsty for Art
TED Talk by Domingo Zapata
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