Running head: ART THERAPY
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Art Therapy Camille Wildenburg ARE 6049 F25 February 28, 2014
2 Introduction. Summarize art therapy. Many think Art therapy to be only a recent form of psychotherapy used to heal the mentally sick, but in all actuality art therapy has existed informally as a healing process for thousands of years (Kendra cherry, about.com). It is a profession and psychotherapy option in which those, who are sick or disabled in some way, find comfort and are able to heal mental and emotional wounds through the facilitation of expression and creativity through art making developmental methods (arttherapyjournal.org). The multitudes of benefits from art therapy are numerous, which is why there is so much research and emphasis into the development of this area of profession today. What is art therapy? “Art therapy is a mental health profession” (art therapy association, 2013) in which professionals (art therapists) assist patients and clients in making art through the use of creativity, self-expression and tangible media to help an ill person to be restored and find some form of comfort through an artistic process (Kendra cherry, about.com).This act of creating and expressing one’s self can be healing and that’s the whole idea that makes up the foundation of art therapy (cancer.org, 2008). Ultimately, art therapy becomes a tool with a means of “help(ing) people express hidden emotions; reduces stress, fear, and anxiety; and provides a sense of freedom” (cancer.org, 2008). Currently art therapy is a process that benefits many people, those who are physical able and even those who have a disability. Individuals who can gain great advantage from art therapy sessions are those who have suffered a traumatic experience (i.e. combatting in war, surviving a natural disaster, enduring abuse), anyone who has a severe health condition or disability (i.e. traumatic brain injury, dementia, autism, cancer, depression, addiction) (American art therapy association, 2013).. Art therapy can be useful to people with these types of mental illnesses because it “provides an opportunity to enjoy the life-affirming pleasures of art making” (American art therapy association, 2013, p.1). Art therapy, technically, involves almost all forms of art making, more specifically and commonly types of art like painting, drawing, and sculpting are used. Art therapy sessions can be attended as individual sessions or done in group sessions. These days art therapy is practiced in hospitals, medical centers, schools, psychiatric centers, drug and alcohol rehabilitation programs, prisons, day care treatment programs, nursing homes, hospices, patients' homes, and art
3 READING REVIEW 4 studios(cancer.org, 2008). History. When did it originate and who were the people associated with its formalization? The history of art as humanity know it initiated with the drawings of animals inside of caves found in European countries almost 40,000 years ago. Art has consistently served the purpose of visually symbolizing and self-expressing emotions and creativity for human beings. Naturally, many people have unconsciously used the art making process, for a long time, as a tool to cultivate and deal with emotions. It wasn’t until the 1940s that a formalized distinction of art as therapy was organized. It was a man named Adrian Hill, in England, who started becoming aware of the processes of making art as therapeutic ways of helping people to deal with unresolved emotions, referring to it as art therapy. He realized this while in a hospital being treated for tuberculosis, an artist worked with Adrian to make art and this is when it became obvious to him that art could be a logical and successful facilitator of helping the sick heal (arttherapyjournal.org). Edward Adamson, an artist, was the next man to cultivate and expand on the ideas of Adrian Hill. Adamson and Hill worked together to promote the idea of art as therapy by starting a program that offered assisted art making to long term mentally ill patients in British mental hospitals. Edward continued to establish programs of art therapy and even went on to open art studios where patients and clients could come and freely self-express themselves without feeling like they needed to be psychologically treated(arttherapyjournal.org). In the United States there were also two main figures in the development of art as therapy. Margaret Naumburg, a psychologist and Edith Kramer an artist who had her doctorate, two American women, referred to their art works as art therapy and believed in “the idea of using art to release the unconscious by encouraging free association” (When was art therapy started, arttherapyjournal.org). This idea of free association facilitated in the development of art programs across the United States and “by the middle of the 20th century, many hospitals and mental health facilities began including art therapy programs after observing how this form of therapy could promote emotional, developmental, and cognitive growth in children” (When was art therapy started, arttherapyjournal.org). (Vincent Van Gogh mentally ill, used as a form of healing) Research the history of art therapy. key historical figures and their contributions to the
4 development of art therapy as an occupation, and the evolution of policies that guide the profession. Identify the ideological roots of the belief in art’s power to heal, techniques. TODAY: “Today art therapy is widely practiced in a wide variety of settings including hospitals, psychiatric and rehabilitation facilities, wellness centers, forensic institutions, schools, crisis centers, senior communities, private practice, and other clinical and community settings. During individual and/or group sessions art therapists elicit their clients’ inherent capacity for art making to enhance their physical, mental, and emotional well-being..” (AMERICAN ART THERAPY ASSOCIATION, 2013, p.1) How and when is art therapy used? Art therapy is used in many ways and for many different people who are in need of psychotherapy. Art therapy is used for patients dealing with any mental health issues, as well as people in need of rehabilitation. It is practiced in wellness, educational, medical forensic, , community and private practice settings. It can also be used with varied clients who want to use therapy sessions as a source for healing when it comes to individual, couples, family, and group wellness. In addition “art therapy is an effective treatment for people experiencing developmental, medical, educational, and social or psychological impairment” (American art therapy association, 2013, p.1). Individuals who benefit from art therapy include those who have survived trauma resulting from combat, abuse, and natural disaster; persons with adverse physical health conditions such as cancer, traumatic brain injury, and other health disability; and persons with autism, dementia, depression, and other disorders. Art therapy helps people resolve conflicts, improve interpersonal skills, manage problematic behaviors, reduce negative stress, and achieve personal insight. Art therapy also “provides an opportunity to enjoy the lifeaffirming pleasures of art making” (American art therapy association, 2013, p.1). Why and how does art therapy work to heal? Art therapy has a multitude of benefits that have been proven through statistics and research (American art therapy association, 2013). Ideally and ultimately, art therapy, over time, becomes a means of “help(ing) people express hidden emotions; reduces stress, fear, and anxiety;
5 READING REVIEW 4 and provides a sense of freedom” (cancer.org, 2008).The process “is used to help people manage physical and emotional problems by using creative activities to express emotions…providing a way for people to come to terms …and express unspoken and often unconscious concerns about … illness and their lives” (cancer.org, 2008). The “ resulting artwork (helps)to explore (the client’s) feelings, reconcile emotional conflicts, foster self-awareness, manage behavior and addictions, develop social skills, improve reality orientation, reduce anxiety, and increase selfesteem” (American art therapy association, 2013) . “Research supports the use of art therapy within a professional relationship for the therapeutic benefits gained through artistic selfexpression and reflection for individuals who experience illness, trauma, and mental health problems and those seeking personal growth” (American art therapy association, 2013, p.1). Resources http://www.cancer.org/treatment/treatmentsandsideeffects/complementaryandalternativemedicine /mindbodyandspirit/art-therapy American art therapy association. Pp. 1-2. http://www.arttherapy.org/upload/whatisarttherapy.pdf http://www.arttherapyjournal.org/art-therapy-history.html