Research

Interview with Ms.Dina Schapiro Assistant Chairperson at Creative Arts Therapy department at Pratt Institute --

Art therapy is to utilize the creative process and aesthetic decision making in their clinical work

Art Therapy is an integrative mental health and human services profession that enriches the lives of individuals, families, and communities through creative process within a psychotherapeutic relationship. It is utilized to support personal and relational treatment, improve self-esteem and self-awareness, cultivate emotional resilience, enhance social skills, and reduce and resolve conflicts and distress.

I thought art therapy would be a great methodology which would be effective for acheiving the goal of this project.

The key findings from the interview with Ms. Schapiro was that art therapy engages the mind, body, and spirit in ways that are distinct from verbal articulation alone by allowing one to express onself through kinesthetic, sensory, perceptual, and symbolic opportunities which can overcome the limitations of language.

Especially, since it is targeted for teenagers, integrating elements from art therapy, such as creative activities, would not only draw more attention but also let the students have various outlets to express themselves.

Hye-Shin Jeong, Psychiatry specialist --

From Sebasi Talk, one of most famous lecture platforms in Korea, Phychiatry specialist Hye-Shin Jeong gave a speech about mental health and shared her experience and insights. I watched the of her lecture about a year ago before I began this project and was impressed by her message.

Doctor Jeong talks about the importance and power of empathy and repeats “One’s heart is always right”. For our mental health, it is crucial to think “there’s nothing wrong with me and my feelings, I have my reasons behind my emotions”; applying the same concept, we need to have this mindset when we talk with people in trouble. With reassurance and emotional support, they can rely on the presence of someone who recognizes them for who they are and they become less insecure. With reassuarance, one becomes rational and can look at things objectively. Then it becomes very clear what the next step should be. When people are allowed to express their pain and troubles, without fear of criticism and judgement, without being denied and when they can be recognized and accepted as they are, they can then breathe a sigh of relief. This will become the psychological foundations from which to move forward to help themselves to live well.

Jeong says that in order to make mentally healthier society, we should learn to understand and acknowledge my emotion and others. We need to think about what we like/hate, when we feel happy/angry/sad/excited.

Hye-Shin Jeong, Psychiatry specialist from Sebasi Talk