Art Therapy Outline

Art therapy is a Multi-Functional Psychological therapy that helps the mental mind in connecting things that are disconnected like a patient with alzheimer's where the patient's medial temporal lobe that’s the part of the brain that controls memory. The medial temporal lobe is vital in the brain because that is where the brain recollects the memories and stores them. When you get older the lobe gets weaker in which causes it to disconnect thus causing “memory loss” or dementia. In art therapy we like to cause a visual reconnection of that nerve so in which a patient then can remember more but in a visual stance as in some people like to look at photographs to visually which allows memories to reconnect. These programs are put into place to help anyone with mental issues they are put in place just to help.

Fard, Farah Joan. "The expanding reach of art therapy: though it's a relatively new approach to mental health treatment, art therapy is gaining traction and making a difference in people's lives." Art Business News, Winter 2015, p. 34+. Fine Arts and Music Collection, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?p=PPFA&sw=w&u=hillsbor&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA436797590&it=r&asid=1bc151430b53c85d758e9329f6ecf46a. Accessed 22 Nov. 2017.

harnessed by the art therapist to allow the client a creative outlet to express intense and changing

Knowledge and application of art therapy approaches, material choices and directives are beneficial to treat clients. In Approaches to Art Therapy, Theory and Technique by Judith Rubin, we explore the many different approaches used within Art Therapy. Prior art education helps to manipulate material choices and creatively guiding the directives is key to successful art therapy. Clients are unique and to approach their circumstances focusing on their needs art therapists need to be flexible with their methodologies.

Art therapy a form of expressive therapy uses art materials to combine traditional psychotherapeutic techniques and theories with an understanding of the psychological features of the imaginative procedure. Different age groups can benefit from Art Therapy. For instance people facing chronic, terminal, or serious illnesses or just people with disorders and addiction can obtain help from it. Art therapy helps bring together art, behavior, personality and mental health, and helps people who have had traumatic life experiences. Art therapy should be implemented in counseling programs in schools, people who have experienced domestic abuse, people in jail, hospital patients facing such sickness as cancer and in general with people who have a hard time verbally expressing their thoughts and emotions.

The guidelines for practice of expressive arts therapy is informed by six principles: physical environment, emotional safety, non-interpretative approaches, role in assessment or diagnosis, media choices, and empathetic listening. Suitable physical environments are caring and safe places. Physical spaces are ones of privacy and comfort. Emotional safety is found in the rapport established between the therapist and client as well as ensuring that creative products will be treated confidentially. Non-interpretative approaches have no value judgments and are not analyzed or interpreted by the therapist. This is conveyed by posing self-discovery questions and allowing the client to give meaning to their work. The work done in therapy sessions

Art therapy as an intervention For the purpose of developing a therapeutic intervention we will suppose that a preadolescent child with similar adverse experiences in reffered for art therapy in a school setting due to heightened social anxiety and poor peer relations. Art therapy is appropriate for children who are socially anxious as they often have trouble communicating their emotions verbally. the presence of art between the therapist and client allows for non-verbal communication.

This article talks about the difference between expressive arts therapy and creativity in counseling. The authors stated that creativity in counseling is a more abroad term if the counselors are using it in practice, which include a variety of therapeutic methods used in a creative way. In expressive arts therapy they stated that it incorporates many methods and it has an arts-based approach to therapeutic work. This article gives a brief summary of what art means in psychological terms and how can a counselor apply art in a session, of course depending on the client. In this article, the two authors share their opinions on how and when to use expressive arts in counseling and therapy.

As a psychology student with an extensive background in Fine Arts, I bring a unique perspective to the mental health field. My interest in psychology began with the curiosity regarding the relationship between art and mental health. South Korea, my birthplace, has some of the longest working hours of any country. While working in Korea, I witnessed the results of work-related stress such as depressive mood and anxiety. However, there existed stigma related to mental disorders due to cultural expectations. Rather than visiting professionals in the mental health industry, many ascribed mental instabilities to their lack of willpower. This phenomenon spurred me to consider artistic activities in dealing mental distress. Eventually, I was motivated to study Psychology at Ryerson University; I hope to keep my path toward Art Therapy at Concordia University.

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

Western traditions narrowly define art as a market-oriented specialized discipline (Levine & Levine, 2004). When art is used therapeutically, content and meaning take priority over mechanics and technicalities.

Art can be therapeutic in many ways. Other purposes for art include the creation of a sense of self-understanding, a search for meaning, and promotion of personal growth. Art therapy is even healing for some children. As Cathy Malchiodi states, “Many of us have lost contact with these purposes or have not realized that art is more than novelty or ornamentation” (What is Art Therapy? 2). Art has always depicted a wide range of emotions, from happiness to devastation and in that way, it has conveyed experiences without words. Art therapy does this same thing; it conveys emotions through using art rather than using words. Many historical events have been recorded using artwork and Malchiodi explains, “Cultures through the ages have been defined and understood through their art” (What is Art Therapy? 2). Considering its history however, art therapy is still not widely known and often

Engagement with art activities, either as the observer of the creative efforts of others or as an initiator of their own creative efforts, can enhance moods, emotions, and other psychological states as well as a salient impact on important physiological parameters. Health is defined as a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being rather than the absence of disease or infirmity. The article compares art, healing, and health as one. Chronic diseases are a burden, with cardiovascular disease being the leading cause of death and the incidence of diabetes continuing to increase. These diseases are associated with psychosocial difficulties like depression and chronic stress, contributing to negative cardiovascular outcomes. Engagement

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. A goal in art therapy is to improve or restore a client’s functioning and his or her sense of personal well-being.

question, here is a definition “Art therapy is the application of the visual arts and the creative process within a