Art Therapy Personal Statement Essay

Lefèvre, Ledoux and Filbet (2015) researched the painting therapy not only importing the mental state such as sadness, anxiety and depression. Also, it can enhance

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.

I found the article  "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." on the Gale Group website.

2013). Ultimately, to ensure the provision of art-based therapies in mental health care are informed, evidence-based and embody the principles of clinical governance for safe and quality practice, the literature surrounding this issue must be appraised through a critique and synthesis

Decision/mission statement I decided to pursue pre-art therapy as an undergraduate major after I had researched and looked around at many job options and careers. I found art therapy and immediately knew that it was something that I wanted to do. Before finding art therapy I had never heard of it before but after I read about it I knew that it was a good career for me as it combined three things that I love; art, helping people, and children. After finding art therapy as a career I began to search into colleges that had an art therapy undergraduate degree. When I discovered Indiana Wesleyan had art therapy as an undergraduate degree I knew that I wanted to come here because it was a christian community where I could learn the things I wanted

Art has been my passion since childhood. Spending three years within the teaching environment was where I thought I belonged. Before receiving my Bachelor of Fine Art in painting from Metropolitan State University of Denver a personal experience that connects to my reservation and adoption into the Clinical Mental Health program was one of tragic loss. On January 9, 2002, my son’s life abruptly ended and during the grieving process I started expressing myself through painting. In searching for serenity, individual counseling became enhance. Finding a therapist with a background in marriage and family/art therapy became a visual depiction, a self-portrait symbolizing my external realities and internal emotions immediately following his suicide. Driven to face an extremely irritating and stressful paradox to the best of my ability while trying to keep the constitutional need to endure my life as fully as possible.

What do I imagine, assume or know about becoming an Art Therapist, I imagine that this career will be rewarding. I assume that training is necessary. I know hard work is important. Through my research, it is my goal to discover if this is the right job for me. I envision that becoming Art Therapist will be difficult.

I grew up alongside the wild Rocky Mountain Columbines, where the air is crisp and the winters are long. I spent my time engaging in the arts such as acting, writing, and creating. From a young age I was drawn to the world of imagination and found happiness through producing art. We all face and over come challenges within our lives and whenever I am faced with hardship I find comfort in visually expressing myself.

When I transferred from UNCG I had overcome a very difficult emotional (what). I began to use my personal struggles to create these drawings of women who were dealing with internal struggles and whenever I drew I felt my mind release tension, a feeling of relaxation and freedom I could not get from anything else. Deciding to become an art therapist was one of the best decisions I have had. The idea of allowing all sorts of people with diverse backgrounds, emotional struggles or just pure imagination to express every bit of themselves in any medium gives me pure bliss. Intuitively I believe that everyone has a yearning to express how they feel and if I can help someone along their journey of self-discovery I'd be honored. I believe that God gave me the ability to use my hands to create transcendence in myself. Starting at a young age art was my backbone and strength, I was amazed daily with the pieces

Attending The Mississippi School of Arts is not only an opportunity, but a privilege. Working with a large network of alumni and former students that have similar passions in life, can keep me motivated to do art. Having a community of artist around will help me to stay productive and creative. Surrounding myself with other artist can lead to new ideas, constructive criticism, and a great camaraderie with classmates. I want to be able to attend workshops and lectures, meet with visiting artist, and participate in extracurricular activities that bring me in contact with other artist. By the time I graduate, I hope to have an the opportunity to meet with numerous individuals in the art and design world. These connections can help me lead to art

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.

An experienced design artist with a Fine Arts degree, who made the transition to studying psychology, I bring a unique background and perspective as a psychology student. My interest in Psychology began with my curiosity in the relationship between art and mental health. South Korea, my birthplace, has some of the longest working hours of any country. The people I met while working there often suffered from work-related stress that linked with symptoms of depression and anxiety. However, few were willing to discuss their situation. Due to cultural issues, people are loath to visit clinicians – instead, they commonly ascribe precarious moods to their mindsets. This phenomenon spurred me to consider artistic activities as a mean with which to deal with negative mood. As a result, my personal interest motivated me to study psychology at Ryerson University; I now hope to continue this path towards Clinical Psychology by enrolling at the McGill University.

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.

What is art therapy and does it really work? When one thinks of a therapist and an artist you think of two