"Art therapy is a mental health profession that uses the creative process of art making to improve and enhance the physical, mental and emotional well-being of individuals of all ages. It is based on the belief that the creative process involved in artistic self-expression helps people to resolve conflicts and problems, develop interpersonal skills, manage behavior, reduce stress, increase self-esteem and self-awareness, and achieve insight. Art therapy integrates the fields of human development, visual art (drawing, painting, sculpture, and other art forms), and the creative process with models of counseling and psychotherapy. Art therapy is used with children, adolescents, adults, older adults, groups, and families to assess and treat the following: anxiety, depression, and other mental and emotional problems and disorders; substance abuse and other addictions; family and relationship issues; abuse and domestic violence; social and emotional difficulties related to disability and illness; trauma and loss; physical, cognitive, and neurological problems; and psychosocial difficulties related to medical illness." ~
Art therapy supports the belief that all individuals have the capacity to express themselves creatively and that the product is less important than the therapeutic process involved. The therapist’s focus is not specifically on the aesthetic merits of art making but on the therapeutic needs of the person to express (Malchiodi,2003). It can be used to tap the body’s relaxation response. It can help in reduction of anxiety, helping the child feel comfortable with therapist, increasing memory retrieval, organizing narratives, and prompting the child to tell more details than in a solely verbal interview (Gross and Haynes, 1998 as cited in Malchiodi).
According to American Art Therapy Association (1996), as cited in Malchiodi’s Art Therapy Handbook (2003), Art therapy is based on the idea that the creative process of art making is healing and life enhancing and is a form of nonverbal communication of thoughts and feelings. It provides personal growth, increase self-understanding and assist in emotional reparation and has been employed in a wide variety of settings with children, adults, families and groups. It is a modality that can help individuals of all ages create meaning and achieve insight, find relief from overwhelming emotions or trauma, resolve conflicts or problems enrich daily life, and achieve an increased sense of well-being.
Art therapy supports the belief that all individuals have the capacity to express themselves creatively and that the product is less important than the therapeutic process involved. The therapist’s focus is not specifically on the aesthetic merits of art making but on the therapeutic needs of the person to express (Malchiodi,2003). It can be used to tap the body’s relaxation response. It can help in reduction of anxiety, helping the child feel comfortable with therapist, increasing memory retrieval, organizing narratives, and prompting the child to tell more details than in a solely verbal interview (Gross and Haynes, 1998 as cited in Malchiodi).
According to American Art Therapy Association (1996), as cited in Malchiodi’s Art Therapy Handbook (2003), Art therapy is based on the idea that the creative process of art making is healing and life enhancing and is a form of nonverbal communication of thoughts and feelings. It provides personal growth, increase self-understanding and assist in emotional reparation and has been employed in a wide variety of settings with children, adults, families and groups. It is a modality that can help individuals of all ages create meaning and achieve insight, find relief from overwhelming emotions or trauma, resolve conflicts or problems enrich daily life, and achieve an increased sense of well-being.
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