Art Therapy
Art therapy is a field in the area of mental health that uses art and the creative process as therapy. Any art or craft form imaginable (e.g., photography, painting, drawing, clay work, collaging, bookmaking, etc.) can be utilized for therapeutic purposes. The key is the intent and purposeful use of the materials and products to help an individual. The goal of the use of art is therapeutic and not recreational or educational (Rubin, 2009). In the therapeutic practice, art becomes a third therapeutic element. Therapy becomes a triad between participant, therapist, and the art.
The use of art and other expressive forms as part of healing processes is almost as old as humanity itself. Ancient cultures (as well as many Native American and other non-western cultures currently use) used art forms such as the creation of images, dances, and songs as part of their healing rituals and to address other aspects that related to mental and emotional health (Gussack, 2016; Rubin, 2009). Carl Jung and Sigmund Freud’s theories and ideas on the unconscious and dreams are considered bedrock from where the field grew (Gussack, 2016, page 8). Since 1916 Carl Jung made references to using art as psychotherapy as well as putting importance to the creative process as therapy (McNiff, 1998). In the United States, the practice of art therapy started in the 1940s with the work of Margaret Neumemberg (Gussack, 2016). According to Margaret Neumemberg, “mother of art therapy” art was a form of non-verbal communication and a path to the unconscious (Gussack, 2016). For Edith Kramer, another matriarch of the field, the creative process itself was healing (Gussack, 2016).
One of the biggest values of this therapeutic form is that it allows for a non-verbal form of expression and communication. “The arts offer a way to hold, express and release emotions and they provide rich possibilities to deepen and expand personal understanding and meaning, to create and nurture community and to sustain life” (Atkins, 2017). For example traumatic experiences are encoded non-verbally in the brain this makes these experiences hard to talk about and explain but because they can be easier to access by visual representations (Huss, 2015). In this visual and tangible format, the experience can be explored and reinterpreted verbally to allow integration and reframing of the traumatic experience (Huss, 2015, 75). This is also beneficial when working with children because it can supplement and facilitate communication as they are still developing their communication skills.
Table of Contents
- Introduction
- Methods
- Child Development
- Development, Screens, and Nature
- Ecotherapy
- Art Therapy
- Art and Ecotherapy
- Art-Eco Therapy and Child Motor Skills
- Discussion
- References