How Art Therapy Is Used to Help People Heal

The use of artistic methods to treat psychological disorders and enhance psychological state is understood as art therapy. It may surprise you to find out that artists are often an efficient tool in psychological state treatment. What could art possibly need to do with psychotherapy? As an expressive medium, art is often wont to help clients communicate, overcome stress, and explore different aspects of their personalities.

What Is Art Therapy?

Art therapy integrates psychotherapeutic techniques with the creative process to enhance psychological state and well-being. The goal of art therapy is to utilize the creative process to assist people in exploring self-expression and, in doing so, find new ways to realize personal insight and develop new coping skills.

Techniques utilized in art therapy can include drawing, painting, colouring, sculpting, or collage. As clients create art, they'll analyze what they need to be made and the way it makes them feel. Through exploring their craft, people can search for themes and conflicts which will be affecting their thoughts, emotions, and behaviours.

People don't get to have artistic ability or unique talent to participate in art therapy, and other people of all ages, including children, teens, and adults can enjoy it. Some research suggests that just the presence of art can play a neighbourhood in boosting psychological state. It also played a task in improving socialization and maintaining an identity outside of the hospital.

History

People are counting on the humanities to speak, express themselves, and heal for thousands of years. But art therapy didn't start to become a good program until the 1940s.

Doctors noted that individuals affected by mental disease often expressed themselves in drawings and other artworks, which led many to explore the utilization of art as a healing strategy.

Uses

Art therapy is often wont to treat a good range of mental disorders and psychological distress. In many cases, it'd be utilized in conjunction with other psychotherapy techniques like group psychotherapy or cognitive-behavioural therapy.

Some situations during which art therapy could be utilized include:

• Adults experiencing severe stress
• Children affected by behavioural or social problems at college or reception
• Children with learning disabilities
• Individuals suffering from a brain injury
• People experiencing mental health problems

Some conditions that art therapy could also be wont to treat include:

• Aging-related issues
• Anxiety
• Cancer
• Depression
• Eating disorders
• Emotional difficulties
• Family or relationship problems
• Medical conditions
• Psychological symptoms associated with other medical issues
• PTSD
• Psychosocial issues
• Stress
• Substance use

One review of the effectiveness of art therapy found that this system helped cancer patients undergoing medical treatment improve their quality of life and alleviated a spread of psychological symptoms.

Limitations

While research suggests that art therapy may be beneficial, some of the findings on its effectiveness are mixed.8 Studies are often small and inconclusive, so further research is needed to explore how and when art therapy could also be most beneficial.

How It Works

An art therapist may use a spread of art methods, including drawing, painting, sculpture, and collage with clients starting from young children to the elderly. Clients who have experienced emotional trauma, physical violence, domestic abuse, anxiety, depression, and other psychological issues can enjoy expressing themselves creatively.

Inpatient offices, private psychological state offices, schools, and community organizations are all possible settings where art therapy services could also be available. Some specific settings where art therapy might include:

• Art studios
• Colleges and universities
• Community centres
• Correctional facilities
• Elementary schools and high schools
• Group homes
• Homeless shelters
• Hospitals
• Private therapy offices
• Residential treatment centres
• Senior centres
• Wellness centre
• Women's shelters

People often wonder how an art therapy session differs from a typical course. In creating art, people are ready to specialize in their perceptions, imagination, and feelings.

How to Become an Art Therapist

If you are interested in becoming an art therapist, start by checking with your state to learn more about the education, training, and professional credentials you will need to practiceI. In most cases, you'll get first to become a licensed psychotherapist, professional counsellor, or caseworker to supply psychotherapy services.

In us, the Art Therapy Credentials Board, Inc.

You can learn more about the training and academic requirements to become an art therapist on the AATA website.

Art therapists fall into the umbrella term of recreational therapists, which also includes psychological state professionals who utilize performance, sports, and other recreational activities to facilitate mental wellness. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that the typical yearly salary for recreational therapists was $50,640 in 2018.