mardi 17 juin 2014

The Benefits Of Using An Art Therapist

By Ina Hunt


There are numerous types of therapy. Some may be more effective than others. What one person may respond to another may not appreciate. Therefore it helps to consider another approach. One type of therapy you may not have considered is using the services of an art therapist.

It has been known for some time that people suffering from mental, social or emotional problems often expressed themselves through drawing or other forms of art. Indeed a lot of people rightly or wrongly associate creativity with a different kind of mental perspective. It was only until the mid twentieth century that mental health professionals began to develop a formal frame work that would come to be defined as art therapy.

Over time therapists began to use this to their advantage, using the creativity of the patient to get a deeper understanding. However it was not until the middle of the twentieth century that art therapy began to be recognised as a treatment in and of itself. More recently people have begun to realise the benefits of getting patients to express themselves.

In effect the idea is that anyone being treated has an equal chance of receiving a positive benefit from the treatment. It may be applied in different ways such as part of their rehabilitation or as a form of psychotherapy. However the act itself is often enough to get people thinking beyond what they would normally talk about with their friends, family and even sometimes illustrate more than they would be able to discuss verbally with a therapist.

In other cases a patient may be capable of verbal communication but may be too traumatised to discuss this. For example if a child has been abused or an adult has gone through a similar traumatic event then they are less likely to talk about it, even if the therapist does their best to create a comfortable, non threatening environment. They may become quiet or in the more severe cases lash out in an aggressive way.

A therapist in this field will be trained in both art and in therapy. This will allow them to professionally supervise the creative process but also keep in mind the purpose of the exercise. Often someone working on a piece will not realise the subconscious symbols in their work.

It should also be said that this may also be combined with other treatments. Often this is an effective way of getting previously reticent people to be more in touch with their emotions and better able to express them. This is often due to the fact that the creative project allows more objective perspective from their emotional issues. Over time this can mean a change in both perception and behaviour.

There are numerous organisations you can find online to help you find therapists who specialise in this field. They may not necessarily just use painting, sculpture and so forth with many also using drama, role play and other forms of expressive exercises to help people. Look online for more information as well as feedback from people who have used this kind of therapy in the past.




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