One part of grad school is trying to find the specific interest or the population you might be interested in. One specific interest for me is children and adolescents. Adolescence is a specific interest for me because I worked at the boys and girls club in the teen center and really enjoyed my time with those kids. Adolescence is an important time in an individual’s life, it is filled with development and growth. Erik Erikson believed adolescence was a time of exploration and finding one’s identity (Parisian, 2015). Adolescence is a time where individuals navigate from being a child to becoming an adult while also trying to find their own identity and a place for themselves. Many things come together to make up one’s identity like experiences, sexuality, culture, race, gender, and social and biological pressures (Gussak & Rosal, 2016; Parisian, 2015). During this time, many things can also create conflict in an adolescent’s life and create issues in identity development. Art therapy can be a valuable treatment for adolescents. By engaging, empowering, and helping teens find their identity, art therapy can be a useful tool for adolescents (Gussak & Rosal, 2016). Creating, discussing, and meaning-making can make an environment where teenagers thrive in therapy (Gussak & Rosal, 2016). Some big issues that art therapy can help with are bullying, brain injuries, and at-risk youth.
Bullying
Bullying is an issue, especially in adolescents, it is when one inflicts distress or harm on another individual (Sosin &Rockinson-Szapkiw, 2016). I feel like now, more than ever, bullying happens online or in school and it can be detrimental. Bullying has been shown to negatively affect adolescences and targets of bullying can develop underlying issues that stay long-term into development. Bullying can occur not only at school but because of the growth of technology, online. Art therapy and creative intervention are possible ways to help adolescence deal with bullying and symptoms from bullying.
Sosin and Rockinson-Szapkiw's (2016) study looked at the effect of the creative intervention for adolescence who have experienced bullying and who have symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). By using a combination of cognitive-behavioral therapy, mindfulness, and art therapy; the authors developed the Creative Exposure intervention to help adolescents with symptoms of bullying. A case study, with one adolescent named Sidney, implemented several steps including emotion regulation, bully-related imagery, solutions, and application. In this study, it was found the Creative Exposure intervention could help combat the symptoms from exposure to bullying. The treatment intervention has the potential for success with other adolescents struggling with PTSD symptoms from bullying.
Brain Injuries
Agnihotri et al. (2014) studied art-based interventions for adolescences with acquired brain injuries (ABI). Social skills are important to an adolescent’s development but those with ABI seem to lack or be limited in those fundamental social skills, leading to possible isolation. In this study, each adolescent participated in multiple four-hour intensive theatre skills program. Agnihotri et al. measured emotional awareness, pragmatic communication skills, and self-esteem. With the art-based intervention, positive changes were associated with social skills, communication, and participation. Overall, this study found a potential for art-based intervention with the positive effects it had on adolescents with ABI. This study is a start and more research will help integrate adolescences with ABI into communities and inform more people on the issues of ABI.
At-Risk Youth
Gussak and Rosal (2016) discussed a project from 2004 of a group of middle school students, vulnerable to gang affiliation, who were placed in a service project at the Los Angeles Museum of Tolerance. The group worked on decorating self-representational figures, this allowed the adolescents to create themselves and a place for themselves in this world. The art therapy technique, over time, helped with self-empowerment, the ability to acknowledge issues they face and to move forward to maturity. By implementing and making available art therapy, adolescents improved self- awareness and developed coping skills they can use throughout life.
Forrest-Bank, Nicotera, Bassett, and Ferrarone (2016) researched art interventions with urban, low-income youth. Adolescence’s in low-income urban neighborhoods are more at risk to be involved in crime, drugs, and more likely to have behavioral problems. This study looks at art intervention as well as the positive youth development (PYD) programs that work to create opportunities for youth and fight possible risks. Poetry was the main art focus and some participants experienced positive reactions to the intervention like growth in confidence, willingness to open up emotionally and gain support from others in the group.
There are many more things in the adolescent population that art therapy can be beneficial too. This time of identity exploration can also be a time of great struggle and identity issues. Art therapy techniques can be helpful with these struggles arising in adolescence and help the transition into adulthood. There are a variety of ways art therapy can help within the adolescent population and why this topic is interesting to many.
References
Agnihotri, S., Gray, J., Colantonio, A., Polatajko, H., Cameron, D., Wiseman-Hakes, C., … Keightley, M. (2014). Arts-based social skills interventions for adolescents with acquired brain injuries: Five case reports. Developmental Neurorehabilitation, 17(1), 44–63. doi:10.3109/17518423.2013.844739
Forrest-Bank, S. S., Nicotera, N., Bassett, D. M., & Ferrarone, P. (2016). Effects of an expressive art intervention with urban youth in low-income neighborhoods. Child & Adolescent Social Work Journal, 33(5), 429–441. doi:10.1007/s10560-016-0439-3
Gussak, D. E., & Rosal, M. L. (2016). The Wiley Handbook of Art Therapy. New York: Wiley.
Parisian, K. (2015). Identity formation: Art therapy and an adolescent’s search for self and belonging. Art Therapy, 32(3), 130–135. doi:10.1080/07421656.2015.1061257
Sosin, L. S., & Rockinson-Szapkiw, A. J. (2016). Creative exposure intervention as part of clinical treatment for adolescents exposed to bullying and experiencing posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms. Journal of Creativity in Mental Health, 11(3–4), 391–408. Retrieved from http://uc.opal-libraries.org/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=psyh&AN=2017-00226-014&site=ehost-live
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