Art therapy combines creative process, visual arts, and counseling which promote creative expression and symbolic communication through artistic activities (Art Therapy Medical Definition, 2018). The American Art Therapy Association (AATA) describes art therapy as a mental health profession that uses art to explore emotions and conflicts, become more aware of self, behaviors, and social skills, and to work on anxiety, reality orientation, and self-esteem (American Art Therapy Association, 2013). Self-expression and improving functioning are goals in art therapy and the limits are endless with the techniques and media that can be included in sessions. Painting, drawing, and sculpting are just some of the methods clients can use to express themselves. In art therapy, clients can discuss emotions and feelings verbally but also, with art media, ‘show’ how they are feeling and relive some stress of needed commination. Similar to the variety of art media that can be used, art therapy can also be used to help a wide variety of populations from children, to adults, to the elderly with multiple conditions from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), cancer, trauma, Alzheimer’s, brain injuries, autism, depression and other disorders (American Art Therapy Association, 2013). This blog will explore some specific types of art therapy that I find important and that explains why this therapy has a lot of variety in treatment types and to who it can help. I will also incorporate my own feelings about the frameworks as well as how I think love is important in art therapy.
Types of Art Therapy
Art therapy is so flexible to many because there are multiple art therapy frameworks to use like Psychoanalytic Art Therapy, Expressive Therapy, Gestalt Art Therapy, Archetypal Art Therapy, and many more. Throughout the year's art therapy has grown from starting off linked to psychoanalytic therapy to breaking off into other theoretical frameworks that help therapists use many different techniques for different individuals. I appreciate where we have come from, without Freud and his ideas about the unconscious we might live in a very different world.
Psychoanalytical art therapists believe that the unconscious plays a very important role in the client’s problems and making the unconscious conscious is the goal (Gussak & Rosal, 2016). Art psychotherapy and art-as-therapy are the two main techniques that come together to make up psychoanalytical art therapy. Art-as-therapy focuses more on the art-making process and the creation of the art as therapeutic whereas art psychotherapy focuses on the process of making the art and insight gained from the discussion (Moon, 2017). I found art therapy based on the technique of art-as-therapy and am really drawn to the ideas of Edith Kramer and her therapy approach that does not focus on uncovering the unconscious but rather using the art as a coping mechanism. Margaret Naumburg believed that arts meaning comes only from the artist and art should be used as a tool in therapy (Gussak & Rosal, 2016). I believe both views should be used depending on the client and their needs.
Hinz (2009) describes the expressive therapies continuum (ETC) and how the expressive therapy framework has healing abilities that come from creativity and experiences of expression. In this continuum, there are three levels called Kinesthetic/Sensory, Perceptual/Affective, and Cognitive/Symbolic which all lead to moving from lower levels to higher levels. The Kinesthetic/sensory level focuses on motor movement and exploration of materials, perceptual/affective level focus on forms and emotions, and the cognitive/symbolic level looks at the conceptual meaning and symbolic use of shapes and color. There is also a creative expression level that can be reached throughout any of the three levels. The levels were created from and influences by other frameworks all put together into one to help unify and understand the art therapy process (Gussak & Rosal, 2016).
Gussak and Rosal (2016) describe Gestalt art therapy as an approach that sees value in both the creation of the art and the reflection of the art. This framework expresses the importance of staying in the immediate experience and artistic language. Like mentioned before sometimes communication can be difficult for clients and Gestalt art therapy views art expression as a way to communicate the complex thought and feelings within. I view Gestalt art therapy as a very important process and can see myself using it in the future, I especially like the idea of expanding consciousness through the creative process, becoming more aware of the self and world around me.
Archetypal art therapy is “an image-focused therapy” that values artworks and uses an imaginal approach rather than symbolic (Gussak & Rosal, 2016, p.37). While doing archetypal art therapy you must look closely at the structure of the image as well as use metaphorical language to describe the works that are created. Archetypal art therapy is a process that requires discipline to stay focused on what you are making and what is actually presented through the art. I am interested in how this framework uses the imaginal aspect and lets the image unfold as the session goes, both client and therapist focusing on the art which I think helps relieve some pressure off what therapies could be. This therapy also has to do with loving art and “loving images, with entering them in reverie” (Gussak & Rosal, 2016, p. 42).
Loving Art Therapy
Moon (2017) mentions that making art is an act of love and I believe art therapy is intertwined deeply with love. Five elements that need to be present in art therapy are discipline, focus, patience, mastery, faith, and they all are tied into love. We need to be disciplined to be good art therapists, we constantly need to practice our self-control and our responses to clients. We also need focus and to concentrate on our client and their work. While I am learning, focusing is so important and while I am an art therapist it is just as important, it will help to “identify and utilize strengths” of myself and my clients (p. 16). Typically, art therapy treatments are longer periods of time and progress takes time and patience. Having patience will result in better decision making and stronger compassion for clients. Clients being patient with themselves will also help within therapy sessions. While working with clay last semester, I learned that the entire process requires certain steps and patience that is required to master it. Mastery is the struggle you take to become and work toward something. It is an important part of becoming an art therapist and for clients to understand the struggle of working through issues. Many argue that making ‘good’ art is not the purpose of art therapy and I agree with that for the first couple sessions but, I do think it is important to improve on your work and on self. Lastly, faith is needed, “faith in the goodness of life, the arts, others, and ourselves” (p.22). Faith is powerful, the idea that there is a chance to change, to be better, to help people, and to grow in the things you are passionate for. I had faith that I would become an art therapist even since the start of high school and here I am, I also have faith that I will be a great art therapist and hope to change lives and love that this is my path. Love is at the center of all these elements that are vital parts of what art therapy is and what being an art therapist is.
Final Thoughts
Art therapy is a beautiful process that combines art-making and counseling to help facilitate clients with healing and growth. The act of self-expression through different media to communicate possible struggle within is powerful and flourishing therapy. Art therapy is a combination of two worlds that come together to help a multitude of people from diverse backgrounds and with different conditions. Intertwined into art therapy is love and “the creation of art is an act of love” (Moon, 2017, p. 11). Art therapy to me is personal growth not only for my clients but for myself constantly. Showing love through art therapy is important to me, I want my clients to experience the act of love through art therapy.
References
Art Therapy Medical Definition. (2018). Retrieved from https://www.merriam-webster.com/medical/art therapy
American Art Therapy Association. (2017). About Art Therapy. Retrieved from https://arttherapy.org/about-art-therapy/
Gussak, D. E., & Rosal, M. L. (2016). The Wiley Handbook of Art Therapy. New York: Wiley.
Hinz, L. D. (2009). Expressive therapies continuum: A framework for using art in therapy. New York: Routledge.
Moon, B. L. (2017). Introduction to art therapy: Faith in the product. Springfield, IL, U.S.A.: Charles C. Thomas, Publisher.
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