ART THERAPY KRISTIN S. KOEPKE, MA, LPC, ATR-BC
DEFINITION OF ART THERAPY CATHY MALCHIODI FROM ART THERAPY WITHOUT BORDERS, 2013, DEFINES ART THERAPY AS: ART THERAPY IS THE APPLICATION OF THE VISUAL ARTS AND THE CREATIVE PROCESS WITHIN A THERAPEUTIC RELATIONSHIP, TO SUPPORT, MAINTAIN, AND IMPROVE THE PSYCHOSOCIAL, PHYSICAL, COGNITIVE AND SPIRITUAL HEALTH OF THE INDIVIDUALS OF ALL AGES. IT IS BASED ON CURRENT AND EMERGING RESEARCH THAT ART MAKING IS A HEALTH-ENHANCING PRACTICE THAT POSITIVELY IMPACTS THE QUALITY OF LIFE. ART THERAPISTS ARE CREDENTIALED PROFESSIONALS WHO PURPOSIVELY USE SPECIFIC ART-BASED APPROACHES WITH CHILDREN, ADULTS, GROUPS AND FAMILIES TO SUPPORT, MAINTAIN, AND IMPROVE OVERALL HEALTH, PHYSICAL, EMOTIONAL AND COGNITIVE FUNCTIONING, INTERPERSONAL SKILLS, PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT, AND QUALITY OF LIFE.
HISTORY OF ART THERAPY IN THE 1940 S, MARGARET NAUMBURG BEGAN PUBLISHING HER WORK ON ART THERAPY AND SHE HAS BECOME TO BE KNOWN AS THE MOTHER OF ART THERAPY. HOWEVER, PRIOR TO THE 1940 S, ART CAN BE SEEN BACK TO PRE-HISTORIC TIMES AS USING ART AS A WAY TO PROCESS THEIR WORLD AND EXPRESS THOUGHT, I.E. CAVE DRAWINGS. THE FOUNDING FATHERS OF PSYCHOLOGY ALSO HAD THEIR HAND IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF ART THERAPY, ESPECIALLY CARL JUNG.
CARL JUNG TO PAINT WHAT WE SEE BEFORE US, IS A DIFFERENT ART FROM PAINTING WHAT WE SEE WITHIN. JUNG BECAME FASCINATED WITH MANDALAS AND THE SYMBOLISM PASSED THROUGH THE COLLECTIVE UNCONSCIOUS.
ART THERAPY AND PSYCHOANALYSIS THE FOUNDATION OF ART THERAPY IS MOST CLOSELY LINKED TO PSYCHOANALYSIS, THAT IMAGES DRAWN COME FROM THE UNCONSCIOUS. OFTEN ENOUGH WHAT CANNOT BE EXPRESSED THROUGH WORDS CAN BE EXPRESSED THROUGH ARTWORK.
ART THERAPY BEYOND PSYCHOANALYSIS THERE ARE ART OBJECTIVES THAT CAN BE USED IN SESSION THAT MOVE BEYOND THE THEORY OF PSYCHOANALYSIS. A COMMONLY USED EXAMPLE IS CBT IN ART THERAPY WITH MY CHILD AND ADOLESCENT CLIENT. THEY ARE FOUND IN THE USE OF WORKBOOKS AND ARE ADDRESSING A SPECIFIC PROBLEM OR BEHAVIOR. EXAMPLES OF THIS ARE ANGER, IMPULSIVE BEHAVIORS, AND ANXIETY.
ART THERAPY IN PSYCHOLOGICAL TESTING RORSCHACH TEST THEMATIC APPERCEPTION TEST (TAT) HOUSE-TREE-PERSON DRAW-A-PERSON THESE ARE BASED ON THE POSTULATE THAT PROJECTIVE DRAWINGS CAN BE USED AS A CLINICAL TOOL IN THAT A PERSON S INNER WORLD COULD BE SEEN AND UNDERSTOOD.
BENEFITS OF ART THERAPY IN ART THERAPY THE CLIENT IS USING BOTH THE RIGHT AND LEFT SIDE OF THEIR BRAINS THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE BRAIN IS SPATIAL AND VISUAL THE LEFT SIDE IS VERBAL THE LEFT SIDE CAN BECOME CONSTRAINED BY LOGICAL AND RATIONAL ORDER OF WORDS THE RIGHT SIDE OFFERS DIFFERENT COMPLEXITIES AND EXPRESSION, OFTEN IN THE PRECONSCIOUS
BENEFITS OF ART THERAPY CONTINUED THE ARTWORK BECOMES A BRIDGE OF WHAT IS OCCURRING IN THE INNER WORLD OF THE CLIENT TO THE SURFACE THIS HELPS THE CLIENT HAVE A GREATER UNDERSTANDING OF SELF WITH THIS INTEGRATION HELPS THE CLIENT BE CREATIVE AND PROBLEM-SOLVE CLIENTS LEARN THERAPEUTIC TOOLS TO ALLEVIATE DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY TO USE OUTSIDE OF SESSIONS
ART AS THERAPY THIS IS THE PROCESS OF ART MAKING AS BEING THERAPEUTIC. IT CAN BE A STRESS RELIEVER AND ANXIETY REDUCER. THIS IS MOST OFTEN SEEN TO BE USED BY NON-ART THERAPISTS. IT COULD BE AN OPEN STUDIO CONCEPT THAT WORKS WITH MENTALLY ILL.
ART IN THERAPY THE PROCESS OF ART IS USED IN A THERAPEUTIC RELATIONSHIP WHERE IT HELPS THE CLIENT COMMUNICATE THOUGHTS AND FEELINGS AND THE CLINICIAN IS THERE TO HELP SUPPORT THAT PROCESS. THE ART PROCESS IF OFTEN COMMUNICATED SYMBOLICALLY, EXPRESSING THEIR PERSONALITY AND EMOTIONS OF THEIR HUMAN EXPERIENCE.
EDUCATION FOR ART THERAPISTS A STUDENT MUST BE ADMITTED TO A MASTERS PROGRAM THAT IS ACCREDITED BY THE AMERICAN ART THERAPY ASSOCIATION. PRE-REQUISITES INCLUDE A BACHELORS DEGREE AND A MINIMUM OF 18 SEMESTER HOURS OF STUDIO ART AND A MINIMUM OF 12 SEMESTER HOURS OF PSYCHOLOGY, WHICH MUST INCLUDE DEVELOPMENTAL AND ABNORMAL PSYCHOLOGY. A MINIMUM OF 48 SEMESTER HOURS, SOME STATES REQUIRING 60 SEMESTER HOURS FOR LICENSURE AND A PRACTICUM AND INTERNSHIP, RESULTING IN 700 HOURS.
POST-GRADUATION ART THERAPIST CREDENTIALING ATCB IS THE CREDENTIALING BOARD FOR ART THERAPIST. STUDENTS MUST LOG THEIR SUPERVISION HOURS WITH A CREDENTIALED ART THERAPIST TO BECOME CREDENTIALED, IT IS A TWO STEP PROCESS. A CLINICIAN WILL FIRST APPLY FOR THEIR ATR WHICH MAKES THEM A REGISTERED ART THERAPIST. ONCE THAT IS GIVEN, THE CLINICIAN MAY TAKE THE SECOND STEP OF PROFESSIONALISM IN THE FIELD OF ART THERAPY AND TAKE THE BOARD CERTIFICATION EXAM. UPON SUCCESSFUL COMPLETION OF THE EXAM, THE CLINICIAN WILL THEN EARN THEIR BC, GIVING THEM THEIR CREDENTIALS OF ATR-BC
USING ART IN SESSION FOR THE NON-ART THERAPIST A NON-ART THERAPIST SHOULD NOT BE USING ART THERAPY PROJECTIVE DRAWINGS IN SESSIONS OR WITH ANY CLIENT A NON-ART THERAPIST SHOULD NOT BE INTERPRETING THE CLIENT S ART A NON-ART THERAPIST SHOULD ALSO BE CAUTIOUS OF THE ART MATERIALS USED
USING ART FOR THE NON-ART THERAPIST CONTINUED MEDIUMS SHOULD BE SIMPLE AND NOT MESSY. EXAMPLES ARE COLLAGE MATERIALS (CUT OUT MAGAZINE IMAGES, GLUE, SCISSORS, AND PAPER), MARKERS, COLORED PENCILS, AND CRAYONS. HAVE THEM EXPRESS THEIR THOUGHTS AND FEELINGS OR AN EXPERIENCE THAT IS TOO PAINFUL TO VERBALIZE (THIS MAY BE DEFINED AS ART AS THERAPY, WHERE IT BECOMES A THERAPEUTIC RELEASE TO EXPRESS THE THOUGHT/FEELING THROUGH THE ART MAKING PROCESS)
HISTORY OF MANDALAS COMES FROM THE SANSKRIT LANGUAGE AND MEANS CIRCLE. OTHER INTERPRETATIONS OF MANDALA IS A SACRED CIRCLE OR A CONTAINER, ALLUDING TO PSYCHOLOGICAL AND MYSTICAL MEANING WITHIN THE BUDDHIST AND HINDU TRADITIONS, IT IS VIEWED AS A SACRED SYMBOL IN THE SPIRITUAL JOURNEY.
HISTORY OF MANDALAS CONTINUED MANDALAS CAN BE TRACED THROUGHOUT TIME, TRACED BACK TO PREHISTORIC AND INDIGENOUS ART. EXAMPLES OF THIS ARE THE NEOLITHIC SITES AND THE SPIRALS INSCRIBED INTO THE STONES. MANDALAS ARE SEEN IN THE CHRISTIAN CULTURE, USED AS A TEACHING TOOL IN THE FORM OF PAINTINGS ON CHURCH WALLS AND HAVE EVOLVED TO STAINED GLASS WINDOWS, SUCH AS THAT SEEN IN NOTRE DAME, PARIS. MANDALAS ARE CROSSED OVER INTO THE WORLD OF PSYCHOLOGY, AS MENTIONED BEFORE, WITH CARL JUNG. HE USED MANDALAS AS A JOURNEY OF PSYCHOLOGICAL WHOLENESS BOTH WITH HIMSELF AND WITH HIS CLIENTS. MANDALAS ARE ALSO SEEN IN NATURE, INCLUDING WEATHER PATTERNS SUCH AS HURRICANES.
MANDALAS AS A MEDITATIVE TOOL MANDALAS ARE USED FREQUENTLY TO QUIET THE MIND, THUS AS A STRESS RELIEVER, REDUCING ANXIETY, AND PRACTICING MINDFULNESS. THIS CAN BE DONE BY CREATING YOUR OWN MANDALA DESIGN OR COLORING A PRE-MADE MANDALA
MANDALA IN THE UNIVERSE
MANDALA IN WEATHER
MANDALA IN THE EARTH
MANDALA IN OUR FEATURES
MANDALA IN NATURE
MANDALA IN THE SEA
MANDALA IN ANIMALS
MANDALA IN INSECTS
MANDALA IN HINDUISM
MANDALA IN CELTIC CROSS
MANDALA IN NAVAJO S
MANDALA IN CHRISTIANITY
MANDALA IN BUDDHISM
TIME FOR YOU TO TRY
REFERENCES GOOGLE IMAGES WWW.ATWB.ORG A MULTI-MODAL APPROACH TO CREATIVE ART THERAPY BY ARTHUR ROBBINS A HISTORY OF ART THERAPY IN THE UNITED STATES BY MAXINE BOROWSKY JUNGE THE MANDALA BIBLE: THE DEFINITIVE GUIDE TO USING SACRED SHAPES BY MADONNA GAUDING ZEN MANDALAS: SACRED CIRCLES INSPIRED BY ZENTANGLE BY SUZANNE MC NEIL, CZT