Art Therapy: Uses and Techniques

Art therapy is a type of psychotherapy that uses creative and artistic methods to treat clients or patients with mental health disorders and enhance their mental health. In this psychotherapy, along with talk therapy the clients or patients are asked to create different types of arts to express themselves and their thoughts. The ideation behind this is that creative expressive arts can enhance a person’s mental health and healing process. It helps people in many ways such as improving social skills, developing self awareness, enhancing one’s self-esteem, exploring and understanding one’s emotions, to point out one’s unresolved emotional conflicts. The art therapists are well-trained with the materials and media used in this therapy appropriate for each patient on the basis of their psychological problems. The techniques are customized depending on the age, physical or mental disability of the client and their reasons for help seeking. There are a number of art therapy techniques such as painting, drawing, sculptures, collage, writing, photos, textile, digital, doodling, making cards, scribbling etc.

Use of Art Therapy in Different Areas and Disorders

Art therapy is highly used in enhancing self-awareness, exploring one’s emotions, addressing unresolved and hidden emotional conflicts, refining social skills, and increasing self esteem. It is also used for client’s with various physical and mental disorders such as anxiety, depression, substance dependency, stress, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), aging and geraitric issues, cancer, compassion fatigue, heart disease, anorexia, bulimia, other eating disorders, cognitive impairments, family or relationship issues, childhood trauma, disabilities and special educational needs, criminal conviction as a juvenile, chronic asthma, improving their approach to conflict resolution, enhancing social skills, managing stress, strengthening their ability to self-regulate, improving their understanding of themselves.

Brief History of Art Therapy

The term “art therapy” was introduced by British artist Adrian Hill in the year 1942 (mid-20th century Europe)and while he was recovering from tuberculosis he found out about the health benefits of the therapy. During that time, a lot of people used to suffer from tuberculosis and were admitted in the nursing homes and it was observed that drawing and painting provided a freedom of emotions to the patients while battling with the disease.

Soon, the practices of art therapy spreaded to mental hospitals because of the work of Edward Adamson who contributed through observing and further studying about the connection between artistic expression and emotional release. In 1964, the British Association of Art Therapist was formed.

Around the same time, The most influential North American practitioners and educators named Margaret Naumburg and artist Edith Kramer had started practicing art therapy in the United States. Naumburg associated art with the expression of the unconscious by using free association, on the other hand Kramer became famous for placing a foundation for art therapy education. Later, the American Art Therapy Association was established in 1987.

After the establishment of these associations, more organizations were formed around the world that included the Professional Association for Art Therapy in Australia, New Zealand and Singapore. Since the formation of these organizations in 1987 they have developed in practice and its geographic scope.

The establishment of the foundation of art therapy made way in the field of education and its approaches started being used in child psychotherapy. With the use of art therapy that involves creating art along the other therapeutic processes children were more able to express their feelings that was previously not possible to some extent due to underdeveloped and limited vocabulary.

Applications/Uses of Art Therapy

Art therapy is used to treat various physical health difficulties, personality development and many psychological disorders. Some of the applications of ‘art therapy’ are mentioned below:

Helps in reducing pain, decreasing symptoms of stress and improving quality of life in adult cancer patients.

Improves ability to deal with pain and other frightening symptoms in children with cancer.

Helps in reducing stress and anxiety in children with asthma.

Helps in stimulating mental function in older adults with dementia.

Research studies have indicated a reduction in depression in Parkinson's patients.

A Few Techniques of Art Therapy

Art Therapy Postcard Activity (A Drawing & Painting Art Therapy Technique)

This activity is appropriate when the client is having a problem but doesn't have the courage to face the situation/problem. It helps the client to write out everything that he/she wants to tell someone but is not able to do so face-to-face. This activity can be used one-on-one or in a group therapy session. The steps to conduct this activity is : Create a postcard style template or you can download a postcard template from a website. One side of the postcard can be left blank to draw or paint and the other side can be used for the client to write something. Ask the client to reflect on their problems, anger, sadness or hurt that they are feeling because of a situation or a person. Think and reflect on it for a couple of minutes on what happened at that moment, what feelings they felt that moment and what they want to say about their experience to the person who made them feel that way. Then, in the next step ask the client to draw or create a visual representation of their feeling about their experience that they felt during the incident or the feelings they feel now. Explain to the clients that there is no rule and they can use any material or any method to create any drawing they want. On the other side of the postcard the clients can write whatever they want to say if they could to that someone. Then, use the drawing and writing to explore the emotions of the client and ask them about the way they want to go further for a healing process.

Life Stages (A Collage Art Therapy Technique)

The collage therapy is a type of art therapy that does not include drawing or painting. In this therapy, a client is asked to make a collage that depicts their inner self or personal life or their thoughts, feelings and emotions. It is helpful especially when the client is not able to vocalize their feelings and emotions but can show it with the help of collage.

In this activity the client is asked to cut pictures from magazines and paste the pictures that best describe their each stage of life. This activity helps the therapist and the client to discuss the ways the client’s past is affecting their preset beliefs, attitudes and circumstances. It helps in increasing self-awareness and self-esteem by recalling past experiences, strengths and achievements. The steps to conduct the activity is : Provide or ask the client to arrange materials such as magazines, scissors, glue, markers, papers. Suggest the client to find photos from the magazines that represent their different stages of life and paste the pictures with the help of glue on a piece of 11” X 14” paper in any manner they want.

Group Fruit and Vegetable Basket (A Clay Art Therapy Technique)

A clay therapy is a type of art therapy in which a client or a group of people/clients are asked to create a sculpture or a model using clay or polymer clay (preferably, colorful polymer clay). It helps the client/clients to express their emotions, thoughts and feelings by creating a model and it also helps in building relationships with other people if conducted among groups.

This is a group activity that focuses on the reason for choosing a specific fruit or vegetable and how the client relates to that particular fruit or vegetable (e.g. sweet like mangoes, sour like lemon etc.) It also focuses on the mindfulness of the clients in terms of relating oneself with a particular fruit or vegetable in terms of its texture, color and scent. It helps in enhancing socializing, making connections and working as a group to promote their self-esteem. The steps to conduct this activity are : Arrange the following materials for the activity - Polymer clay in different colors (it should not be powdery or dusty and must be put together until baking), baking oven, bowl or basket. Ask the clients to list down different types of fruits and vegetables while visualizing their color, texture and shape, and imagine how they smell and feel while touching. Ask the clients to create a miniature-sized fruit or vegetable of their choice from the clay provided to them. Direct them to place their fruits or vegetables with others in the bowl or basket.

Tea Time (A Painting Art Therapy Technique)

This is a group activity that focuses on the client's perception of relaxing and socializing with others. It is beneficial for understanding and exploring the group dynamics through the artworks and associated references. The goal of this activity is to enhance socialization and communication with others. The steps to conduct this activity are : Arrange the mentioned materials for the client - Paints, 18” X 24” paper, brushes, water containers and paper towels. Instruct the group members to paint a scene in which everyone is sitting around a table and drinking tea. Ask them to create ‘conversation bubbles’ above each person and write what each client might be saying.

References

Adelphi Psych Medicine Clinic. (2017, July 5). The History of Art Therapy | Adelphi Psych Med. https://adelphipsych.sg/the-history-of-art-therapy/#:%7E:text=The%20Origins%20of%20Formal%20Art,artist%20Adrian%20Hill%20in%201942

Buchalter, S., I. (2009). Art Therapy Techniques and Applications (1st ed.) [E-book]. Jessica Kingsley Publishers.

Franco, A. (2021, July 14). What are Different Art Therapy Techniques. All Psychology Careers. https://www.allpsychologycareers.com/therapy/art-therapy-techniques/

GoodTherapy Editor Team. (n.d.). Art Therapy. Good Therapy. Retrieved February 19, 2022, from https://www.goodtherapy.org/learn-about-therapy/types/art-therapy

How Art Therapy Works. (2021, August 31). Verywell Mind. https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-art-therapy-2795755