The Art of Healing
Andrea Colston
Young
Explorations in Interdisciplinary Studies
29 November 2009
The Art of Healing:
The Benefits of Creative Art Therapy for Young People
The Art of Healing:
The Benefits of Creative Art Therapy for Young People
Young people today are often unable to express their thoughts and experiences when dealing with personal trauma. Traditional medicine has a tendency to focus on drugs and “talk therapy” to resolve the issue. However, research shows that other methods of treatment can be just as effective. The Encyclopedia of Mental Disorders defines creative therapies as a group of techniques that are expressive and creative in nature. The aim of creative therapies is to help clients find a form of expression beyond words or traditional therapy, such as cognitive or psychotherapy. Creative art therapy in its various forms can provide a natural and safe method to assist in the healing process. The most common approaches include art, writing, dance, drama, and music.
Art Therapy
Art is powerful. When we think of paintings by Picasso and Monet, we wonder, “What were they thinking?” “Why did they choose to draw this particular person or scene?” The same can be said about art drawn by young people. Art therapy is a portal to understanding how children experience the world around them (Alvy 28). Some children have no language to describe their thoughts and feelings; therefore visual expression offers a greater range of effective vocabulary than is possible through verbalization. Diane Alvy, MA, ATR-BC, a board-certified registered art therapist, states about one particular case: Joe, 7, was referred to me because he was fighting with others on the schoolyard. He had above average grades and was hearing impaired with an expressive language disorder. Joe drew several pictures with ground lines—one showed a monster titled “The Hulk.” When asked to describe the picture, he said, “The Hulk got shot in the mouth, had no
Young
Explorations in Interdisciplinary Studies
29 November 2009
The Art of Healing:
The Benefits of Creative Art Therapy for Young People
The Art of Healing:
The Benefits of Creative Art Therapy for Young People
Young people today are often unable to express their thoughts and experiences when dealing with personal trauma. Traditional medicine has a tendency to focus on drugs and “talk therapy” to resolve the issue. However, research shows that other methods of treatment can be just as effective. The Encyclopedia of Mental Disorders defines creative therapies as a group of techniques that are expressive and creative in nature. The aim of creative therapies is to help clients find a form of expression beyond words or traditional therapy, such as cognitive or psychotherapy. Creative art therapy in its various forms can provide a natural and safe method to assist in the healing process. The most common approaches include art, writing, dance, drama, and music.
Art Therapy
Art is powerful. When we think of paintings by Picasso and Monet, we wonder, “What were they thinking?” “Why did they choose to draw this particular person or scene?” The same can be said about art drawn by young people. Art therapy is a portal to understanding how children experience the world around them (Alvy 28). Some children have no language to describe their thoughts and feelings; therefore visual expression offers a greater range of effective vocabulary than is possible through verbalization. Diane Alvy, MA, ATR-BC, a board-certified registered art therapist, states about one particular case: Joe, 7, was referred to me because he was fighting with others on the schoolyard. He had above average grades and was hearing impaired with an expressive language disorder. Joe drew several pictures with ground lines—one showed a monster titled “The Hulk.” When asked to describe the picture, he said, “The Hulk got shot in the mouth, had no
Cited: Alvy, Diane. “The Hidden World Behind Children’s Art.” Children’s Voice, Jul/Aug 2004 14.5: 24-29. Print “Music Therapy in Response to Crisis and Trauma.” American Music Therapy Association. American Music Therapy Association, 2006.Web. Dahlgren Daigneult, Susan and Dorothy Tysse Breen. “The use of play therapy with adoloescents in high school.” International Journal of Play Therapy, 7.1, 1998: 25-47. Print Gruwell, Erin and The Freedom Writers. The Freedom Writers Diary. New York: Broadway Books, 1999. Print Lefevre, Michelle. “Playing with sound: The therapeutic use of music in direct work with children.” Child and Family Social Work 2004: 9, 333-345. Print Levy, Fran J, Azita Ranjibar, and Colleen Hearn Dean. “Dance Movement as a Way to Help Children Affected by War.” Journal of Physical Education, Recreation & Dance, 77.5 (2006): 6-9. Print “Drama Therapy with Children and Adolescents.” National Association for Drama Therapy. National Association for Drama Therapy, n.d. Web. “About Freedom Writers.” Freedom Writers Foundation. The Freedom Writers, n.d. Web. 4 Oct 2009