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"Images are not stored in any one part of the brain; rather, many regions of the brain are part of image formation, storage and retrieval."
Cathy A. Malchiodi
There are many aspects to Art Therapy and settings that it can be used in. Take your time reviewing this page, it will help you get a better understanding. Then take a moment to get in touch, so we can have a more in-depth conversation about how to use Art Therapy to benefit you and your individual needs.
To understand what Art Therapy is, it is important to first note that there are two forms of Art Therapy. That being “Art As Therapy” and “Art In Therapy".
1) Art As Therapy
Art As Therapy could be something as simple as introducing colours and providing sensory experiences, like I did for young Jasper in the photo above, or it could go a little deeper again, where the client creates an artwork and then there is discussion about the process during the creation of the artwork. e.g. How it felt while they were making it? This is a simpler form of Art Therapy, and in a lot of cases a great place to start in order to help the client to start gaining insight and bringing the unconscious to the conscious. This type of therapy can be more beneficial for clients who have difficulties finding words, as it is more about the process of creation, rather than the content within the artwork.
2) Art In Therapy
This is where the focus is on helping the client discover what is within the content of the artwork, describing in great detail what they see in the picture, the feelings that relate to what they see and how the content fits with the client’s life. In doing this we take a deeper dive into the subconscious.
With both of these forms of art therapy there are many mediums that can be used to facilitate Art Therapy. E.g. Drawing with pencils, crayons, pastels, painting, sculpting, collaging, etc.
Every client and their needs are different and so I will work with you to find the mediums and exercises that will work best for your needs. Noting that we don't stop at just one medium or technique/exercise.
In some cases, it may be more appropriate to start off with an “Art As Therapy” approach while we build a trusting relationship and get comfortable with the process of creating an artwork. It’s a great starting point to lead into a more “Art In Therapy” approach.
Art Therapy session focussing on sensory play and introducing colours.
The definition of what Art Therapy is will differ between therapists and many therapists will be working in more than one way with a wide range of clients whose needs will differ greatly from one client to the next. It can also be on a one-on-one basis, for couples, family or in a group setting.
However, in general terms Art Therapy is a mental health modality, a form of psychotherapy that uses art media as a primary mode of communication.
In this form of therapy there is a third entity added. Where traditional therapy consists of the Client and Therapist alone, art therapy consists of the client, therapist and the artwork. The artwork acting almost like a third person that helps the subconscious become conscious.
Clients do not need to have any experience or skill in art making, as the purpose is not to make something that is aesthetic, but more to focus on the feelings that arise during the art making process, reflection and making discoveries about the content within the artwork, in order to gain insight on how that relates to the client’s life. The aim being to use the art making process to effect positive change and growth for the client in a safe environment.
Abstract images are great for expressing how you feel right at the time of creating the image.
Art Therapy adds another dimension to the more traditional verbal therapy with the addition of sensory engagement. In Art Therapy we use our hands, tools, different mediums, etc. We use our sight, our sense of touch, our hearing and even sense of smell. It is these senses that help unlock the subconscious.
Just like hearing a song can take us back and unlock a moment in time, using our senses in Art Therapy can do the same.
We can all relate to times in our lives (even if it was when we were children), when we found pleasure or perhaps comfort and soothing in drawing with pencils or crayons, painting, finger painting or perhaps (as it was in my case) even being outside making mud pies and decorating them with flowers out of the garden. Our body is involved in creating and it can feel very calming, helping us become more in tune with the present moment.
In Art Therapy we can communicate non-verbally through images. For some clients this is often easier, feels safer/non-threatening and as we store a lot of our memories in images, art therapy helps us access those memories.
Looking at things from a more scientific perspective, in particular the functions of the brain, many studies have proven that our brain is made up of 2 hemispheres. While the right hemisphere is responsible for creativity, emotions and understanding emotions, art and music, spatial awareness and intuition, the left hemisphere is responsible for logic, organisation, math and science, speaking and pulling memories from the brain.
In Art Therapy we are activating both sides of the brain and integrating both hemispheres. This helps with having more balance in our mental state and our experiences.
Art Therapy is also highly effective with small children who cannot talk or whose speech is not strong, and with trauma victims who are unable to talk about the traumatic incident. The brain and mind can find pictures where it is unable to form the words or does not feel safe to speak the words.
There have also been numerous books and case studies written that confirm that Art Therapy is an excellent tool for not only treating physiological and mental disorders, but it also aids in self-development, as we can use Art Therapy as a regulation tool that engages the Parasympathetic Nervous System (Rest and Digest).
Furthermore, if we look at modern Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), the idea is that our emotional responses are strongly moderated and influenced by our cognition and the way we perceive the world, ourselves, other people and the future.
Therefore, changing the appraisal of an object, event or situation can also change the associated emotional response.
We can use Art Therapy in a process to identify misconceptions, test the validity of the client’s thoughts and if invalid to modify them with a more adaptive idea to develop a more realistic perspective of the real world. The assumption being that prediction and self-statements have a powerful influence over behaviour and experience.
For more literature and case studies on Art Therapy, please click on the "MEMBERS" page and sign up. This will grant you access to not only published articles in the field of Art Therapy, but also point you towards some of the best books in the field. Plus there are free activities for the kids too. This section will also continue to grow in order to add value for you.
Mandalas are a wonderful Art Therapy exercise that can be used as meditative tool to aid anxiety.
The Client-Therapist relationship is essential for successful therapy. Many studies support the notion that about 60%-80% of success in therapy depends on a good therapeutic relationship.
My pledge as your Art Therapist is to be warm, empathetic, genuine and have an unconditional positive regard without judgment.
Research on person centred therapy indicates that the therapist’s attitude, rather than their knowledge, theory or technique best helps facilitate personality change in you.
Carl Rogers, who was a Humanistic Psychologist had the view that therapy could be simpler, warmer and more optimistic, suggesting that the clients would be better helped if they were encouraged to focus on their current subjective understanding rather than on some unconscious motive or someone else’s interpretation of the situation.
He strongly believed that in order for the client’s condition to improve, therapists should be warm, genuine, and understanding.
I whole heartedly follow his view and understand that you are the expert in what is happening for you.
“It is that the individual has within himself or herself vast resources for self-understanding, for altering his or her self-concept, attitudes and self-directed behaviour – and that these resources can be tapped if only a definable climate of facilitative psychological attitudes can be provided” - Carl Rogers 1980
Carl Ransom Rogers (January 8, 1902 - February 4, 1987)
Carl Rogers is widely considered to be one of the founding fathers of psychotherapy research and was honoured for his pioneering research with the Award for Distinguished Scientific Contributions by the American Psychological Association (APA) in 1956.
My Job as your Art Therapist
1) Being present, accessible and open to the client.
2) Being unconditionally calm and positive and curious as opposed to judgmental.
3) Honouring the client’s thoughts and feelings in the immediate experience.
4) Assume that I know nothing and that you are the expert when it comes to interpreting your own picture. It is crucial that I do NOT put words into your mouth and that I'm patient and let you come up with your own words to describe what you see in their picture/artwork and what feelings are evoked. This might seem like I'm passing the buck a little here, but to give a simple example, I might find the colour blue represents sadness, where for you it might represent calm. Or an area of a picture might look busy and overwhelming, but to you it might seem exciting and exhilarating. So you can see why it is important to let you find your own meaning and not project my interpretation onto the you.
5) Engaging in artistic self-expressive activities alongside the client when appropriate.
Meet Cherie Binstead, founder and director of Juizbeggy Creations, Artist, Author and Art Therapist.
More commonly Art Therapy is used for:
- Clients with a need of reconstitution and rehabilitation of a physical impairment.
- Clients with a need to promote mental, emotional, Psychological and physical healing.
- Clients who need to enhance cognitive and emotional growth.
But really, I would argue that we could all benefit from Art Therapy in order to achieve a more holistic body, mind and soul maintenance regime.
We go to the dentist or doctors for general check-ups, we take part in sporting activities for physical fitness, go to yoga for our body and mind, we meditate, we are increasingly more aware of how to fuel our bodies with the nutrient rich food we need to support a healthy mind and body.
Therefore, taking part in Art Therapy would benefit everyone in maintaining optimal mental health. Art Therapy is like food for the body, mind and soul. Science too has proven time and again the benefits to our health when living a fulfilled and happy life.
It has been proven that stress and trauma can have negative effects on not only the mind, but so too the body. So why not regularly engage in a little bit of Art Therapy. If in a group setting there is a social aspect/environment that can also be an additional fun and uplifting element of therapy while supporting the healing aspect of human connection.
Click on the button below if you would like to request a Group Art Therapy session for:
- Corporates
- Expecting Mums
- New Mum and Bubs
- Dealing with a traumatic event or illness
- If you're a school wanting to offer an amazing incursion or before or after school activity for your families.
- Other
Tell me a bit about your situation and requirements. I'm looking forward to hearing from you.
These sessions are for clients needing a more tailored Art Therapy experience. For group sessions visit the home page and click on the Classes/Events box under All Services.
This is a 1.5 hour consultation as we will also gather all the information needed to put together a program that suits your individual requirements.
These one hour sessions are individually tailored for each client and are for clients aged 5 and above.
These appointments are designed for small children that have shorter attention span.
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