Art Therapy: Art
Art therapy programs would not be complete without a basic form of creative visual art as an outlet. Heginworth and Nash (2019) state that indigenous art is found in children playing outside in the environment, awakening something vital and primal within themselves. Individuals on a healing journey are often trying to find a way to express themselves with the freedom of a child playing outside. There are many creative techniques found within art therapy. For example, painting, collage, coloring, drawing, and sculpting are a few ways a patient can find healing in art therapy. White notes the definition of art therapy, according to the American Art Therapy Association, is an integrated therapy within physical health, emotional health, mental health, and human services that use active art-making, applied psychological therapy, creative processes, and human experiences within the healing journey (White 2020). The author goes on to say that the primary goal of art therapy is to provide a feeling of well-being for the patient (White 2020). There is healing in viewing colors and expressing emotion through drawing and abstract that connects to an individual on a level that medication cannot do alone. The simple act of self-discovery and the ability to safely express feelings often bring the most significant benefit to an art therapy session.
Works Cited:
Heginworth, I. S., & Nash, G. Environmental arts therapy: The wild frontiers of the heart (1st ed.). (2019) Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780429437649
White, M. A. (2020, September). Art therapy: Definition, uses, and how it works. Medical News Today. Retrieved February 25, 2022, from https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/art-therapy#how-it-works
