The publication traces the emergence and development of art therapy as a type of psychotherapy. A logical connection is sought between various types of art and their application in contemporary art therapy for children. The main emphasis is placed on the benefits and results that are successfully achieved when using art therapy in psychological work with children.
1. Essence of the concept of art therapy
Art is as old as the world and many times in human history it has helped people survive and thrive. Therefore, its role in one of the modern forms of psychotherapy, namely art therapy, is not coincidental.
Although a relatively young form of psychotherapy, art therapy is gaining more and more supporters and like-minded people because it interacts with human creativity. This makes it a form of therapy which is entirely exempt from rules and logic, and in which the treated persons’ imagination and subconscious thought patterns are brought forward, rather than their creative skills and talents. In the process of art therapy, the treated persons should not necessarily be good at the art they use, as the important thing here is the image-metaphor, arising casually in the process of creation, and not the end product in itself.
The individual, with his/her ability to create symbols unconsciously, turns objects into symbols or expresses them through art. History of religion and art, reaching far back in time, shows as well that symbolic meaning can be attributed to anything.
Since ancient times, people expressed their feelings in an understandable form on the rocky surfaces of caves. Bringing of the rock surface to life can be explained as a projection of more or less clear content of the unconscious in the rock.
Unlike other psychotherapeutic methods, which originate from science, art therapy came to be thanks to the ideas of artists. It arose almost simultaneously in the USA and Great Britain in the 1940s. The idea came from Adrian Hill, a teacher at the Saint Martin’s School of Art in London (D.Waller, Goldsmiths College, 2004), who first coined the term art therapy. Adrian Hill himself contracted tuberculosis and continued to paint while he was in a convalescent sanatorium. He noticed that this activity kept his spirits high, gave him optimism and positive feelings that he would cope with the disease. Therefore, he asked the management of the sanatorium to allow the other patients to paint as well. The results were surprising to everyone, because not only did the patients’ time pass faster when they drew, but they also felt significantly more positive. At that moment, Adrian Hill did not yet realize that art actually helped sick patients express their fears, mental anguish and trauma and thereby free themselves from them. Later on, he wrote two books on the topic: “Art Versus Illness” and “Painting Out Illness”.
Nowadays, art therapy combines various creative techniques with traditional psychological methods in order to “painlessly” enter the human subconscious and “unlock” any “locked” images, ideas, feelings, memories and experiences, giving people the option to express themselves in the vast field of art. Art therapy in psychology uses the soft and delicate touch typical for art, as well as the metaphorical nature of its images. Human creativity itself is unique and distinctive, which makes it free from the possibility of error or the need of correction. Using creativity, in a very delicate and authentic way, each one can express thoughts and feelings they didn’t even suspect they had. As a means of survival since prehistoric age, the original creative potential has been embedded in man and it is deeply inherent in each of us, which makes it an easy and pleasant method of psychotherapy.
Today, art therapy is associated not only with fine art: there are expressive, thought, kinetic therapy, isotherapy, dance therapy, music therapy, sound therapy, drama therapy, laughter therapy. In general, any type of art can be used in psychotherapy as art therapy.
The essence of art therapy is in the relaxed, delicate way of expression that comes into being when the person engages in a creative process.
The topics of psychotherapy which can be involved when using the method of art therapy are also varied and comprehensive: from traumas, fears, phobias to various mental conditions, feelings, beliefs that create dysfunctional patterns in people’s lives. As the French philosopher Jacques Lacan wrote in his book “The Ethics of Psychoanalysis” (1959): “Art is accessible to every soul because every soul is inaccessible.”
2. Art therapy for children as an option for psychotherapy
Art is a tool for improving communication not only with adults, but also with children. Inspired by the creative process, children succeed in changing the perspective, which has a calming effect on them. The good thing about art therapy is that communication can be done even from a distance. If the child does not want to or is worried about talking on a given topic, through the creative act itself and the final product, non-verbal communication can be carried out – an interaction between the therapist and the child at the level of verbal communication, and even deeper, because the unconscious “speaks only” through the language of the drawing, song, text, dance or any other form of art. All it takes is a competent therapist who can translate the language of the soul expressed through the child’s creativity. All the softness, delicacy, freedom and creativity of this type of therapy make it suitable for working with children and adolescents, because shame and fear are often at the root of most problems seen in children and teenagers. These emotions form a barrier that prevents using the standard psychotherapy method – the discussion. The therapist needs more overt ways to lift the veil of obscurity and illuminate the unconscious parts of the child, enabling him/her to gain a new perspective on the problem.
It is important to note that the leading role of non-verbal communication in the art therapy process allows the method to be used in very young children who cannot yet speak, and also in children with speech or hearing problems.
Art therapy for children, as for adults, is multi-layered and diverse. The key factor in choosing the type of art to be used for creating and recreating is the child’s interests and his/her temper. The creative activity should correspond to the child’s character and affections, so that he/she feels most predisposed to the activity and reveals a greater part of his/her inner self to the therapist without shame, guilt or concern. Art therapy may be used as an introduction to psychotherapy, so that the child and the therapist can get to know each other more easily.
The most appropriate form of psychotherapy for children with attention deficit is namely art therapy. Reaching the child’s inner needs and problems with it is fairly easy and children are transformed successfully. In such a session, the therapist focuses on practical skills through which motor skills, imagination and emotional-social growth are developed. Commonly used types of art therapy for children with autism are:
- therapy with plasticine, modelling clay (isotherapy);
- sand therapy;
- art therapy with natural materials: wool, cotton, silk;
- music and dance therapy;
- antistress colouring book, mandalas;
- therapy with stories/tales;
- music and dance therapy, with sounds;
- drama therapy.
In the process of working with children with special educational needs (SEN), art therapy is also a preferred and widely used method by specialists. The potential of applied arts in the psychological counselling of these children is huge, because the activities improve fine motor skills, strengthen children’s creativity and initiative, work with hands, stimulate speech, imagination and symbolic thinking.
The stages of practising art therapy with children include several basic steps. The therapist selects the appropriate technique for the child, then provides the necessary materials for the applied art, and if the child needs guidance, the two discuss the process of making the piece of art together. If the art therapy is in a group, it is a good idea to give each child an individual task to make him/her feel independent, unique and authentic, and also to avoid the moment of juxtaposition, comparison or competition; the child must fully immerse himself/herself in the creative process and know that his/her work is significant and unique. Usually, children work individually on their pieces of art, but for introvert children who have a problem with socialisation and communication, a better approach is to pair them, as that improves their communication skills, they learn how to work in teams, to cooperate and respect others. When fine art is used in art therapy, the child should be photographed with the finished painting and it should be given a name. In the process of art therapy, children with SEN acquire the much-needed social skills and experience. When the work of art is ready, the child increases his/her self-esteem that he/she can manage it by itself, which puts him/her in an equivalent position with the other children, brings him/her a sense of satisfaction from the completed work. This is a sensory-based approach. Through art therapy, children have the opportunity to communicate on several levels: through tactile sensations, kinaesthetic, auditory and visually, thus they experiment and gain life experience.
3. Benefits from psychotherapy for children through creativity and art
As already mentioned, in the art therapy process it is not important that the child can draw, sing, dance or model. The purpose of an art therapy session is for the child to express and release himself/herself emotionally through the spontaneity of art, experiencing pleasure in the creative process.
During creative creation, the left and right hemispheres of the child's brain work in sync – the child gains inner awareness and overcomes his/her own inhibitions, fears or complexes. This is how control and centeredness of one’s own sensations and feelings takes place. Through art therapy, communication skills, social competence and imagination are developed, self-confidence and self-esteem of the child are increased.
The most important characteristic of the art therapy process is its non-judgemental and non-critical form; the acceptance and approval of every object made by the child is the basis of creating trust and affinity between him/her and the therapist. This is really important for children with specific needs, who above all need to be accepted as they are—without expectations, without criteria or standards. This gives them confidence in their own abilities and increases their self-esteem.
Art therapy is very suitable for children with special educational needs who pose a big challenge for their families, teachers and society alike. They seek attention, they need to be seen and accepted, and their experiences to be recognized and respected. It becomes easy and interesting with the method of art therapy. In the process of working with such children in art therapy, two main methods of psychological impact are used. One is in the possibilities of art with the help of images-symbols to reconstruct a given traumatic situation, as well as to find a solution to this situation. The other method is the ability of art to induce a mental pleasure, a catharsis, with the help of which it can transform the affect of trauma from pain to pleasure. It is important to note the liberating and purifying function of the art therapy process on little ones. Through art, in different forms, release of accumulated negative energy and negative feelings is achieved. The child can pour out all his/her rage on a piece of paper, he/she can scribble, draw, use images, colours, cut. Similarly, clay and plasticine can be used to frustrate the negative feeling. Music, rhythm and dance can also be a medium to express different feelings. Thus, any violent and unbalanced emotion can be expressed and separated from the child in a very delicate and safe way, so the child is able to understand that there are different states of mind, but if we are well trained and emotionally intelligent, we can recognize, accept and release them in a healthy way with the softness of an artist’s brush or the hardness of drumsticks.
When the art therapy process takes place in a group of children, it allows them to form adequate interpersonal behaviour, to show respect and acceptance, but also to correct relationships in the group when necessary. Children learn to respect other people’s opinions, as well as to stand up for their boundaries and ideas without encroaching on the boundaries of others.
Last but not least, art therapy has a regulatory function, reducing neuro-psychological tension, regulating children’s psychosomatic states as a result of violent and unexpected emotions. It teaches children, in an extremely subtle and imperceptible way, to process these emotional states by streaming out imaginative forms of art, whether musical, verbal or poetic. The child’s work of art absorbs everything scary, dark, grey and ominous like a sponge and reflects it in an extremely creative and creative way.
Through some of the arts used in art therapy, the emotional strong will and specific motor skills are developed. In others, the psycho-physical activity of the child is influenced.
All types of modern art therapy impact the acquisition of new skills and knowledge without stress and tension, stimulate creativity, develop speech and activate thought processes, and also form new images and concepts and, above all, stimulate the child’s imagination.
Undoubtedly, all the positive effects that art therapy achieves in working with children are many and difficult to list. In this article, we have only set the beginning of a scientific search for the help and benefit of the method in the psychological work with children. What makes art therapy so appropriate and suitable for working with young people is its softness and delicacy, its deeply veiled pictorial presence that speaks in a language understandable only to the therapist and the patient—the language of metaphor and the image-symbol. The space created during work is vast, unlimited in time and very, very safe for small children.
On the one hand, it is a method that gives the therapist many opportunities to touch the inner world of the child in a mysterious way, and on the other hand, this psychoanalytic approach gives a wide field to work with the already revealed wounds and traumas. This makes it very suitable both for independent work with children and in combination with other techniques in psychotherapeutic work with children.
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Key words: art therapy, art, children, psychotherapy