Art Therapy
ANDART – Asociación Profesional Andaluza de Arteterapia - defines art therapy as...
... a care profession that uses artistic creation as a psychotherapeutic tool, to facilitate emotional expression, the resolution of psychological conflicts and to promote the exploration of our inner world and development of our potential. It is practiced in individual sessions or in small groups under the guidance of a certified art therapist.
It is a profession with more than seventy years of history that is framed within the caring professions. Art therapy is practiced following a strict methodology and under a defined therapeutic framework or setting. This therapeutic framework and methodology are mainly based on Art Therapy theory, analytic group psychotherapy, dynamic and / or humanistic psychotherapies and contemporary art theory.
... a care profession that uses artistic creation as a psychotherapeutic tool, to facilitate emotional expression, the resolution of psychological conflicts and to promote the exploration of our inner world and development of our potential. It is practiced in individual sessions or in small groups under the guidance of a certified art therapist.
It is a profession with more than seventy years of history that is framed within the caring professions. Art therapy is practiced following a strict methodology and under a defined therapeutic framework or setting. This therapeutic framework and methodology are mainly based on Art Therapy theory, analytic group psychotherapy, dynamic and / or humanistic psychotherapies and contemporary art theory.
The symbolic language of artistic creations allows us to access in a fun and playful way elements that are “camouflaged” in our unconscious and that, otherwise, we would not allow ourselves to address. The works carried out and also the process of creating them, give us the keys to approach ourselves in a flexible and non-threatening way.
Each person works according to their own experiences and creates works that will have an important meaning for them. In these works their needs, their feelings and their own perception of reality will be represented. Each participant establishes a dialogue with their own work, becoming aware of their difficulties, their fears, and always marking their own rhythm and needs that, with the help of the art therapist, are channeled and oriented. The figure of the art therapist is a professional person who guides and facilitates that approach, that dialogue with the work, that manifestation of the personal essence.
Art therapy supposes a personal implication and requires a predisposition of the person to surpass himself and to look for an alternative to the situation that he lives, and therefore to acquire an attitude of change for his life that allows him to feel satisfied with himself. It allows approaching personal work in a playful and creative way, through symbol or metaphor favoring an intermediate space between inner and outer reality in a context of security in which to be surprised by what creative adventure emerges at home.
- ANDART – Asociación Profesional Andaluza de Arteterapia (www.andart-andalucia-arteterapia.org)
Each person works according to their own experiences and creates works that will have an important meaning for them. In these works their needs, their feelings and their own perception of reality will be represented. Each participant establishes a dialogue with their own work, becoming aware of their difficulties, their fears, and always marking their own rhythm and needs that, with the help of the art therapist, are channeled and oriented. The figure of the art therapist is a professional person who guides and facilitates that approach, that dialogue with the work, that manifestation of the personal essence.
Art therapy supposes a personal implication and requires a predisposition of the person to surpass himself and to look for an alternative to the situation that he lives, and therefore to acquire an attitude of change for his life that allows him to feel satisfied with himself. It allows approaching personal work in a playful and creative way, through symbol or metaphor favoring an intermediate space between inner and outer reality in a context of security in which to be surprised by what creative adventure emerges at home.
- ANDART – Asociación Profesional Andaluza de Arteterapia (www.andart-andalucia-arteterapia.org)
The American Art Therapy Association defines art therapy as...
... an integrative mental health and human services profession that enriches the lives of individuals, families, and communities through active art-making, creative process, applied psychological theory, and human experience within a psychotherapeutic relationship.
Art Therapy, facilitated by a professional art therapist, effectively supports personal and relational treatment goals as well as community concerns. Art Therapy is used to improve cognitive and sensory-motor functions, foster self-esteem and self-awareness, cultivate emotional resilience, promote insight, enhance social skills, reduce and resolve conflicts and distress, and advance societal and ecological change.
Art therapists are master-level clinicians who work with people of all ages across a broad spectrum of practice. Guided by ethical standards and scope of practice, their education and supervised training prepares them for culturally proficient work with diverse populations in a variety of settings. Honoring individuals’ values and beliefs, art therapists work with people who are challenged with medical and mental health problems, as well as individuals seeking emotional, creative, and spiritual growth.
Through integrative methods, art therapy engages the mind, body, and spirit in ways that are distinct from verbal articulation alone. Kinesthetic, sensory, perceptual, and symbolic opportunities invite alternative modes of receptive and expressive communication, which can circumvent the limitations of language. Visual and symbolic expression gives voice to experience, and empowers individual, communal, and societal transformation.
- American Art Therapy Association (www.arttherapy.org)
