Embedded Files
What is Art Therapy?
What is Art Therapy?
Art therapy is learning to express emotions through art or creative thinking. It can be done with pencils, pastels, paint, poetry, and even writing. There are specific prompts that can be given to help direct people.
Above is an example of what art therapy can look like. Someone who is trained in facilitating art therapy would understand certain color usages, strokes, and symbols. This is an example that I created a few months ago. The harsh red strokes represent anger and isolation. I used the chest with the heart to represent feelings, and the darkness was supposed to be showing feeling overwhelmed. This is a really good outlet for emotions, and can be a sign to caregivers that their child may be experiencing some discomfort.
How is art being taught in schools now?
Art is being taught in a very realistic way. Students are taught to draw from life, and on some occasions are given the opportunity to be somewhat creative. Students are mainly being taught proportions and lack room for expression. It is teaching them to follow directions and not to think outside the box.
Why should art therapy be introduced in schools?
Many students carry a lot of stress, whether it be from home, schoolwork, or other factors. Many times they lack support or an outlet. While it is our job as teachers to support them, there are other skills we can teach them in order to cope. This can be a great way for them to let out how they are feeling.
Incorporating this skill into schools can help limit the time they are spent being told what to do and allow them to think critically. This also helps them to become self-aware, which is a really important life skill to have.
In addition, it helps counselors and teachers identify when a student might need some extra support. Sometimes it can be hard for students to speak up or identify that they are feeling a certain way. This can be a preventative measure in many cases. It can also be hard to explain how one feels, so it may be easier to visualize it and draw it on paper. People who are trained in mental health know what symbols or colors to look out for in order to identify when a student needs help.
In fact, one way these drawings can be a preventative measure is to detect bullying. If the teacher notices that a student is shutting down or recognizes these signs within the drawing, it can be reported. The student may be questioned more, but art therapy is a safe way for a student to let an authority figure know that something is going out without the pressure of saying it.
In general, art therapy is fun! It is important to allow students to have some form of creative outlet. This can be done and enjoyed by a variety of students, whether they are elementary or high school age.
Lauren Amigo
Lauren Amigo is a licensed Art Therapist, and last year she worked in Brooklyn Community High School for Excellence and Equity. She used art therapy to allow her Black, Asian, Latino, and Middle Eastern students to express any stress or difficulty they may be struggling due to the current events during that time. She used the prompt, "What do you see outside your window right now and what would you like to see outside your window?" This was a way to allow the students to express their feelings about hate crimes in a healthy way. Incorporating something like this is great, especially during a high-stress time when teachers may struggle to find the proper way to support their students.
Unfortunately, so many art programs are being country around the United States due to a lack of funding in that area. So many people in power and even voters are determining that the money be put elsewhere. I think that it is important for people to start bringing attention towards the lack of funding in art, and maybe a way to promote this would be through putting it towards a therapeutic use. Bringing art therapy into schools would be a way to scientifically convince authority figures that art should remain in the budget.
Students in an art class where art therapy had recently been introduced were surveyed to monitor their responses to it. 62% of participants responded that class had become more engaging recently (following the use introduction of art therapy). 87% noticed an improvement in their grades, which is outstanding. Clear evidence is provided showing that art therapy is beneficial in the class room.
Works Cited
https://arttherapy.org/art-therapy-helps-children-make-sense-of-the-insensible/
https://hechingerreport.org/schools-use-art-to-help-kids-through-trauma/
http://smhp.psych.ucla.edu/pdfdocs/arttherapy.pdf
https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=4414&context=masters_theses https://www.goodtherapy.org/learn-about-therapy/types/art-therapy
About the author
About the author
Hi! My name is Fiona and I am a Sophomore at TCNJ. I am studying History Secondary Education and minoring in Psychology. I am a member of Phi Alpha Theta, which is a history honors society with a chapter on campus. I am a volunteer with AmIOK, which is a program that works with survivors of sexual assualt and crimes by providing them resources and methods of therapy. I am taking on the position of President for a club known as S.A.G.E. which promotes mental health awareness through fundraisers, talks, and self care events. I also have a love for art, which sparked my interest in Art Therapy. I have tried it multiple times and personally found it very useful, so the goal of this website is to encourage it more in school settings.
Page updated
Report abuse