CREATIVE OUTLOOK: ART THERAPISTS

Help Patients Explore Inner Feelings

submitted by Arcadia University

On the surface, it might appear that fine arts and psychology have little in common. The blending of these two disciplines, however, has led to the development of the field of art therapy, a unique therapeutic approach which has been gaining momentum since the 1950s.

“The benefits of utilizing art to deal with emotional and mental problems are many,” explains Mark Dean, a board certified art therapist who coordinates the art therapy track at Arcadia University. “Art expresses things in ways that words cannot. Oftentimes, people don’t even know what they are feeling until they see it expressed in their own artwork.”

Art therapy takes the premise that everyone is expressive regardless of level of talent. “Part of my job is to help people understand what they are already expressing” says Dean. “They often get stuck in words and ideas. Art therapy offers a way for them to get around all of that. People are amazed at what emerges in the their artwork.”

The ability of artwork to illuminate aspects of a person’s emotional life can greatly facilitate healing and self understanding. It can help to pinpoint areas of conflict in person’s emotional makeup or release previously untapped emotions or abilities.

Art therapy is utilized in a variety of settings and with all types of populations. It is practiced in both inpatient settings as well as outpatient, with children, adolescents, adults and geriatrics.

“The thing that I try and impress upon our students is the adaptability of the art therapy approach,” Dean says. “I try to show them how to combine sound psychological theory with the use of art process to meet the needs of a given population or problem area.”

Art therapists work with many populations. Some specialize in specific problems such as eating disorders or terminally ill children. In some cases, art therapy can be used to diagnose the problem.

“A person’s mood state, their level of emotional maturity, the presence of brain damage and many other aspects of human functions show up in artwork,” says Dean.

In other cases, art therapy can help with rehabilitation and recovery from illnesses such as depression or recovery from traumatic events.

“Art has a way of getting in touch with inner issues that are defended against by consciousness,” Dean says. “It’s amazing to see what emerges on paper. People express things that are often beyond words. Feelings can be highlighted artistically in a safe way — on paper. Once a therapist can get beyond a patient’s defense by analyzing his or her art and truly determining what is so troubling, treatment can move ahead nicely.”

Also, through artwork, a therapist can learn of deepseated issues that a patient doesn’t realize exist. Citing an example from his class, Dean said he asked his students to draw themselves picking an apple from a tree. One student drew herself leaping up to the top of the tree to grab the one apple left. After talking to her, Dean learned that the woman’s mother was very demanding, and the women felt the need to overcompensate when something was requested of her.

Studying Art Therapy
Study in the field typically begins with exposure on the undergraduate level but requires the completion of a graduate program at the master’s level.

“You can enter the field from either an art or a psychology background,” says Dean. “At Arcadia, we are lucky because both of those departments are so strong. The students that I get have strengths that make them ideal to enter the field.” And, according to Dean, the field is growing.

“Especially in this area, things are really beginning to open up for art therapists,” says Dean. “Once people get exposure to the field, they are surprised at all it has to offer.”