Why or why not do you think art therapy to be a real form of therapy for kids?

Answer 1

art therapy is of course a real form of therapy for kids! not only kids but for people of all ages. i think one of the misconceptions surrounding art therapy is that it is drastically different from traditional forms of therapy. however people who are art therapists usually obtain their master's degree in not only exclusively art therapy, but also in mental health counseling. this means that they can use expressive therapy techniques with with their clients (like art, music, dance, drama and play therapy), but are also trained to use the more traditional "talk" psychotherapies of counselors.

i think the reason art therapy is most often thought of to be used with children is because, by nature, children use metaphor to work out their problems. this is often seen through their art and play. however AT can be used with all ages and all populations of people, from early intervention, to elders, and everyone in between!

it is my belief that art therapy works great for children because often times kids have gone through tough things, but don't necessarily have the vocabularies or ego strength to process it or communicate it consciously on a verbal level. therefore working it out metaphorically through art and play is extremely useful for children.

for kids who have low self esteem, creating a piece of art can give them a sense of accomplishment, and increase their self worth to some extent. even for adults, when you finish a painting, or mosaic, or sculpture or other creative endeavor that you are proud of, you want to show it off to people because you feel proud. kids can internalize this feeling as well.

in addition, the PROCESS of making art itself is extremely cathartic and therapeutic to many people. it releases endorphins and chemicals in the brain (ex. serotonin) that alleviates anxiety and depression.

also, in response to some people's comments about interpretation, i am a trained expressive art therapist, i went to school for six years full time and completed extensive field work training for my degree. no where in my training was i EVER taught to interpret anyone's art. the emphasis is always placed on the client (whether it is a child, or an adult) to tell the story behind the art. because what could mean one thing to me (say the color black being associated with depression) may mean something totally different to you (the color black may illicit a feeling of peacefulness for you.)

it should be noted that there was some early research in the early part of the 20th century that centered around art therapy assessments and interpreting people's art, but no currently trained art therapist would ever make assumptions such as "you drew X so this definitively means Y." this is not what art therapy is all about. clinicians can have inferences into what a drawing may allude to (just like clinicians may make inferences/assessments about what a certain behavior or emotion or expression may mean) but they are all assumptions, and in no way objective data that should be used to make judgments on a client's life or personality. i have never heard of or met an art therapist who is actually doing this in the present day.

i hope this was useful information for you, but alas, i am a little biased in my opinion here because i love my career :)

Answer 2

It is a very real form of therapy when used correctly. Children do not always have the words they need to express what they're feeling, what they've seen and such. By using art in place of the words, the child is able to express themselves. However, the place where art therapy tends to fail is in the interpretation of the child's art --- which is a failing on the adult therapist's part, not the child's. If the art is misinterpreted, then the talk therapy may take a wrong direction and/or allow for the possibility that the therapist may introduce "false memories" to the child.

Answer 3

I believe art therapy is real and very effective. Putting one's concerns into words is difficult and offputting even for an adult. For a child, it is that much more difficult because they don't have a sufficient vocabulary and they don't know what is significant.

But , through art, that conscious effort and need for knowledge can be entirely circumvented. Children do not understand what they are "giving away" in their drawings. Choices of colors and themes, degrees of violence and hand pressure are among the many signals that can be helpful in diagnosis. At one extreme is the house with the picket fence, the sun, flowers and smiling people. A lot can be gleaned by just one jarring note in this kind of scene. And of course, internal conflict can be very obvious in some drawings.

Drawings can then be used in the therapy process itself, as they are asked to envision...something better.

That being said, however, I think it is important to realize that there IS danger in over-analysis and interpretation.
And not all children EXPRESS equally or consistantly through their drawings.

Answer 4

I do belive art therapy can be a real form of therapy for kids. It allows them to get in touch with themselves, and express themselves.

Alot of kids who have problems can't express themselves in the normal ways (i.e talking). An outlet such as art allows them to express things that they wouldn't be able too.

Leaving hidden messages and stuff like that can do alot of good for kids.

Answer 5

I think it is, because sometimes a kid can put something into a drawing or painting that they can't express in words, or give clues to someone trained to see things. It's a way of letting out what's inside.
When I was in kindergarten, I drew a picture of my family and my mom had kept it all these years, I looked at it a few years ago and noticed something... I had drawn my dad much larger in comparison, and especially his right hand was disproportionatley larger and more detailed than anything else. My dad was right handed, and he was physically abusive. This wasn't therapy, of course, just kindergarten, but it struck me that I drew him as I saw him. I think a trained therapist may have noticed this small but telling detail.

Answer 6

well, it does distract them from whatever was bothering them before, but it will not have real impact if the kid is not into art.

I can't help seeing some unemployed art teachers desperately trying to avoiding learning other skills.