Markers and Crayons: Not Just for children
Posted on October 11, 2008
Filed Under Admin |
Have you ever checked a young child drawing with markers or crayons on a blank sheet of paper? They appear to be able to let go and scribble with an abandon seldom matched by an grownup. And why would an grownup want to doodle for no reason? For there could be a practical function to art after all.
Art therapy is a widely practiced form of therapy applying both the creative process and psychotherapy to evoke a healing reaction in the patient. By practicing childlike instruments like the ones encountered in any child’s craft box – crayons, markers, colored pencils and paints – a professional art therapist can help a patient expose and deal with internal emotional turmoil. Art therapy is often practiced in mental health clinics, but can as well be found in more occasional spaces like artistic creation studios.
Clients who is referred to an art therapist need not possess former experience or skill in art, the art healer isn’t primarily concerned with making an aesthetic or diagnostic assessment of the client’s image. The overall intent of its practitioners are to enable a client to effect change and growth on a personal level through the use of art materials in a secure and facilitating environment.
The relationship between the healer and the client is of fundamental importance, but art therapy differs from other psychological therapies in that they are a three way process between the client, the healer and the image or artefact. Therefore it provides the chance for expression and communication and can be especially helpful to people who find it hard to express their thoughts and feelings verbally.
Comments
Leave a Reply
