ART THERAPY

Art therapy is a type of therapy with more than seventy years of history and is part of one of the four creative therapies: Art Therapy, Music Therapy, Drama Therapy, and Dance Therapy.

It is considered that artistic activity has therapeutic qualities in itself and, therefore, it is not necessary to have specific training in art. It can be carried out both in groups and in individual sessions and with patients whose objectives are varied.

Its goal is to facilitate the expression and reflection of the clients through artistic resources and elements in the company of a qualified art therapist. Therefore, the priority is placed on the creative process of the individual rather than on the aesthetic value of the product. In this type of therapy, art is combined with psychotherapy, mainly integrating the contributions of psychoanalysis, humanistic psychology, and Gestalt therapy.

 

Its scope
Art therapy generates multiple positive effects that promote general well-being:

● Adopting a creative attitude towards aging and death can reduce experiences of sadness and depression, contributing to the construction of meaning in life in elderly patients.

● In children with learning problems, this approach promotes cognitive flexibility, spontaneity, organization, and the enrichment of communication channels.

● Create a space for play and laughter along with other positive emotions.

● Protects the immune system and prevents physical and mental illnesses, since it is an activity that generates pleasure and enjoyment.

● It benefits patients with medical diseases (cancer, HIV -human immunodeficiency virus-, cardiovascular disorders, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases).

● Enriches perception, memory, and language.

● Promotes visual-motor functioning in patients who have had a cerebrovascular accident.

● It helps to externalize the anguish, anger, frustration, depressive tendencies, guilt, and social stigmatization that patients who contracted HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) usually have.

● Collaborate to navigate experiences of loss, bodily changes, and existential questions.

● With respect to cancer patients, the plastic arts help to explore the past, present, and future, integrating cancer into the life story and trying to construct a meaning for the situation that the person is experiencing.

When working with art, there are no right or wrong answers, any work being your own and personal is valued and used to deepen your knowledge of yourself. Thus, the path is the affirmation and strengthening of identity.
This therapy can be shared with any individual or group and applied as a way to address different problems that require developing creativity and sensitivity, generating connection, regulating emotions, finding channels of expression and communication, etc.