Real-Life Communication
Communication plays a central role in art therapy. Therapists work
with people who are often in difficult or painful periods in their life. Through
art, the therapist hopes to help the individual communicate their feelings.
That means the therapist must have excellent communication skills.
Janice
Hoshino is a registered art therapist who now teaches at a university. She
explains that an art therapist must understand types of communication beyond
the spoken word. "Our society highly values verbal skills and articulation,
yet so much of how we operate really is non-verbal and symbolic. That's why
art therapy can be so effective, because it cuts through all of the intellectualizations
and the language difficulties that a lot of people have."
You are an
art therapist. You are hoping to set up a summer workshop in conjunction with
the local school system. You want to be able to use this medium to help students
who are having difficulty adjusting.
Unfortunately, the school director
doesn't know anything about art therapy. You have to explain it.
This
is what you tell the school director:
Art therapy is a form
of psychotherapy. It allows for emotional expression and healing through non-verbal
means. Children often cannot easily express themselves verbally. Adults, on
the other hand, may use words to intellectualize and distance themselves from
their emotions.
Art therapy enables the client to break through these
barriers using simple art materials. No previous art experience is necessary.
The
therapist provides a safe and non-threatening environment. She invites the
individual to express his feelings through a variety of art media. The individual
is encouraged to empower himself through the exploration and interpretation
of his own art.
The artwork can be spontaneous. The therapist may also
direct it. People can often approach difficult issues and convey a message
much more clearly with art than with words. The art serves as a record of
events. The individual can later look at that record. It may help the person
eventually to understand the events better.
The art therapist helps
individuals express feelings too difficult to talk about. This helps increase
self-esteem and confidence. People can develop healthy coping skills, and
identify feelings and blocks to emotional expression and growth. Art therapy
also provides an avenue for communication. It makes verbal expression more
accessible.
(Excerpt from Art Therapy in Canada website, with permission
from Petrea Hansen-Adamidis.)
The director
has a few questions. How do you answer him?
- What are the differences in the way children and adults communicate?
- Do people need to be artistically inclined to benefit?
- Name three benefits that an individual may get from art therapy.