Art Therapy Research Paper

Words: 1265
Pages: 6
Open Document
How Art Therapy Helps Those with Anxiety, Stress, PTSD, and Depression In accordance with art therapy’s role in helping those with Alzheimer’s and Autism, it can also be very useful in the treatment of anxiety, stress, post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and depression. Traci Pedersen (2015) explains how art therapy can help veterans and soldiers with their PTSD who have returned from war zones in Afghanistan and Iraq. Cheryl Miller helped conduct this research on the soldiers. The therapy was offered twice a week in a group setting. Study participants were between the ages of twenty-eight and fifty-six years old. The problems some of them were facing was insomnia, nightmares, anxiety, depression, suicidal thoughts, chronic pain, isolation, …show more content…
However, soldiers are not the only ones that struggle with this mental stigma. Around one in ten Americans are affected by depression at one point in their lifetime, with the diagnosis of depression increasing approximately twenty percent per year. Correspondingly, eighty percent of those who experience symptoms do not receive treatment either. (Healthline, 2012). Nevertheless, with the rates of depression increasing, these limiting negative symptoms can be treated by the use of art therapy. Douglas Mitchell (2012) writes of art therapy as a means to aid and heal those who have depression. Mitchell is a licensed marriage and family therapist. In addition to depression, art therapy can also effectively help those who struggle with anxiety and stress. Mitchell describes art therapy as a way to help others release negative emotions through creativity, and when words may not be enough or someone may not be able to fully express their feelings into words, that is when art therapy plays a key role in improving other’s overall development.
Another claim of Mitchell’s is that art therapy is not only at the center of creative expression, but that it allows the participant to feel again and to turn those feelings into something “tangible”. By doing this, it allows that participant to better acknowledge an emotion by turning their artwork into a physical, cognitive thought that is being expressed onto the canvas. (Mitchell, 2012). Not only does art therapy help with letting go of negative thoughts and depression, but it can actually trigger feelings of love in the brain too. Mitchell explains this by
Show More

Related Documents: Art Therapy Research Paper

Art Therapy Research Paper

satisfaction that comes along with art therapy. It is a relatively new and evolving therapeutic process. Art therapy as well as the countless number of other types of therapeutic processes fall under the category of psychotherapies. Meeting one on one with a counselor and discussing problems in your everyday life is the most known process. That most certainly does not make it the most productive method for working through problems. Using your own creativity and strategy to create art while releasing your stress…

Words 1198 - Pages 5

Art Therapy Research Paper

end in sight – that nothing in the world can help them feel better. However, art therapy may be an excellent option. Art therapy is the use of art in psychotherapy where the client is allowed to use different art media (such as clay, paint, oil pastels, or chalk) to express themselves. The use of free-expression can help the client bring to light issues that they are facing and can help them work through them. Art therapy can especially help teens who…

Words 818 - Pages 4

Art Therapy Research Paper

way where we need a break once in awhile and often times, art and expression can give us that break we need. Lucky for us, this concept of using creativity and personal interest as a remedy for health, is known as art therapy. Art therapy is a gateway to expressionism, an increase of social abilities, and it can overall fix or aid many of our mental health issues. Unfortunately, society is unaware and unwilling to promote the use of art therapy, yet countless cases have been noted regarding the improvement…

Words 1136 - Pages 5

Adlerian Art Therapy

of Adlerian Art Therapy Groups are the ideal situation when implementing Adlerian art therapy because it “develops an optimal sense of belonging” (Dreikurs, p. 70). Not only does it teach cooperation with others, interaction between group members allows the therapist a better understanding of each particular individual. In Adlerian family art therapy; the therapist is able to analysis the roles and environment the family has created for themselves while they participate in an art making activity…

Words 1383 - Pages 6

Occupational Therapy Personal Statement

When I first heard about occupational therapy, I would have never envisioned squeezing paper towels as something beneficial. “Juan”, a Head Start student in occupational therapy (OT), sneaked over to the faucet to pour a cup of water. When I nudged Joe, the OT, to Juan's attention, Joe snatched a handful of paper towels. “Juan, I have a game for you.” The occupational therapist sat him down and squashed the paper into the cup. Fortunately, there was a rubber bowl at the table. Joe wrung the towel…

Words 870 - Pages 4

Occupational Therapy (OT)

When I first heard about occupational therapy, I would have never envisioned squeezing paper towels as a beneficial activity. “Juan”, a Head Start student in occupational therapy (OT), sneaked over to the faucet to pour a cup of water. When I nudged Joe, the OT, to Juan's attention, Joe snatched a handful of paper towels. “Juan, I have a game for you.” The occupational therapist sat him down and squashed the paper into the cup. Fortunately, there was a rubber bowl at the table. Joe wrung the towel…

Words 922 - Pages 4

Essay on Person Centered Therory

Person-Centered Therapy Kimberly Meeks Liberty University Abstract The aim of this paper is to introduce the Person-Centered therapy approach to the counseling procedure. The concept of Person-Centered therapy was founded by Carl Rogers in the mid-1940s. The approach is based on the concept that the person is the focus of the counseling sessions and not the problem. The emphasis is placed on the positive aspect of the person and his or her unique situation. Since no two people are…

Words 2050 - Pages 9

Personal Narrative: A Sense Of Anxiety

shelter where to find relief. Initially, my research was focused on the outside, looking for someone or something that would soothe the pain that was becoming every day more and more unbearable. After years of fruitless searching, one day I met a yoga teacher who has lit a path up until then unknown to me. I finally found an art that would be my greatest ally in the frantic struggle to free myself from the ghosts of a past of fear and despair: the art of meditation. Driven by an insatiable curiosity…

Words 1295 - Pages 6

Summary Of Krantz And Mcclannahan's Baseline Study

autism by one or more outside agencies. All four participants had a history of impaired imitation skills, severe communication deficits, minimal or absent academic, and social and home-living skills. The setting for the study was a classroom and research center for autism for training, and generalization took place in large conference room. Before the study, participants had learned to independently follow a photographic activity schedule and written activity schedule. The dependent variable was…

Words 493 - Pages 2

Theoretical Framework And Analysis

clinician will use the interventions and techniques correctly. This takes practice and research on these theories. Not one theory works with all clients, for this reason it is good for clinicians to be knowledgeable in different theories. When clinicians choose a theory it needs to fit the client and the interventions need to be tailored to the client, not tailored to the clinicians wants and needs. For this paper this author will be exploring person-centered and applying that theory to a case to…

Words 1474 - Pages 6