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4/5/16
Expressive Art Therapy
means using different techniques in a creative way to express emotional and mental state for
therapeutic benefits. Different techniques such as, drawing, painting, music, writing, are the most
common used techniques in Art Therapy. Each technique has to be modified for each patient. In
order to assign a type of Art Therapy to a patient, it has to be proven that it is the best route for
the patient. It also has to fit to their personality.
In expressive art therapy there are many different types of therapy that falls into that
category. More frequently, there are more children working with some type of art to express their
emotional and mental state. At a younger age you tend to be more hands on, painting allows you
to use colors to bring out the abstract of the picture you are trying to put together. Colors can
allow you to show your emotions. Younger adults or older teens seem to like hands on projects
as well, for example, role playing, instruments, drawing, and painting. This allows them to to
show what they are thinking or how they feel. Music allows people to express more of what they
are feeling, hence why many people use interments. Adults and seniors seem to be very
interested into expressive art therapy, by the age 25, most people have learn and/or experienced
very stressful situation and sometime a verbal therapy session is not what is needed.
Art therapy is not just for one type of person. It can be used if the patient has a strong
interest in some form of art. In order to justify that, a therapist should know their patient very
well. An example of anyone that could use or have used it would be, traumatized children,
Cancer patients depressed and/or anxiety disorder patients.
I chose to write my paper about Expressive Art therapy because I, personally, have used
art as a therapeutic relief for any stress. I have a strong interest for Psychology and I would love
to be a Psychologist or a Counselor. I have received help from others and I intend to pass it on.