Frequently Asked Questions on Art Therapy
What is an Art Therapy studio like?
It is a confidential space where you will find different types of art materials such as paint, crayons, colors, and clay that can be used to express thoughts, feelings, ideas, and emotions.
How long does an Art Therapy session last?
Sessions last between 45 and 50 minutes.
Do I need to have artistic knowledge to start Art Therapy sessions?
It is not necessary to have artistic knowledge, only the willingness to use art materials as a means of expression.
What if I don't know what to draw?
It is normal to feel a block when starting art therapy and it is an integral part of the therapeutic process.
Is there a specific topic to discuss in each session?
I practice a non-directive approach, it means that you are free to elaborate and produce images in a way that feels most comfortable. I also use a humanistic approach which integrates the physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual levels of the participants. I believe that we all have the ability to find within ourselves balance and develop our potential, the creative process is just a bridge that enables us to observe within ourselves. You can discuss the topics that are most on your mind.
What happens with the images that I produce in the Art Therapy sessions?
The images produced are kept by Art Therapist in the studio until the ending of the sessions.
Are the sessions individual or group sessions?
Both modalities are offered.
What are the benefits of Art Therapy?
-The process of "making art" provides you with a form of spontaneous and non-verbal communication which facilitates the expression of thoughts, emotions and ideas.
- Provides you with a space for reflection and analysis.
-The creative process improves self-esteem and allows you to tell your story through art.
- It encourages the integration of body, emotion and reason and the promotion of new forms of relationship.
- It fosters the ability to create and produce new, valuable insights and it opens a space for conscious awareness and reflection.
- It promotes the creation of new ways to solve problems.
- Raises self-esteem, self-recognition of the ability to create, express, and a sense of belonging, by recognizing how the person is immersed in a process or in an Art Therapy group.
- Creative activities play an essential role in promoting spontaneous expression, communication, perception, and space-time organization in children with disabilities.
In what contexts and with what population can Art Therapy be used?
Art Therapy can be used with diverse populations and in diverse social contexts. For example; working with the elderly, children, adolescents, people with physical and cognitive disabilities in clinical and psychiatric hospitals, schools, educational and community centers. Art Therapists play an important role in and interdisciplinary team.
Do Art Therapists have any professional training?
"Art Therapy is a young discipline although it has been in existence for almost half a century since its introduction in 1963. During this time, it has acquired a considerable degree of maturity, reaching most of the development in the United States and the United Kingdom. Although young, the Art Therapy discipline is a serious and demanding field of study that requires at least two years of full-time postgraduate studies in the United States, United Kingdom, and other countries where rigorous levels of training and practice are required. In academic terms, this means engaging in an extensive and accurate curricular education, writing a thesis, and doing hundreds of hours of supervised clinical work, in order to complete the Masters program. " Judith A Rubin, Ph.D. College of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh Psychoanalytic Center.
What are the theoretical concepts on which Art Therapy is based?
Art Therapy is based mainly on psychoanalysis, psychodynamic and psychotherapeutic principles. Some of the concepts are Object Relations Theory, group dynamics, containment, transitional object, potential space, play as a means of communication, transference and counter-transference, Triangular Art - Therapist - Client Relationship. Some of the main authors are Freud, Melanie Klein, Donald Winnicot, Wilfred Bion, Joy Schaverien, Judith Rubin, Tessa Dalley, Harriet Wadeson.
How is a professional Art Therapist different from a therapist who uses art materials in their practice?
During the Masters degree, an Art Therapist has gone through an important process of self-knowledge, therapeutic processes, supervised practices and master classes on the ethical theory and practice of Art Therapy. Therefore, the professional Art Therapist accompanies, observes, sustains, contains, is alert, focuses and asks the appropriate questions during the creative process. Properly accompanying (ethically and responsibly) the creative process requires having a capacity to adapt to each moment, always being attentive to what is happening, how and in what order, understanding the role that materials play in therapy and the use that each person gives them. Everything that happens in the creative process is important, however insignificant it may seem, it may be the sign of something greater. The Art Therapist is attentive to these subtle changes, recognizes them, names them and communicates them appropriately without ceasing to pay attention to their own voice and thoughts that sometimes try to take over the creative process of the client.
I want to study Art Therapy, where can I find more information?
Writing an email to arte.terapia.colombia@gmail.com, or with the British and American Association of Art Therapy, or speaking with a professional Art Therapist.