The 6th International Conference on Interdisciplinarity in Education ICIE11 April 14-16, 2011, Karabuk/Safranbolu, Turkey

ART THERAPY EDUCATION TECHNIQUES

Mihaela Gorcea, Ioana Antoniu, Radu erban, Emil Dobriban, Adina Coma,
1

Daniela Mihescu

University of Art and Design, Piaa Unirii 31, 400098 Cluj, Romania, mihaela.gorcea@uad.ro
1

Visual Deficiences School, Cluj, mihaescu_elen@yahoo.com

Abstract The article describes the impact newintroduced art-therapy techniques have on the education process, so that the main focus of the school experience is on the pupil (student), not only on the faculty or on gathering information. In the United States of America and some European countries, art in education has become a regulated priority for the governmental policies that aim at improving the education system. There are many debates on the contribution, value and purpose that arts have in building a secure education system, one that stimulates active citizenship of young people and their active and direct involvement and awareness about society that can surely prevent aggressive and anti-social behaviors.

deal with the personal development in order to prevent modern societys aggressive, antisocial, discriminatory, drug abuse behaviours? The artistic disciplines of the school curricula may work as a personal development programme. Art therapy techniques, applied to group therapy in order to develop emotion self-awareness and expression skills, communication skills, empathy, can be adjusted in order to assist the pupil in facing stress and life transitions, without weakening the academic rigor. Instead of being an improvement instrument for the already appeared negative effects of maladjustment and drug abuse, art therapy can be preventive and proactive. Visual education courses should include emotional problem solving elements. Only then can the school experience truly address the child, on a supported basis.

Key Words: education, art education, arttherapy, communication, interferences.

2. The relationship between art and art therapy

The therapeutic valence of art are acknowledge since antiquity, but art therapy as a specialty developed only in the second half of the 20th century, strongly linked to psychiatry and psychotherapy. The first art therapy workshops appeared in 1950 in the United Kingdom and the United States [1]. Since 1990, art therapy headed towards the cultural, social,

1. Introduction
In todays society, education is not considered a luxury and it represents a must. Still, when analysing the education system we notice that we dont offer to children and students more than information. They learn to read and to accumulate as much information as possible that will enable them to obtain a job. But where are the education and research that truly

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educational and socio-educational leaving the psychiatry field [2].

area,

Art therapy is nowadays considered a specialty on its own, which takes into account and therapeutically cultivates the effects artistic activities produce. It has a wide practicability and its being especially used to rehabilitate, stimulate and develop children and adults with mental and physical disabilities, but also for the purposes of personal development and education, respectively in prevention [3]. Art therapy must follow a set of rules: to establish therapeutical protocols, projects and objectives, to put into practice various methods and means that are in accordance with the established objectives, to use a professional and approachable language, as well as pertinent evaluation methods [4]. The focus in art therapy is not on the aesthetic values of the art-fact, like in the case of the artistic process, nor on how the interpretation of the artistic product (like in psychotherapy) or on acquiring some artistic skills, but on the aesthetic emotions that, together with the cognitive and moral emotions, may contribute to the recovery of ones mental balance. Art therapy uses as work means various artistic languages, taken from visual arts, music, theatre, dance, or poetry, but its purpose is not to create art, education or artistic performance. Not everyone that offers patients colors, paper and a working theme does art therapy, as well as not all self-knowing workshop offers (though scarce), even if coordinated by art therapists, must be perceived as therapy. The process requires knowledge, experience and a specialized behaviour from the art therapists, as well as a verbal and non-verbal communication pace that is adjusted to the patients diagnose, to his/her needs and creative skills. [5] After using art-specific expression means in the activity of human psycho-somato-social development professionals, it has been noticed that one of mans basic needs is to express what he/she feels.

Regardless of the technique used in artistic expression, art cannot be separated from emotions. When mentioning mans emotional level, we have to include therapy. On the emotional level of the artistic creator we find the same necessary ingredients for psychotherapy. Each individual has his/her own perceptions, emotions and cultural influences. Sensations originate in the context of our socio-cultural condition. Placed in a relational framework, these become the result of our mental projections. At this point, art therapy becomes essential, because it indulges in living some positive and valuable emotions and it leads to the balance of the natural contraction expansion cycle, inherent to the human being. Joseph Beuys (1921-1986), the artist that radically restructured the configuration of contemporary arts scenery, insisted on the creative capacities of each person and on the necessity to conceive art as a social sculpture[6], asserting the therapeutic role of art through its self-reflexive and self-knowing qualities. Out of artistic expression products, various experience and existence possibilities can emerge, that offer alternatives to obstructive life situations. Through its access to the nature of self- and inter-human relationships transformation, through its positive values that stand at the core of the human beings understanding, exploring and assistance, art therapy is a path towards regaining and preserving the somatopsycho-social health and towards preventing alienation. Art therapy offers the necessary safety, the freedom of displaying and expressing desires, opinions and attitudes, and it satisfies the human need of belonging and identifying with a group. After analysing the relationship between art and art therapy, artist Dana Fabini, who has a rich experience in art therapy, considers that the common special feature of both art and art therapy, beyond the used language and toolkit, originates in the perception of the artistic

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creative process as a communication and affective feeling exchange mean. A very important aspect of both areas creative process resides precisely in the fundamental necessity of the human nature to shape and engage self-expression needs.[5] The creation process and the artefact, continues the author, act on its author like an idea-affective stimulus, triggering introspection resources and restructuring self perception and the relationship with the environment.[5] Trying to bring out gestures, intentions and own possibilities, therefore allowing personality to express freely, one manages to revive the quality of its existential function through the means of art therapy. Registering in the mechanism of the artistic phenomenon, this function consolidates the meaning and flavour of life, allowing the troubled person to find its human value.

Art Therapy Association, Judith Aron Rubin, David Henley emphasizes on some of the advantages of such an educational system. He suggests a therapeutic curriculum, that offers the pupil the chance to learn by creatively experimenting the medias with whom he/she is in contact and the chance to use in his/her daily life own resources to induce change. This way, the method of critically involving young people in the surrounding social network is being developed. This kind of involvement is a civic growing up form, that education systems should take into consideration [7]. In the United States and England, after countless violence acts inside schools, the role of art in education became a priority supported by governmental policies aimed at improving the education system. There are many debates on the contribution, value and purpose that arts have in building a secure education system and their involvement and awareness about the society they live in and that can be directly acknowledged.

2.1. Techniques of art therapy in education The idea of using art therapy techniques in education causes fear in some cases and delight in others. We do not deny the worries on making art therapy too pedagogical or on making art too therapeutical, when its the case of losing the features of each field [7]. But arent our education and art therapy purposes focusing on integrating various aspects of our life? Since 1917, one of the most important education visionary, Cadwell Cook, stated the fundamental role that art can play in education, placing the spotlight on two notions considered by Cook essential, namely selfunderstanding and empathy. Through roleplaying and identity transfer, the child understands better his own problems scale and it can therefore resonate with others problems [8]. In the chapter entitled Lessons in images: art therapy in creative education, from the volume Art therapy. Theory and technique coordinated by the president of the American
Fig. 1. Intervention in nature, Bourges, France

In French schools, art therapy is being successfully used; for example, to treat Internet syndrome pupils with land-art techniques [9, 10]. Adolescents manifesting this syndrome participate on a weekly basis in an artistic activity that takes place in nature, under the guidance of some artists or art therapists. Pupils choose the place and the materials they want to intervene in. Stone, wood, seeds, sand, transparent plastic foil all are pieced together in installation

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compositions; all become companions that transform, age and disappear every stage is being recorded and stored. These land-art interventions restore the contact with nature, stimulate and develop childrens creativity, observation skills, attention, and the relationship with the other and the environment [11, 12]. 2.2. Art therapy in Romania In Romania, there were some initiatives of using creative techniques in helping suffering people since the 1980s. After 1990, the art therapy movement spread and developed into several professional levels: amateur and professional artists got involved in community projects with specific actions, whereas specialists studied the usefulness of using art techniques in their activity, opting for either the therapeutic specialist-artist couple, or for the post-graduate specialization under foreign experts. Since 2008, art therapy was introduced in the Occupations Code of Romania, which allowed a clear demarcation of the necessary

competences. Most of the persons that already use specific art therapy techniques have BA degrees in arts or psychosocial fields. The official recognition of the art therapist occupation, obtained after graduating a MA in art therapy, offers new insertion opportunities on a constantly moving labour market.

2.3. Good practice examples A very important step towards creating interference between art, education and art therapy was made when the Department of Art Pedagogy inside the Art and Design University of Cluj introduced in its study programme an Art therapy techniques course. The programme started in 2004 and continues to develop by tackling new directions. In 2005, a graduate of the Art Education Department initiated an art therapy techniques programme at a special school from Cluj, continued it in several other normal high schools that had mix nationalities classes, and still continues the programme at the Visual Disabled High School from Cluj.

Fig. 2 A group method of working

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Most of the students of the Art Education Department are either young women that pursue a career in education, either women that already work in the teaching system and want to specialize in arts. Students have to deal, even during their pedagogical practice programme, with the rejection attitude and carelessness pupils show towards the artistic disciplines, as well as aggressive behaviours. The creative teamwork methods, the use of as many diverse plastic techniques as possible, art films viewing, used in the Art therapy techniques course makes students to communicate their own experiences, to value team creativity and fellowship and to activate the social intervention behaviour, empathy and, maybe whats most important, it helps them to become influential voices in the space they represent, not only information consumers. Using art therapy techniques in the activities with the pupils, changing the classroom scenery with interactive visits to the Art Museum of Cluj, attending the creativity workshop organized inside the Art Museum, analysing art works at a visual-plastic level and at an affective-emotional level, working together in a group, organising periodic exhibitions with the works of children all these represent a way of interaction with children, of using their own experience in order to develop emotionally and to understand oneself and the surrounding world. Observing the Art Pedagogy Department students practice, who use art-therapy techniques in their work with pupils, it has been noticed how aggressive behaviours and destructive emotion-conducted actions diminished in recurrence. As an example, it can be mentioned that identity can be regained (which is easily lost in an institution), that self esteem and perception can be strengthened, or that decision making and independence stating can be encouraged; social isolation can be countered, communication and social skills can be improved, emotions can be balanced, and alternatives to unacceptable behaviours can be offered. It seems that teaching children about

feelings, we do not just help them recognize what happens inside themselves or others, but we can also show them that, when talking about feelings, difficult life situations can be improved and overcame. For the students of the Art Pedagogy Department, the initiative of introducing an Art therapy techniques course in the curricula has immediate benefits on the personal development, and, on the long run, on the professional development for those who want to pursue a teaching career. The official recognition of the art therapist occupation offers students that have skills in practicing art therapy, after graduating the art-therapy master, more knowledge about this field and helps the develop new professional skills and attitudes, which represent new job opportunities in a continuous moving labour market.

3. Conclusion
The creation process is more corresponded with the personal process of being, that relative ability to create links with the others, with ones inner life. Artistic references also enable communication by expressing and connecting with the other, using thus a support communication technique. Art-therapy uses the artistic creative processes, artistic techniques and also distinctive self-knowledge, communication and networking techniques, in order to know and express oneself, to generate personal change and development. Practical applications of using art-therapy techniques in the learning process show their benefits for students and pupils. Students that attended art therapy techniques courses covered several exercises on emotions selfawareness, on empathy for the other and on how developing and valorizing creativity and solidarity inside a team can activate social intervention behaviour. Observing the Art Pedagogy Department students practice, who use art-therapy techniques in their work with pupils, it has been noticed how aggressive

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behaviours and destructive emotion-conducted actions diminished in recurrence. Based on various field interference performative pedagogy valorises communication and social involvement skills which become more relevant and acknowledged by the Romanian education system. Art in education represents a space for researching and exploring pupils potential, which could easily develop into a reflection system on themselves and society. Their intervention could therefore expand beyond information gathering.

[3]

Preda, Vasile, Terapii prin mediere artistic, Presa Universitar Clujean, Cluj-Napoca, 2003. Fabini, Dana, Receptarea n artele vizuale. Implicaii n terapia prin art, Casa Crii de Stiin, Cluj-Napoca, 2006. Fabini, Dana, Creativitate artistic. Relaii ntre artele vizuale i terapia prin art, Presa Universitar Clujean, Cluj-Napoca, 2006. De Meredieu, Florence, Arta i noile tehnologii, Editura Rao, Bucureti, 2005. Rubin, Judith Aron, Art-Terapia. Teorie i Tehnic, Editura Trei, Bucureti, 2009. Cook, Cadwell, The Play Way, London, Heinemann, 1917; Rodriguez, J., Troll, G., Lart therapie. Pratiques, techniques et concepts, Ellebore, Paris, 2001. Boyer-Labrouche, A., Manuel therapie, Dunod, Paris, 2000; dart

[4]

[5]

[6] [7] [8] [9]

4. Acknowledgements
This work has been partially co-funded from the contract Estia-Earth: 142418-2008-GR-ErasmusENW, of the European Community, Direction General Education and Culture, Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency and National Technical University of Athens.

[10] [11]

5. References
[1] Capdeville, J. P., Les bases de lenseignement en art therapie, Publication de lUniversite de Tours, 1990. Forestier, R., Tout savoir sur lart therapie, Favre, Lausanne, 2000. [12]

Broustra, J., Lexpression, psycho-therapie et creation, E.S.F., Paris, 1996; Fabini, Dana, Creativitatea artistic. Relaii ntre artele vizuale i terapia prin art, Presa Universitar Clujean, Cluj-Napoca, 2006;

[2]

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