How

 can  art  benefit  our  Mental  

Health?  
By  Jennifer  Ball  
 Proposed  Disserta3on  Enquiry  
For  my  disserta3on,  I  will  be  discovering  how  art  can  provide  therapy  to  adults  and  children  
whose  emo3onal  well  being  is  fragile  and  who  are  or  are  in  danger  of  suffering  from  mental  
health  issues.    Within  my  research  I  want  to  examine  how  art  also  may  support  adults  and  
children  who  have  special  educa3onal  needs.  
 
My  research  will  examine  the  defini3on  of  mental  health  and  the  theorists  that  iden3fied  the  
rela3onship  between  emo3onal  well  being  and  brain  func3on.    In  addi3on,  I  will  explore  the  
history  of  Art  therapy  and  establish  the  evidence  that  early  theorists  provided  in  order  to  
demonstrate  the  healing  proper3es  of  Art.  
 
I  intend  to  examine  case  studies  in  an  aHempt  to  understand  the  impact  of  mental  illness  on  an  
individual.    I  will  research  personal  stories  within  the  books,  ar3cles,  websites  and  documentaries  
that  I  have  found.  I  hope  to  establish  which  methods  and  treatments  deliver  the  best  results  and  
discover  ‘what  success  looks  like’.      
 Chapter  3  Case  -­‐  Study/Studies  
For  my  third  chapter  I  want  to  understand  how  the  diagnosis  of  mental  health  is  
made  and  which  symptoms  manifest  before  treatment  is  considered.  I  will  
examine  case  studies  from  various  books  and  other  research  methods.      
I  want  to  explore  the:  
•  Op3ons  for  treatment  available  from  the  NHS  and  other  organisa3ons  who  
manage  mental  health  
•  What  makes  art  therapy  different  from  any  other  therapies  
•  At  one  point  is  art  therapy  considered  and  why?  
•  How  accessible/costly  is  Art  Therapy  in  rela3on  to  other  treatments?  
•  How  is  success/cure  measured?  
 Proposed  theore3cal  frameworks    
and  their  Theorists      
•  Carl  Jung  –  interest  in  the  unconscious:  1)  personal  unconscious  
(repressed  memories)  and    2)  collec3ve  unconscious  (shared  unconscious  
memories)  
•  Sigmund  Freud  -­‐    founding  father  or  psycho-­‐analysis  (talking  therapy)          
                               
•  Margaret  Naumberg  –  heavily  influenced  by  Jung  and  Freud  –  art  drawings  
were  a  ‘symbolic  communica3on  of  unconscious  material’  
•  Edith  Kramer  –  ‘Art  tells  the  truth’.    The  art  process  is  the  healing  factor  
 5  Books  
The  Handbook  of  Art  Therapy  –  by  Caroline  Case  and  Tessa  Dalley  
The  book  explains  and  explores  the  profession  of  Art  Therapy.  Giving  an  insight  into  the  training,  theory  and  its  prac3ce.  
 
Art  Therapy  and  Social  Ac3on  –  edited  by  Frances  F.Kaplan    
This  book  looks  at  the  approaches  and  techniques  within  Art  Therapy,  discovering  how  an  Art  Therapist  is  actually  a  
Social  Ac3vist  for  those  suffering  with  mental  illnesses.  
 
Art  as  Therapy  –  by  Alain  de  BoHon  and  John  Armstrong  
Helps  you  to  understand  why  art  is  so  important  in  helping  your  life  problems.  The  book  also  gives  a  more  historical  
approach  by  showing  art  work  from  ar3sts  such  as  Van  Gogh  and  Leonardo  Da  Vinci.    
 
The  Handbook  of  Counseling  Children  and  Young  People  –  by  Sue  Pacson,  Maggie  Robson  and  Ann  Beynon  
Discusses  aspects  of  Depression,  Self  –  Harm,  Suicide,  Sexual,  Physical  and  Emo3onal  Abuse  and  Ea3ng  Disorders.  
 
Psychopathology,  Research,    Assessment  and  Treatment  in  a  Clinical  Psychology  –  by  Graham  Davey  
Explores  mental  health  problems  such  as  Depression  and  Schizophrenia.  It  looks  at  the  roles  of  Mental  Health  
Professional  and  their  training.  It  also  looks  at  the  symptoms  of  mental  illness,  its  diagnoses  and  examples  of  some  
treatments.  
 
 
 
 
 
 3  Journal  Ar3cles  
‘Crea3vity  Improves  wellbeing’:  art  transforms  mental  health  ward  -­‐  by  Sarah  Johnson  (2017)  
hHps://www.theguardian.com/healthcare-­‐network/2017/feb/15/crea3vity-­‐improves-­‐wellbeing-­‐art-­‐transforms-­‐mental-­‐
health-­‐ward  
This  ar3cle  explains  how  art  transformed  a  mental  health  ward  to  help  improve  how  the  pa3ents  feel,  crea3ng  a  calm  
relaxed  environment.  “It  was  quite  clear  that  art  and  the  environment  is  really  important  and  if  you  have  the  right  
sensory  s3mula3on,  then  it  can  improve  how  you  feel.”-­‐  Dr  CharloHe  Harrison,  a  consultant  psychiatrist  
 
The  Mental  Health  Benefits  of  Art  Are  for  Everyone  –  by  Deane  Alban  
hHps://bebrainfit.com/the-­‐health-­‐benefits-­‐of-­‐art-­‐are-­‐for-­‐everyone/  
The  ar3cle  explores  how  anyone  can  create  art  to  improve  their  mental  health  by  s3mula3ng  the  brain.  It  also  explains  
who  it  can  help  and  how  certain  art  exercises  can  do  that.    
 
The  NHS  have  291  Ar3cles  on  Mental  Health  
hHps://www.nhs.uk/news/mental-­‐health/    
For  example  Ar3cles  range  from  what  treatments/therapies  are  out  their  and  if  they  work.  It  even  has  ar3cles  on  
specific  drugs  and  diet  plans  that  may  be  beneficial.  A  lot  of  the  ar3cles  focus  on  specific  groups  such  as  women,  
teenagers,  pregnant  women,  those  suffering  with  mental  illnesses,  addic3ons  and  many  more.    
 
 
 
 
 
 
 2  Websites  
Place2be  –  a  leading  mental  health  charity  
that  counsels  children  in  schools,  to  improve  
their  emo3onal  well  being  and  through  the  
medium  of  play  they  give  children  a  voice.    
hHps://www.place2be.org.uk/our-­‐
story.aspx    
 
BAAT  –  Is  the  Bri3sh  Associa3on  of  Art  
Therapists.  The  website  explains  what  Art  
Therapy  can  do  to  improve  mental  health  
for  a  wide  variety  of  people  and  their  
different  needs.    
hHp://www.baat.org    
 
 
 BBC  3  –  Life  Through  My  Lens  
BBC  Panorama  –  Revealed:     23ABC’s  –  Uncovering    
Britain’s  Mental  Health  Crisis   Mental  Illness  

Channel  4  –  Bedlam   BBC  3  –  Don’t  

Anxiety  Episode     Call  Me  Crazy  
1  of  4    

BBC  –  The  Secret  Life  of     BBC  2  –  Trust  Me  I’m  

BBC  2  –  Louis  Theroux,     a  Doctor  (Mental  Health  
Manic  Depression   Special)  
Reason  of  Insanity  
(Stephen  Fry)  
 1  Documentary  
BBC  –  The  Secret  Life  of  Manic  Depression  (Stephen  Fry)  
The  documentary  uncovers  Stephen  Fry’s  mental  illness  known  as  Manic  
Depression  or  can  be  known  as  bipolar  disorder.  His  condi3on  became  
known  to  the  public  when  he  lem  the  London’s  West  End  because  he  
became  suicidal.  Stephen  fry  talks  about  the  early  signs  of  his  condi3on  
and  how  he  coped  with  it  over  the  years.  The  film  also  interviews  other  
celebri3es  with  similar  condi3ons,  such  as  Robbie  Williams,  Carrie  Fisher,  
Rick  Stein  and  Tony  SlaHery.    
 
The  documentary  also  discovers  “the  unglamorous  reality  of  manic  
depression”  by  interviewing  a  lady  called  Connie,  who  in  this  case  is  not  a  
celebrity.  She  discusses  the  endless  amount  of  drugs  she  has  to  take  on  a  
daily  basis  to  help  her  sleep,  prevent  extreme  lows  and  paranoia.  From  this  
you  realise  that  no  one  can  really  understand  this  condi3on  unless  you  
have  gone  through  it  yourself.    
 
 
 
 3  Key  Images  
1.  Two  heads  show  words   3.  Cave  pain3ngs  showing  
surrounding  mental  illness.   the  earliest  signs  of  
Communica3on.  

Fig  1.   Fig  3.  

2.  The  emo3ons  that  come  

From  Art  Therapy  pa3ents.  

Fig  2.  
 Bibliography  -­‐  Ar3cles  
Alban  D  (n.d)  The  Mental  Health  Benefits  of  Art  Are  for  Everyone  
hHps://bebrainfit.com/the-­‐health-­‐benefits-­‐of-­‐art-­‐are-­‐for-­‐everyone/  
(Accessed  24.1.18)  
 
Johnson  S  (2017),  Crea6vity  Improves  wellbeing’:  art  transforms  mental  health  ward  
hHps://www.theguardian.com/healthcare-­‐network/2017/feb/15/crea3vity-­‐improves-­‐wellbeing-­‐art-­‐transforms-­‐mental-­‐health-­‐
ward    
(Accessed  24.1.18)  
 
The  NHS  have  291  Ar3cles  on  Mental  Health  
hHps://www.nhs.uk/news/mental-­‐health/    
(Accessed  24.1.18)  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Bibliography  -­‐  Books  
1.  BoHon  A  and  Armstrong  J  (2013)  ‘Art  as  Therapy’,  Phaidon  Press  Limited,  London  
 
2.  Caroline  Case  C  and  Dalley  T  (2002)  ‘The  Handbook  of  Art  Therapy’,  Brunner-­‐Routledge  Hove  and  New  York  
 
3.  Davey  G  (2014)  ‘Psychopathology,  Research,    Assessment  and  Treatment  in  a  Clinical  Psychology’,  Bri3sh  
Psychological  Society  and  John  Wiley  &  Sons  LTD,  Chichester  

4.  Kaplan  F  (2007)  ‘Art  Therapy  and  Social  Ac3on’,  Jessica  Kingsley  Publishers,  London  and  Philadelphia  
 
5.  Pacson  S,  Robson  M  and  Beynon  A  ‘The  Handbook  of  Counseling  Children  and  Young  People’,  Sage  
Publica3ons,  London  
 Bibliography  -­‐  Websites  
 
Place2be  hHps://www.place2be.org.uk/our-­‐story.aspx    
(Accessed  24.1.18)  
 
BAAT  hHp://www.baat.org    
(Accessed  24.1.18)  
 
 
 
 Illustra3on  List  
Key  Images  
 
Figure  1.    
hHp://cdn1.theodysseyonline.com/files/2015/10/03/635794921683329460-­‐1299900478_mental%20illness
%20s3gma.jpg  
(Accessed  24.1.18)  
 
Figure  2.    
hHp://yorkshireplaytherapy.co.uk/wp-­‐content/uploads/2015/07/art-­‐therapy-­‐jobs-­‐300x201.jpg  
(Accessed  24.1.18)  
 
Figure  3.  
hHps://digventures-­‐thepixelparlour.netdna-­‐ssl.com/wp-­‐content/uploads/2013/10/GuaTewet_tree_of_life-­‐
LHFage1-­‐1024x803.jpg  
(Accessed  24.1.18)  
 
 
 Illustra3on  List    
Other  Images  
 
BAAT  Logo  
hHp://vene3aminns.co.uk/wp-­‐content/uploads/2015/01/baat_full_362x140.png  
(Accessed  24.1.18)  
 
Head  Image  
hHps://www.lawyer-­‐monthly.com/Lawyer-­‐Monthly/wp-­‐content/uploads/2017/07/Mental-­‐Health.jpg  
(Accessed  24.1.18)  
 
Place2be  Logo  
hHp://www.sendgateway.org.uk/objects_store/publisher/thumbnail/483A86AB70F5723DCEFDB76B0F928CBB.png  
(Accessed  24.1.18)  
 
 
Stephen  Fry  Image  
hHps://i0.wp.com/www.axschat.com/wp-­‐content/uploads/2015/07/stephen_fry_70_colour.jpeg  
(Accessed  24.1.18)