ART THERAPY

KRISTIN S. KOEPKE, MA, LPC, ATR-BC

 DEFINITION OF ART THERAPY

• CATHY MALCHIODI FROM ART THERAPY WITHOUT BORDERS, 2013, DEFINES ART THERAPY AS:

• “ ART THERAPY IS THE APPLICATION OF THE VISUAL ARTS AND THE CREATIVE PROCESS WITHIN A
THERAPEUTIC RELATIONSHIP, TO SUPPORT, MAINTAIN, AND IMPROVE THE PSYCHOSOCIAL,
PHYSICAL, COGNITIVE AND SPIRITUAL HEALTH OF THE INDIVIDUALS OF ALL AGES. IT IS BASED ON
CURRENT AND EMERGING RESEARCH THAT ART MAKING IS A HEALTH-ENHANCING PRACTICE THAT
POSITIVELY IMPACTS THE QUALITY OF LIFE. ART THERAPISTS ARE CREDENTIALED PROFESSIONALS
WHO PURPOSIVELY USE SPECIFIC ART-BASED APPROACHES WITH CHILDREN, ADULTS, GROUPS AND
FAMILIES TO SUPPORT, MAINTAIN, AND IMPROVE OVERALL HEALTH, PHYSICAL, EMOTIONAL AND
COGNITIVE FUNCTIONING, INTERPERSONAL SKILLS, PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT, AND QUALITY OF
LIFE.”
 HISTORY OF ART THERAPY

• IN THE 1940’S, MARGARET NAUMBURG BEGAN PUBLISHING HER WORK ON ART THERAPY AND
SHE HAS BECOME TO BE KNOWN AS THE “MOTHER OF ART THERAPY.”
• HOWEVER, PRIOR TO THE 1940’S, ART CAN BE SEEN BACK TO PRE-HISTORIC TIMES AS USING
ART AS A WAY TO PROCESS THEIR WORLD AND EXPRESS THOUGHT, I.E. CAVE DRAWINGS.
• THE FOUNDING FATHERS OF PSYCHOLOGY ALSO HAD THEIR HAND IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF
ART THERAPY, ESPECIALLY CARL JUNG.
 CARL JUNG

• “ TO PAINT WHAT WE SEE BEFORE US, IS A DIFFERENT ART

FROM PAINTING WHAT WE SEE WITHIN.”

• JUNG BECAME FASCINATED WITH MANDALAS AND THE SYMBOLISM PASSED THROUGH THE
COLLECTIVE UNCONSCIOUS.
 ART THERAPY AND PSYCHOANALYSIS

• THE FOUNDATION OF ART THERAPY IS MOST CLOSELY LINKED TO PSYCHOANALYSIS, THAT

IMAGES DRAWN COME FROM THE UNCONSCIOUS.

• OFTEN ENOUGH WHAT CANNOT BE EXPRESSED THROUGH WORDS CAN BE EXPRESSED

THROUGH ARTWORK.
 ART THERAPY BEYOND PSYCHOANALYSIS

• THERE ARE ART OBJECTIVES THAT CAN BE USED IN SESSION THAT MOVE BEYOND THE THEORY
OF PSYCHOANALYSIS.

• A COMMONLY USED EXAMPLE IS CBT IN ART THERAPY WITH MY CHILD AND ADOLESCENT
CLIENT. THEY ARE FOUND IN THE USE OF WORKBOOKS AND ARE ADDRESSING A SPECIFIC
PROBLEM OR BEHAVIOR. EXAMPLES OF THIS ARE ANGER, IMPULSIVE BEHAVIORS, AND
ANXIETY.
 ART THERAPY IN PSYCHOLOGICAL TESTING

• RORSCHACH TEST
• THEMATIC APPERCEPTION TEST (TAT)
• HOUSE-TREE-PERSON
• DRAW-A-PERSON
• THESE ARE BASED ON THE POSTULATE THAT PROJECTIVE DRAWINGS CAN
BE USED AS A CLINICAL TOOL IN THAT A PERSON’S INNER WORLD COULD
BE SEEN AND UNDERSTOOD.
 BENEFITS OF ART THERAPY

IN ART THERAPY THE CLIENT IS USING BOTH THE RIGHT AND LEFT SIDE OF THEIR BRAINS
• THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE BRAIN IS SPATIAL AND VISUAL
• THE LEFT SIDE IS VERBAL
• THE LEFT SIDE CAN BECOME CONSTRAINED BY LOGICAL AND RATIONAL ORDER OF WORDS
• THE RIGHT SIDE OFFERS DIFFERENT COMPLEXITIES AND EXPRESSION, OFTEN IN THE
PRECONSCIOUS
 BENEFITS OF ART THERAPY CONTINUED

• THE ARTWORK BECOMES A BRIDGE OF WHAT IS OCCURRING IN THE INNER WORLD OF THE
CLIENT TO THE SURFACE
• THIS HELPS THE CLIENT HAVE A GREATER UNDERSTANDING OF SELF WITH THIS INTEGRATION
• HELPS THE CLIENT BE CREATIVE AND PROBLEM-SOLVE
• CLIENTS LEARN THERAPEUTIC TOOLS TO ALLEVIATE DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY TO USE OUTSIDE
OF SESSIONS
 ART AS THERAPY

• THIS IS THE PROCESS OF ART MAKING AS BEING THERAPEUTIC. IT CAN BE A STRESS RELIEVER
AND ANXIETY REDUCER.

• THIS IS MOST OFTEN SEEN TO BE USED BY NON-ART THERAPISTS. IT COULD BE AN OPEN

STUDIO CONCEPT THAT WORKS WITH MENTALLY ILL.
 ART IN THERAPY

• THE PROCESS OF ART IS USED IN A THERAPEUTIC RELATIONSHIP WHERE IT HELPS THE CLIENT
COMMUNICATE THOUGHTS AND FEELINGS AND THE CLINICIAN IS THERE TO HELP SUPPORT
THAT PROCESS.

• THE ART PROCESS IF OFTEN COMMUNICATED SYMBOLICALLY, EXPRESSING THEIR PERSONALITY

AND EMOTIONS OF THEIR HUMAN EXPERIENCE.
 EDUCATION FOR ART THERAPISTS

• A STUDENT MUST BE ADMITTED TO A MASTERS PROGRAM THAT IS ACCREDITED BY THE

AMERICAN ART THERAPY ASSOCIATION. PRE-REQUISITES INCLUDE A BACHELORS DEGREE AND
A MINIMUM OF 18 SEMESTER HOURS OF STUDIO ART AND A MINIMUM OF 12 SEMESTER
HOURS OF PSYCHOLOGY, WHICH MUST INCLUDE DEVELOPMENTAL AND ABNORMAL
PSYCHOLOGY.

• A MINIMUM OF 48 SEMESTER HOURS, SOME STATES REQUIRING 60 SEMESTER HOURS FOR

LICENSURE AND A PRACTICUM AND INTERNSHIP, RESULTING IN 700 HOURS.
 POST-GRADUATION ART THERAPIST CREDENTIALING

• ATCB IS THE CREDENTIALING BOARD FOR ART THERAPIST.

• STUDENTS MUST LOG THEIR SUPERVISION HOURS WITH A CREDENTIALED ART THERAPIST
• TO BECOME CREDENTIALED, IT IS A TWO STEP PROCESS. A CLINICIAN WILL FIRST APPLY FOR
THEIR ATR WHICH MAKES THEM A REGISTERED ART THERAPIST. ONCE THAT IS GIVEN, THE
CLINICIAN MAY TAKE THE SECOND STEP OF PROFESSIONALISM IN THE FIELD OF ART THERAPY
AND TAKE THE BOARD CERTIFICATION EXAM. UPON SUCCESSFUL COMPLETION OF THE EXAM,
THE CLINICIAN WILL THEN EARN THEIR BC, GIVING THEM THEIR CREDENTIALS OF ATR-BC
USING ART IN SESSION FOR THE NON-ART THERAPIST

• A NON-ART THERAPIST SHOULD NOT BE USING ART THERAPY PROJECTIVE DRAWINGS IN

SESSIONS OR WITH ANY CLIENT

• A NON-ART THERAPIST SHOULD NOT BE INTERPRETING THE CLIENT’S ART

• A NON-ART THERAPIST SHOULD ALSO BE CAUTIOUS OF THE ART MATERIALS USED

 USING ART FOR THE NON-ART THERAPIST
CONTINUED
• MEDIUMS SHOULD BE SIMPLE AND NOT MESSY. EXAMPLES ARE COLLAGE MATERIALS (CUT OUT
MAGAZINE IMAGES, GLUE, SCISSORS, AND PAPER), MARKERS, COLORED PENCILS, AND
CRAYONS.

• HAVE THEM EXPRESS THEIR THOUGHTS AND FEELINGS OR AN EXPERIENCE THAT IS TOO
PAINFUL TO VERBALIZE (THIS MAY BE DEFINED AS ART AS THERAPY, WHERE IT BECOMES A
THERAPEUTIC RELEASE TO EXPRESS THE THOUGHT/FEELING THROUGH THE ART MAKING
PROCESS)
 HISTORY OF MANDALAS

• COMES FROM THE SANSKRIT LANGUAGE AND MEANS “CIRCLE.”

• OTHER INTERPRETATIONS OF MANDALA IS A SACRED CIRCLE OR A CONTAINER, ALLUDING TO
PSYCHOLOGICAL AND MYSTICAL MEANING
• WITHIN THE BUDDHIST AND HINDU TRADITIONS, IT IS VIEWED AS A SACRED SYMBOL IN THE
SPIRITUAL JOURNEY.
 HISTORY OF MANDALAS CONTINUED…

• MANDALAS CAN BE TRACED THROUGHOUT TIME, TRACED BACK TO PREHISTORIC AND INDIGENOUS
ART. EXAMPLES OF THIS ARE THE NEOLITHIC SITES AND THE SPIRALS INSCRIBED INTO THE STONES.
• MANDALAS ARE SEEN IN THE CHRISTIAN CULTURE, USED AS A TEACHING TOOL IN THE FORM OF
PAINTINGS ON CHURCH WALLS AND HAVE EVOLVED TO STAINED GLASS WINDOWS, SUCH AS
THAT SEEN IN NOTRE DAME, PARIS.
• MANDALAS ARE CROSSED OVER INTO THE WORLD OF PSYCHOLOGY, AS MENTIONED BEFORE,
WITH CARL JUNG. HE USED MANDALAS AS A JOURNEY OF PSYCHOLOGICAL WHOLENESS BOTH
WITH HIMSELF AND WITH HIS CLIENTS.
• MANDALAS ARE ALSO SEEN IN NATURE, INCLUDING WEATHER PATTERNS SUCH AS HURRICANES.
 MANDALAS AS A MEDITATIVE TOOL

• MANDALAS ARE USED FREQUENTLY TO QUIET THE MIND, THUS AS A STRESS RELIEVER,
REDUCING ANXIETY, AND PRACTICING MINDFULNESS.

• THIS CAN BE DONE BY CREATING YOUR OWN MANDALA DESIGN OR COLORING A PRE-MADE
MANDALA
MANDALA IN THE UNIVERSE
MANDALA IN WEATHER
MANDALA IN THE EARTH
MANDALA IN OUR FEATURES
MANDALA IN NATURE
MANDALA IN THE SEA
MANDALA IN ANIMALS
MANDALA IN INSECTS
MANDALA IN HINDUISM
MANDALA IN CELTIC CROSS
MANDALA IN NAVAJO’S
MANDALA IN CHRISTIANITY
MANDALA IN BUDDHISM
TIME FOR YOU TO TRY…
 REFERENCES
• GOOGLE IMAGES
• WWW.ATWB.ORG
• A MULTI-MODAL APPROACH TO CREATIVE ART THERAPY
BY ARTHUR ROBBINS
• A HISTORY OF ART THERAPY IN THE UNITED STATES
BY MAXINE BOROWSKY JUNGE
• THE MANDALA BIBLE: THE DEFINITIVE GUIDE TO USING SACRED SHAPES
BY MADONNA GAUDING
• ZEN MANDALAS: SACRED CIRCLES INSPIRED BY ZENTANGLE
BY SUZANNE MC NEIL, CZT