There are numerous types of therapy. Some may be more effective than others. What one person may respond to another may not appreciate. Therefore it helps to consider another approach. One type of therapy you may not have considered is using the services of an art therapist.
It has been known for some time that people suffering from mental, social or emotional problems often expressed themselves through drawing or other forms of art. Indeed a lot of people rightly or wrongly associate creativity with a different kind of mental perspective. It was only until the mid twentieth century that mental health professionals began to develop a formal frame work that would come to be defined as art therapy.
Over time therapists began to use this to their advantage, using the creativity of the patient to get a deeper understanding. However it was not until the middle of the twentieth century that art therapy began to be recognised as a treatment in and of itself. More recently people have begun to realise the benefits of getting patients to express themselves.
One of the biggest benefits is the fact that some people may not be comfortable with verbal communication. This can often be the case with people who have physical, mental or learning disabilities. Creative work can often allow them to express themselves more naturally, allowing them to reveal themselves in a way that may have been awkward in a one to one discussion.
In other cases a patient may be capable of verbal communication but may be too traumatised to discuss this. For example if a child has been abused or an adult has gone through a similar traumatic event then they are less likely to talk about it, even if the therapist does their best to create a comfortable, non threatening environment. They may become quiet or in the more severe cases lash out in an aggressive way.
It is important to emphasise that the end product is not the issue. Anyone making something does not necessarily need to be a brilliant artist in order to produce an artwork that a therapist can interpret. However the therapist will need to have sufficient art qualifications in order to ensure the work is properly supervised.
It should also be said that this may also be combined with other treatments. Often this is an effective way of getting previously reticent people to be more in touch with their emotions and better able to express them. This is often due to the fact that the creative project allows more objective perspective from their emotional issues. Over time this can mean a change in both perception and behaviour.
There are numerous organisations you can find online to help you find therapists who specialise in this field. They may not necessarily just use painting, sculpture and so forth with many also using drama, role play and other forms of expressive exercises to help people. Look online for more information as well as feedback from people who have used this kind of therapy in the past.
It has been known for some time that people suffering from mental, social or emotional problems often expressed themselves through drawing or other forms of art. Indeed a lot of people rightly or wrongly associate creativity with a different kind of mental perspective. It was only until the mid twentieth century that mental health professionals began to develop a formal frame work that would come to be defined as art therapy.
Over time therapists began to use this to their advantage, using the creativity of the patient to get a deeper understanding. However it was not until the middle of the twentieth century that art therapy began to be recognised as a treatment in and of itself. More recently people have begun to realise the benefits of getting patients to express themselves.
One of the biggest benefits is the fact that some people may not be comfortable with verbal communication. This can often be the case with people who have physical, mental or learning disabilities. Creative work can often allow them to express themselves more naturally, allowing them to reveal themselves in a way that may have been awkward in a one to one discussion.
In other cases a patient may be capable of verbal communication but may be too traumatised to discuss this. For example if a child has been abused or an adult has gone through a similar traumatic event then they are less likely to talk about it, even if the therapist does their best to create a comfortable, non threatening environment. They may become quiet or in the more severe cases lash out in an aggressive way.
It is important to emphasise that the end product is not the issue. Anyone making something does not necessarily need to be a brilliant artist in order to produce an artwork that a therapist can interpret. However the therapist will need to have sufficient art qualifications in order to ensure the work is properly supervised.
It should also be said that this may also be combined with other treatments. Often this is an effective way of getting previously reticent people to be more in touch with their emotions and better able to express them. This is often due to the fact that the creative project allows more objective perspective from their emotional issues. Over time this can mean a change in both perception and behaviour.
There are numerous organisations you can find online to help you find therapists who specialise in this field. They may not necessarily just use painting, sculpture and so forth with many also using drama, role play and other forms of expressive exercises to help people. Look online for more information as well as feedback from people who have used this kind of therapy in the past.
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