The Advantages of Art Therapy and Counseling

November 10, 2012
by Jim Weldon

You might be asking yourself just what is art therapy and counseling. The answer is straightforward. It is counseling which utilizes art in an effort to enhance the mental and physical health of the patient. It is thought that art of all types can assist people in working through arguments and issues by relaxing patients and allowing them a thing called self-expression. The only real demand is the potential to let go of your mind and enable yourself to draw whatever you feel inside. Around the mid-twentieth century, English speaking and European areas began to look at art as a form of treatment when combined with counseling. They realized that it could be a beneficial tool for grownups and children who have behavioral issues, mental handicaps, along with brain injuries or other neurological concerns. It can be utilized to help patients who have had a terrible experience heal their minds and help individuals who have life threatening illnesses to cope.

Art therapy and counseling incorporated, keeps the hands and the mind busy while releasing imaginative energy that relaxes the client. This permits them to become uninhibited and lets them develop defenses against whatever illness is holding them back. By relaxing the mind of a patient and having him draw whatever he wants, a therapist can then see just how the patient feels. They could determine whether he is despondent, delighted, or depressed about whatever scenario is depicted in the artwork.

Art therapy and counseling can be especially useful in the treatment of autistic children who have trouble showing emotion. It allows the counselor the ability to help tailor the treatment to the child as opposed to subjecting the child to the treatment which has been proven to be counterproductive in the past. Art therapy and counseling doesn\’t mean that you have to have a creative flair. It doesn\’t require you to be an excellent artist. You simply draw, build sculptures or any other kind of creative act that you feel is relaxing and allows you to free your mind enough to look inside.

The art treatment counselors have to have a good amount of background in psychology along with art and they are required to earn masters. It takes about three years education to discover all the different means of translating the artwork of their customers. They work closely with individuals of all age groups. They can deal with specific individuals or work with people in a group depending on the patient\’s specific demands. Art specialists are found in many different settings consisting of however not limited to schools, nursing homes, recovery centers and medical facilities.

Anyone can use art therapy and counseling. You do not necessarily need to have a particular problem with behavior or other mental issues. It can be done from the convenience of your home whenever you wish to acquire perspective your thoughts or if you simply have to take a break and chill for a little while. Anytime you focus on something other than the complications at hand you will discover yourself feeling free of the worries of daily life. That in itself is a kind of therapy.

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