Art Therapy in Educational institutions
Visiting different qualification courses, I have faced an interesting concept of Art Therapy in Educational Institutions. It has immediately caught my eye so I have researched about it in order to raise awareness of it for my colleagues and the people who would like to implement it on a daily basis.
When pupils are experiencing emotional difficulties they find learning very hard and their inclusion in school life is affected. Art therapy as a form of intervention can assist an individual’s psychological, emotional, educational, social, and physical development.
Art Therapists can help identify new strategies for managing feelings, thoughts, and behaviour at home and at school. They can build resilience in the child; encourage and support them, their parents, and teachers; through the process of making positive change.
Art therapy can help improve behaviour, raise achievement, encourage attendance, and help pupils participate more fully in school life.
HOW CAN ART HELP CHILDREN COMMUNICATE THEIR ANXIETIES TO ADULTS?
Concretizing internalized feelings through art production can become a starting point for discussion and provide a visual record for further discussion. It is important for adults to empathetically respond to the child’s anxieties as evident in their narratives and images. Creating a safe and contained space (both visually and dynamically) will usher more authentic expression. A simple bordered paper gives the paper some visual containment. For older children, polarity drawings often help to highlight differences and similarities in opposing perspectives.
HOW CAN ART THERAPY HELP DEVELOP EMPATHY AND POSSIBLY LIMIT BULLYING IN THE SCHOOL SYSTEM?
Concretizing internalized feelings through art production can become a starting point for discussion and provide a visual record for further discussion. It is important for adults to empathetically respond to the child’s anxieties as evident in their narratives and images. Creating a safe and contained space (both visually and dynamically) will usher more authentic expression. A simple bordered paper gives the paper some visual containment. For older children, polarity drawings often help to highlight differences and similarities in opposing perspectives.
Gallery of hidden emotions of kids
CAN ART THERAPY HELP ELDER CHILDREN OR NOT?
Art therapy may be used not only with junior classes but also with teenagers and even students. All of them struggle with problems that educational institutions can help to solve. As the main purpose of any educational centre to have effective input that will be with pupils throughout the life’s path.
It is much easier to give penalty to pupils with inappropriate behavior and made them write 100 times “I will never do this again”. But what if this punishment can be replaced with color pens and one sheet of paper? What if one picture made by this student and short conversation with therapist can show incredible result within one creative session?
Setting aside classroom time for troubled students, councilors or art therapy-trained psychologists invite students into the studio space, where they can engage in directed assignments or free expression with a stated purpose. Schools that do support an art therapy program report quite positive results from both staff and students engaging in it.
HOW CAN I BECOME A PROFESSIONAL ART THERAPIST?
Instead of writing a lot of words and recommendations from different sites, I strongly recommend to watch this video (particularly): https://youtu.be/o1VfgvhBUew and others on YouTube channel of Youhjung — artist and art therapist who in a very comprehensible way explain drawbacks and advantages of becoming art therapist.
MAY NOT QUALIFIED TEACHER LEAD ART THERAPY SESSIONS?
Sure, she/he can. Of course this teacher may not offer her service as art therapist but, at least, she can make lives of her own students and pupils easier, more colorful using group of interesting tasks which I am going to present (I have checked them on myself and can prove their efficiency)
IS THERE A POSSIBILITY TO BUILD UP NETWORKING WHILE BE INVOLVED IN ART THERAPY?
A PAINT PARTY (or a “social painting event”) is an opportunity for you to have a social outing with your friends, colleagues over cocktails and appetizers while creating a painting from start to finish.
The first idea that I have presented here is integrating small art sessions at the beginning of the lesson, the second idea is “A Paint Party for teachers”! How can a teacher help her own students if she (as a normal human) also has fears, problems, deep worries? Each month or every two months teachers of the same faculty should gather (at university/school or at someone’s house, rented place etc.) and draw. These sessions also could be based on tasks that I suggested or something else that your imagination whispers you. This will tighten community, you will be stronger, your mind’s boarders and going to extend.
MY REVIEW AFTER BEING INTRODUCED AND INVOLVED IN ART THERAPY
With art therapy I closely introduced on a master class one week ago. It was an online master-class with one nice Indian artist who has own Instagram channel. A lot of people all around the World (including me) were listening Indian music and doing tasks. I will remember this master-class forever! If I had such kind of emotions after 50 minutes of training then students or pupils who will do it on a daily basis are going to get a tremendous impact on their personality, self-confidence and positive!
I listed all advantages that an art session could possibly have. One big problem is the resources (album, pens etc.). First time you need to supply your students with it so parents will see the impact and with pleasure buy these drawing stuff to their children after a while.
Nevertheless, all benefits are worth efforts that you are going to do!