MEMORANDUM

TO: First Name Last Name FROM: Cierra Simmons SUBJECT: Proposal for research paper: What are some ways to incorporate art therapy with college students daily lives to help them cope with stress? DATE: March 31, 2013

Summary and Purpose of the Proposal:

University students stress levels are at an all time high as college tuition and debt levels rise. Some seek out tradition therapy from campus counseling services, but many students simply ignore their stress and attempt to soldier on. Smaller universities are less likely to have these services at all. Another factor is that the cost of therapy is a huge deterrent to students seeking help outside of the university. The issues keep growing and the tools to cope with them are still lacking. My objective is to create a report that will explain the helpfulness of art therapy as a practice and explore the concept and possibilities of integrating the practice into the daily lives of college students.

Rationale for the Topic and Significance of the Issue:

As it stands, tuition rates have been steadily rising and students are taking out more and more loans. Because of the pressure this creates upon the student, to succeed no matter the cost, stress has been building for years. While some universities have counseling services to help students to cope, there are still a great deal that cant

offer these services. Due to the cost of mental health care, it is more likely to be overlooked by the majority of American students. In recent years, art therapy has been gaining greater attention from those looking to manage their emotional health. Exercises such as playing music and painting abstractly with water colors can help calm the mind. Others such as making collages can help to visualize goals and stay focused on the future. I will use articles and first person experience with local art therapists to come up with a plan to fully integrate art therapy experiences and techniques into college life. The goal is for everyday living to be enhanced by the potentially meditative processes of art. My report will address the issues of: What art therapy is How art therapy is used already at universities How art therapy can be integrated into college living to help students manage stress better

Methods I Will Use to Research the Report:

I will begin by using articles from peer-reviewed sources to gain a better understanding of art therapy. To find these, I will use the University of Central Floridas library. Once I have gotten a decent understanding of the basics of art therapy, I will contact art therapists in my area to speak with one on one. Once I have heard their professional opinions on the idea of integrating art therapy into the

daily lives of college students, I will do further research on typical college policies, specifically my own.

Scope of the Project

While the goals of this project are to integrate art therapy in the daily lives of college students, the actual possibility of that is unknown at this initial assessment. The likelihood seems high, and so the scope of this project is university-wide. I will be using my own college, the University of Central Florida as my model for implementing these ideas. With the help of professionals and research, it should be a good probability.

Schedule of Work:
Week 1 March 24-30 Week 2 March 31-April 6 Week 3 April 7-13 Week 4 April 14-20 Week 5 April 21-27 Week 6 April 28-May 2 May 3 Draft emails to art therapists, search for more sources, read sources, and gather names and email addresses of more specialists Have emails checked for readability, send emails, read sources Email replies due by this week, start reading replies, continue searching for and reading sources Turn notes on sources and surveys into rough draft Edit rough draft, print, read aloud, edit again Final editing Turn in project

Tentative Outline of the Report:

I. Title Page II. Explanation of art therapy a. History

b. A typical session c. Art-based assessments d. Materials and techniques III. Stress levels of students a. Causes b. Current methods of coping with this stress IV. Explanation of common therapy already available to most university students V. Anticipated issues a. Availability to students b. Affordability for students i. Possible ideas for funding free programs VI. Proposal for how to implement art therapy techniques in college students everyday lives to help them cope with stress VII. Bibliography

List of Initial References

"Art Therapy Techniques". All Psychology Careers. Web. 31 Mar 2013. <http://www.allpsychologycareers.com/topics/art-therapytechniques.html>. Di Meglio, Francesca. "Stress Takes Its Toll on College Students." Getting In. Bloomsberg Business Week, 10 May 2011. Web. 31 Mar 2013.

<http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2012-05-10/stress-takes-its-tollon-college-students>. Reifman, Alan. "Stress in College Students." On the Campus. Psychology Today, 01 Oct 2011. Web. 31 Mar 2013. <http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/thecampus>. "What Is Art Therapy?" Hub Pages. N.p.. Web. 31 Mar 2013.

<http://carlysullens.hubpages.com/hub/What-Is-Art-Therapy>.