DeGrave 1 Dara DeGrave Instructor: Malcolm Campbell English 1102 10/24/13

The Advantages of Art for Therapy Wikipedia defines art therapy as, a form of psychotherapy involving the encouragement of free self-expression through painting, drawing, or modeling, used as a remedial activity or an aid to diagnosis. (I would not start off essay with Wikipedia) From cancer patients to people suffering from PTSD, art therapy is rapidly growing in the United States as a new way to relieve stress. (I like how you introduce the topic and explain to the readers exactly what art therapy is) Surprisingly art therapy has been around since the 1940s. Margaret Naumburg is considered the founder. She discovered art therapy was a form of psychotherapy. Naumburg established her own school in 1915, Walden Station, where she stressed the importance of children expressing themselves through art. This was the first step towards using art as therapy. In the early 20th century psychiatrists became fascinated in the artwork of their patients with mental illness. Art therapy differentiates from typical clinical therapy because instead of the patients talking about their problems, they are able to create pictures and images expressing their inner feelings. It is built up on the principle that humans feelings and thoughts come from the unconscious. Thats why art therapys approach is so successful. By creating a picture one is able to produce anything they want, there are no rules involved. A patient can easily get lost in their picture, making them focus more on this piece of art then their problems. (nice paragraph here, I like all

DeGrave 2 the background information and descriptions) I chose to do my extended inquiry project on art therapy because I am an art major. About two years ago I learned about art therapy. I was very intrigued by this concept and knew first hand how therapeutic art is. My freshmen year of college I started researching more into art therapy as a possible career choice for me. I have always wanted to be in a field where I could be helping people everyday, but I have never been good at math or science so nursing or anything along those lines was not right for me. Unfortunately, art therapy is not offered at UNCC, actually it is not even offered anywhere in the state of North Carolina. Most sites say that a major in art and minor in psychology is required to be an art therapist. They are professionals in art and therapy, hence the name. The Art Therapy Credentials Board Inc. grants art therapy credentials based on education. My main interest in art therapy came from my art teacher my senior year in high school. I originally learned that it is used on cancer patients. This is where I became interested, I would love to work with kids and help them with art projects. Therapists need to be skilled in many mediums such as painting, drawing, sculpting, and others. They also need to possess certain qualities such as sympathy, patience, empathy, emotional stability, and understanding of human processes. (I like how you introduced yourself in the paper and stated your relationship with the topic, causes the reader this is of personal importance to you) By mid 20th century hospitals, clinics, and rehabilitation centers started using art therapy. They saw that the process of making art enhanced patients well being by improving their recovery and health. Today art therapists work with people of all ages. They work in all different settings like rehabilitation centers, nursing homes, mental

DeGrave 3 institutions, community out reach programs, hospitals, clinics, and more. Art therapy also improves developmental and emotional growth, mental illnesses, anxiety, stress, family problems, and substance abuse. (This sentence is repeated) It is not only for people suffering from addiction, cancer, or abuse. A newly found effective use of art therapy focuses on helping veterans. When soldiers come home from fighting in the war, it can be pretty hard on them to readjust. Art therapy works with veterans suffering from posttraumatic stress disorder to help get them back into the swing of things. In The Daily News, Warnick a wounded veteran suffering from PTSD expresses his experience with art therapy, "For me, the process of painting relaxes me and give me a focal point so things aren't out of control. It's a calm place in the storm. It's where I run to when things fall apart. Warnick has been a part of the program since 2004. His story is similar to many others who have effectively been using art therapy while cooping with their PTSD. (good job displaying the variety of uses of art therapy and giving specific examples) Art therapy is usually associated with its use in the lives of children suffering from cancer. But over the years it has expanded to helping all types of kids, from at risk teenagers to beginning education. Psychologists have discovered it is especially successful with children because they are more creative. This makes it easier for them to complete the projects. In P. Gussie Klorer and Megan Robbs art therapy journal, Art Enrichment: Evaluating a Collaboration Between Head Start and a Graduate Art Therapy Program, they state, Through art, children learn to follow directions, share materials, tell stories, express feelings, focus, and cooperate. The results of the children enrolled in this head start program were exponential, Art Enrichment is a program that supports Head Starts federal mandates in mental health, early childhood development,

DeGrave 4 family partnerships, and community partner-ships. Children who take part in similar head start programs go into elementary school mentally and physically prepared. Anyone can use and benefit from art therapy. It is not just for addicts, PTSD, or cancer patients. Though it is mainly known for these uses, it is helpful to everyone. Even just using art as an outlet in your life will contribute to your wellbeing. Good job on your essay, I can tell that you are very interested in the topic of art therapy! You have a lot of good sources and provide a lot of good information. The only thing I am missing are the internal citations for MLA format, but good job stating your sources in your wording of your paper. I would just refine some of the wording in areas and take out the areas that you repeated a sentence on mistake from rearranging your paper. I really like the idea of telling your story of how you became interested in art therapy, I feel that it would be awesome for you to expand on that and intermingle that within your paper even more. How can you push the idea of an exploratory essay? Can you give more personal experiences? Great work!