Me: Hello Diana, I hope you're well! I'm currently finishing my degree at Leeds Arts University and I'm writing a dissertation on art therapy and it's benefits to mental health. I was wondering if I could ask you a few questions about your profession, your education, why you think art and creating is so beneficial to us, any particular case studies where art has really turned someone's life around. I hope this is okay. You will be fully credited in both my research and paper. Thank you!
Diana: Hey Kimberley! I would love to help out! Thanks for thinking of me. I’ll be able to answer more completely in an hour or so. Hope you’re having a wonderful day!
Just some opening thoughts: There’s a wonderful read our instructors quoted often called Homo Aestheticus by Ellen Dissanayake (send me an example of your reference format and I can send the citation). Essentially, she says art is in our DNA. As evolving humans we have long observed the practice of “making special” for a very long time. When considered from this point of view, I think it’s so beautifully profound to discover we have an innate need to create and fashion objects and environments in our worlds for no reason other than simply being pleasing to us.
So it makes sense art is often used as way for us to calm and centre ourselves. This is only one of several methods art therapists use in practice. We also support clients in expression challenging emotions in line, shape, and form when words will not come or when they fail to express the subtlety, complexity, and enormity of an emotion. This is especially helpful with children who may not yet have the vocabulary to communicate emotions. Art is also used as a way to externalize internal thoughts, concerns, anxieties. In this way, clients are able to see their diagnosis, thoughts, etc. are not who they are. From here it’s much easier to problem solve and contain problematic inner material.
My undergraduate degree is from Metropolitan State University of Denver where I majored in Psychology major and minor in studio art with an emphasis in ceramics. For my graduate degree I went to Naropa University in Boulder, Colorado. The school is a Buddhist based education combining the best of Eastern and Western healing techniques. Mindfulness practice is emphasized. Some of my classmates in grad school had art degrees so some of us came more from a fine arts based education, where others (myself included) has a stronger background in psychology.
Hope this helped to get things started, Kimberley! Please feel free to send questions, or we can arrange a call as well.
Me: This is absolutely wonderful to start with, thank you ever so much for taking the time to write back! You will impact my work in such an amazing way. I shall compose a few questions for you and send them across soon!
My format of Harvard referencing is - surname of author, initial of first name, (year of publication), title, place of distribution, name of publisher.
Diana: So glad! Art therapy is an incredible field and I feel privileged to be a practitioner. Yes, please send any questions at your leisure. I’m pretty open.
Here’s the citation:
Dissanayaki, E, (1995), Homo Aestheticus, Seattle, WA, University of Washington Press.
Me: Apologies it's taken me a little while to get back to you, I've had some other school work I've had to do first and can now concentrate on my dissertation again.
• What made you want to study art therapy? What value do you see in your work?
• Do you have any examples of case studies where art therapy greatly changed someone's approach to life and thinking?
• Why do you think art as a therapy is so enriching and so beneficial to our mental health?
•What kind of exercises do you do in your therapy sessions?
• You mentioned earlier that art and creating is in our DNA. How would you describe that inherent need to create and be creative, through the lens of an art therapist?
• Do you feel your own mental health is positively impacted because of being creative?
Thank you so much for your time and If I think of anything else I will be in touch. Have a wonderful evening and take good care!
Diana: • What made you want to study art therapy? What value do you see in your work?
Years ago, I was an occupational therapy assistant. I loved that the profession, at that time, took a very holistic approach to healing. I worked with clients on troubleshooting how they might come to re-engage in hobbies after injuries or disabilities, as well as helping them find new hobbies and passions. It was so rewarding to witness how these activities added meaning and purpose to their lives and gave them a sense of purpose. I was laid off from this job due to nationwide budget cuts. When I returned to school in 2011 I decided to pursue art therapy because I saw how using art as a healing modality not only facilitated clients healing process, but also helped them find that sense of meaning and purpose (and more!)I had seen as an occupational therapist.
As an art therapist, it has been rewarding to introduce clients to a new way of expressing and getting to know themselves, using art as a way to calm and ground themselves, and using the art process to heal themselves.
• Do you have any examples of case studies where art therapy greatly changed someone's approach to life and thinking?
I have not been in the field long. But I find art therapy with younger children can make an incredible difference. I worked with a six year old girl living in foster care. I will call her, Nina. Her mother was addicted to meth and was in an abusive relationship. I had tried to communicate to Nina that it was okay to feel sad about being separated from her mother. She avoided talking about the situation or her feelings about it. Nina struggled in school and was reported to be behaving aggressively toward her peers. I knew if I could get her to discuss her feelings and validate them, it would help her navigate these difficult circumstances and hopefully build a trusting relationship.
After seeing her for several weeks, I decided to create art journals with her. I told Nina she could put down anything at all (happy or sad) on her mind in words or drawings. She tended to draw rainbows and sunny landscapes, stereotypical images for a child her age. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw her turn the page and begin writing. Before long, she tapped my shoulder and showed me what she had written.
“Will I see my mother again?”
My heart broke. I began to reply verbally, but Nina shook her head “no” vehemently and pointed at the paper. She wanted me to write my response. It was as if the words were too painful to speak or hear. We continued to dialogue in this manner for the rest of the session. The art journal became a method for her to communicate with her foster parents and social worker.
• Why do you think art as a therapy is so enriching and so beneficial to our mental health?
I think there are so many reasons art therapy enhances mental health. It appears to be different for each person. Art can be a way to externalize difficult emotions and thoughts which may provide some relief as well as help in creating a clearer picture of what a client may be experiencing. As with Nina, it can serve as a sort of language of self-expression. For children who may not have the vocabulary to fully express themselves as well as a way to communicate when words fail or may be too painful. Some art activities possess inertly mindful qualities. Repetitive actions can organize and calm a person feeling agitated, working with clay often achieves the same effect. Creating art engages multiple senses and fMRI studies have shown several areas of the brain light up simultaneously when a person is engaging in creating art. These are just a few of the many benefits.
• What kind of exercises do you do in your therapy sessions?
For me, it is important to meet the client where they are. Often it will begin by just talking and getting to know them. Sometimes we will work on a drawing together or try an art media they are interested in. I do lots of art journaling with my clients if they are open to it. Creating small tokens to promote calming and grounding when they feel stressed. Collages can be very useful for self insight and helping me get an idea of what is foremost on the client’s mind. When a client is experiencing difficult, possibly overwhelming emotions, I might have them create a box or container to symbolically contain the thought or emotion. I try to use these activities as a way to educate them about mental health and the way their brain works.
• Do you feel your own mental health is positively impacted because of being creative?
Definitely!! I’ve always done crafty things but when I began using art as a way to intentionally process emotions, express myself, and as a mindfulness practice
Me: Thank you so very much for this, I really appreciate you taking the time to answer!
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