Art Therapy: a Child’s Tool for Understanding and Communicating

Objective

Children leave their mark on the world in a number of ways. They come to know that they exist by seeing the results of their actions. From building a sand castle on the water’s edge with the tiny grains of sand, to drawing colorful shapes with crayon, or sheltering themselves in a tree house, built by nature and their own hands, something becomes clear. A desire originating within them has surfaced through the experience and expression of art seen through the innocence of a child. There is curiosity, learning, exploration, skill, and delight. They begin to realize that feelings and thoughts can be communicated to the outside world. Art made by children provides a window into their world: it offers a view of who they are, regardless of the suffering or pain they may endure. While children struggle to cope with these challenges, or compete with barriers and forces that limit their activity or understanding of the life around them, they are determined to survive. They have a resolute sense of purpose and need.

According to Harold S. Kaplewicz, from the New York University Child Study Center, two million adolescents suffer from depression. Five percent of youth have learning problems. At least one child in every classroom has attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Three to five percent of teenage girls have eating disorders, and an increasing number of children are being diagnosed as young as nine or ten. More troubling, is the fact that fewer than twenty percent of these children receive the treatment they need. (Natale, 15)

Art Therapy is a growing field that offers an opportunity to helping the millions of young children who live with challenges, whether developmental, situational, psychiatric, or physical. It is also simply for the individual striving boldly to communicate to others what is usually kept private and covered, so that their thoughts, feelings, fears, hopes and dreams will not be ignored.

Art Therapy in The Classroom

Jo Anna Natale, a member of the National School Boards Association, wrote about her experience and observations at the Herndon Center, a program for emotionally disabled seventh and eighth graders in Fairfax County, Virginia. “Art As Healer”, Natale’s review, was published in The Executive Educator in July of 1996. One of the most important and critical points that Natale makes in her review is how the teacher, James Torrenzano, has designed this art therapy class. Psychologically, Torrenzano teaches the notion that “Trust is a central goal of art therapy”. In this classroom, success isn’t measured by whether students master pottery or painting, it’s measured through the extent to which the students are able to trust in themselves and in the people around them. This is when students are able to push past their fears, build confidence, and take chances. “Unless you have trust”, Torrenzano says, “you go nowhere.”

The kids in Torrenzano’s classroom have problems ranging from neurological conditions to difficult life situations. Some have been physically or emotionally abused, some suffer from autism, depression, or attention deficit disorder. With these disorders, many of the students lack a basic sense of self-esteem, which causes them to be extremely insecure and withdrawn. Natale places a large emphasis on Torrenzano’s art therapy class as a place where students can gain a better sense of themselves, using art to draw out their problems and fears, and learn to understand and accept their placement in life. Natale talks about how outsiders see the environment of this classroom as something less than a serious school, but in reality, she quotes “People who visit Torrenzano’s classroom and learn of his techniques, feel the wonderment.” (Natale, 18)

While Torrenzano’s art therapy room seems more like a studio then a classroom, the visual elements and strategically placed furniture and stations offer a sense of balance and peacefulness for the students. As six art tables are pushed tightly together, their center is a fountain, a pool of rocks, greenery, and tiny turtles where cool waters flow constantly. New age music is also played to relax the mood and complement the sound of the water flowing. Natale reports, after interviewing students from Torrenzano’s class, that the peacefulness of the classroom setting makes it more enjoyable and comfortable during the creative process.

The most important idea that works successfully throughout Torrenzano’s art therapy class is the belief that the act of creating can help people feel better. Torrenzano says, “When people feel better, they perform better in other endeavors, such as academic classes.” (Natale, 17) The students are exposed to a wide variety of materials and mediums to work with, from clay to paint, and the emphasis isn’t placed upon their final product. It’s placed upon their effort during the creative process and what they discover about themselves along the way. Natale saw her experience observing these children in need of help, as a self-realization in her own understanding. What she saw was students traveling to different parts of their minds and lives, through their artwork, on a journey of self-exploration. Clearly, Natale’s view on education was opened when she stepped into Torrenzano’s unique classroom. The message is clear. There are other options, other tools, besides a pencil, paper, desk, book and chalkboard that can help students grow. Art is a positive outlet for the growth of individuals striving to understand their own lives and to discover something that was always hidden in the midst of their troubled lives.

The Computer: a Tool For Expression

One common theme seems to be surfacing among the most recent studies in Art Therapy: there is a need for art therapists to explore computer applications for Art Therapy. Our society is extremely fast paced and demands the knowledge of technology and the computer, even in the field of art. Children as young as three years old are taking part in computer classes so they can be properly prepared for their future. Barbara Parker-Bell, an Associate Professor at Pittsburg State University’s Department of Art, places a huge emphasis on the need for art therapists to have knowledge in this area. It’s very important for clients, many of whom are children, to feel comfortable in the tool they are using to express themselves. Today, the computer is a very common tool for children to feel comfortable with.

Many people place negative connotations on computer use as a tool for art therapy because they believe it discourages the creative process, limiting the opportunity for innovation within the field of Art Therapy. Such thoughts are based on the fact that with a computer, the individual is working in a two dimensional screen, not engaging completely in the material he/she is working in. By working in clay or paint, the individual has complete control and an ability to submerge himself/herself within the whole process. Parker-Bell feels that many fail to realize the incredible ways in which the computer has benefited many disabled children who cannot paint or sculpt with their own two hands.

Parker-Bell described her experience learning about an Art Therapist, Ranger, who chose to use a children’s creativity program called Kid Pix with children challenged by cerebral palsy. Kid Pix has several different areas for art production. These include a draw and stamp area with special effects that can change or add to artwork, and the animation of images. During these therapy sessions, the clients were able to select from three sizes of available stamps and determine where the image would be placed. They were also able to choose the colors and textures of their background, type words and create layers of different images, which resulted in a collage effect. A specially adapted controlling device instead of the traditional mouse or keyboard was designed specifically for children with cerebral palsy and other disabilities causing dysfunctional body coordination, control and movement. The controlling device enables these people to gain better control and progress with what they are trying to express on the computer, therefore giving them the confidence and ability to continue the therapy.

Parker-Bell discovered that if we are to keep up with the pace and needs of clients, art therapists must overcome their fears of technology. It is important that art therapists have a wide range of knowledge in order to remain flexible with the needs of their clients. No art tool, including the computer, suits all needs or situations, but most can be used well in a therapeutic way if the therapist knows the properties and potentials they hold. Parker-Bell says, “Whether computers can advance art therapy techniques depends entirely on our innate curiosity as artists to explore and investigate this new medium.”

Integrating Art Therapy Within the Hospital

Another very interesting tool that has been extremely successful toward enriching the lives of disabled and seriously ill children involves using photography and therapeutic scrap booking. Jerry Rollins, an active member and founder of the “Picture Me Foundation,” writes about his observations and conclusions using this tool to help create a more positive and understanding environment for these less fortunate children.

Art is a form of play and fantasy for most children. By using this form of therapy in the hospital setting with severely ill children, art therapists have found that it helps the children cope with their hospitalization, illness, treatments, and how they feel about it all. By providing these children with different photographs and drawing utensils, along with a personal journal or scrapbook, the journal becomes the child’s very own intimate collection and surviving strategy. This scrapbook turns into an autobiography for the child to cope, understand, and communicate his/her feelings to others. While it serves as a coping strategy, the scrapbook also works as a venting system for young children who may not otherwise be able to voice what they are feeling inside. As the child projects his thoughts, feelings, fears, conflicts, and needs through art and drawings, the scrapbook also can reveal dreams and hopes, reducing their level of stress and anxiety about their illness.

Rollins reported that this procedure of developing an autobiographical scrapbook was examined in a pilot study with six school-age children, ages seven to twelve years, who were coping with an illness. While the scrapbook allowed these children to express themselves in a medium that was familiar and comforting to them, the study showed a significant decrease in anxiety, depression, and sense of rejection.

Art Therapy: Giving Voice to Children

Gwen Sanders, an art therapist and member of the American Art Therapy Association, talks about art therapy as an important option for family therapy. By using art therapy as a tool to work through a family’s problems, it can provide a channel for sharing different angles and perceptions within a family. Children start to feel comfortable with the media they are working in to create the art that explains what they are feeling about their family. It also helps them feel better about making themselves heard within the family, which may not be possible in their regular family interactions. Sanders also found that children who were more withdrawn, intimidated, or passive may benefit from art therapy as a new style of expression.

Children have a very hard time expressing themselves at young ages. Their language is simply not mature enough speak of how they truly feel inside at times. It is important that they are exposed to different tools and mediums so that they can express themselves in different ways and styles. Without this opportunity of expression, these children might grow up with too many uncertainties and insecurities left undone, which could, in turn, create disorder and dysfunction within the child.

Conclusion

Children are benefiting from this alternative healing and learning method in numerous ways. From the school environment and hospital setting, Art Therapy offers another opportunity to access the mind of children, to help them grow into healthy, balanced, open-minded individuals.

Sources

Natale, Jo Anna. July 1996. “Art As Healer.” The Executive Educator. 20(7).

Parker-Bell, Barbara. 1999. “Embracing a Future with Computers and Art Therapy.”

Journal of the American Art Therapy Association. 16(4). 180-185.

Rollins, Jerry. 1990. “The Arts: Helping Children Cope With Hospitalization.”

Imprint. 6, 16-25.

Sanders, Gwen. “Art Therapy Builds Upon the Strength of Clients.” Journal of

The American Art Therapy Association. 18(7). 112-115.