Everything about art therapy, what is the secret of its effectiveness, methods, exercises, reviews. The difference between art and other human activities

Surely many people have heard the term “art therapy”. The word art is translated from English as art. Consequently, the basis of this direction of psychological correction is creativity and art. It is worth paying special attention to the fractal technique in art therapy, which involves fragmented drawing and has a beneficial effect on the patient’s brain and feelings.

The essence of art therapy

The tasks that art therapy sets for itself are essentially identical to other methods of psychological correction. That is, if globally, this is the harmonization of a person’s emotional state. But in art therapy this state is achieved through self-expression in creativity. The value and uniqueness of this method lies in the fact that with the help of art therapy you can express a wide variety of emotional states and feelings:

• fear;
• admiration;
• offense;
• anger;
• love, etc.

One of the main ideas of art therapy (fractal techniques, dramaturgy and others) is that the essence of the inner “I” of a person is expressed in the images that it creates. For example, when a person paints a picture or creates any other creative object. And it is in the process of self-expression of one’s “I” that the process of harmonization takes place psychological state personality. The basis of art therapy is sublimation. That is, a person relieves certain internal tension by redirecting energy to achieve certain goals. In the case of art therapy, this is the creation of creative objects.

As for the creative objects themselves, these can be paintings, literary works (bibliotherapy), sculptures (clay therapy), etc. Art therapy is a good tool for psychological work on oneself. This method is suitable for people of absolutely any age. The possibilities of this method are very wide.

With the help of art therapy, you can overcome certain complexes and fears in children and adults, harmonize your psychological state, and increase self-esteem. By the way, this is one of the fastest growing areas in psychotherapy. In the rhythm of modern life, full of stressful situations, more and more people around the world are resorting to the technique of body-oriented art therapy as a tool for relieving stress and obtaining positive emotions.

Freezelight

Freezelight is an unconventional art therapy technique, namely the art of painting with light, which requires only a few ordinary cameras and a light source. One of mandatory conditions To implement this technique is complete darkness. Usually the photographing process takes place in the dark. To successfully carry out the process, the camera is fixed with a maximum shutter speed; the longer it is, the more time the artist will have to work. The main freezelight methods are:

1. Dynamic - in which the light sources move.
2. Static - light sources illuminate prepared objects for a short period.

The beginning of this direction is considered to be experiments carried out in 1949. That year, Pablo Picasso heard a story from an acquaintance. This man was the then popular artist and photographer Guyon Mili. Mili told Picasso about a new photography technique he had recently used: he attached small lanterns to the shoes of an extra. Inspired by Picasso, he decided to try this method himself.

Monotype

Monotype is a special drawing technique that is available for use by all people, regardless of their abilities. It is believed that its inventor was an artist of Italian origin, Giovanni Castiglione, who lived in the 17th century, and became widespread only at the end of the 19th century. Monotype is done by applying paint to a smooth surface. As the material to be applied, you can use watercolor (for a single-color picture) and oil paint (for a multi-color one). In order to diversify the drawing, you can use various methods of applying strokes. The resulting drawing is complemented by various means and techniques, among which it is worth noting tracing the contours with black and white paint. This psychiatry art therapy technique is perfect for working with children, as it helps them express their emotions.

Plasticine painting

Painting is one of the most complex types of modern art. The art of painting from plasticine appeared at the end of the last century. Initially, only children created this technique. But real artists considered it child's play.

There are many types and techniques of drawing in art therapy. First of all, it is worth highlighting drawing with plasticine.

Teachers in preschool institutions We enjoyed using plasticine painting in classes with children. This type of creativity develops fine motor skills and thinking well. However, this painting soon gained admirers among an adult audience. Although professionals still continue to consider this type of art as self-indulgence. Over time, various techniques of pictorial art from plasticine arose, including modeling along the contour, creating relief works, working with plaits, polka dots, and modeling using strokes. Each of these techniques will require a specific material. It can be either ordinary plasticine, or wax, hardening, paraffin and others.

Photocopy

The art of drawing is interesting and exciting not only for children, but also for adults. One of the modern unconventional techniques is a photocopy - drawing using candles. This technique is absolutely not complicated. To implement it you will need any candle. First of all, a sketch of the future painting is drawn on a sheet of paper. Then the sketch lines are drawn using a pre-sharpened pencil-shaped candle. Using a brush, the sheet is moistened with water and paint is applied on top. The brush can be replaced with a piece of foam rubber. Then, for the image to appear, you need to carefully apply paint over the entire surface of the paper with a brush or foam sponge. And the drawing will appear as if photographs were developed. After the drawing has dried, it can be supplemented with felt-tip pens. Photocopying is one of the art therapy techniques and helps specialists implement various psychological adjustments.

Music therapy

Music therapy is treatment through the use of music and musical instruments. Music therapy can be either part of a complex psychotherapeutic treatment or an independent method of treatment. The main results of the application are:

• recovery;
• education;
• raising children and adults suffering from mental or physical illness.

Music therapy not only has an impact on psychological health human, but also actively influences processes such as breathing, blood circulation and others. It can be used in conjunction with technology closed eyes in art therapy. It is considered active if the patient is required to perform active activities, such as singing or playing a musical instrument. Therapy is considered passive if the patient acts as a listener. Therapy will be considered integrative if, in addition to music, other types of creativity are used:

• drawing;
• poetry;
• prose;
• dramaturgy and others.

Bibliotherapy

Bibliotherapy includes various techniques such as psychotherapy, psychocorrection, psychology, and bibliology. Bibliotherapy influences the patient by reading literature specially selected for him by a specialist. The goal of therapy is to normalize the patient's mental health. During therapy, a person writes everything down in a reading diary. The specialist then analyzes the recorded data. The analysis will help diagnose and give an objective assessment of the effectiveness of the correction. This type of therapy is recommended for use with children and adult patients who suffer from personal and emotional problems. Bibliotherapy can be used in individual and group sessions. To conduct group classes, group members are selected according to their level of reading and literary interests. During diagnosis, clients, together with a psychologist, analyze the impact of the books they read, which helps patients understand personal problems.

Dramatherapy

Drama therapy is a targeted method of influencing the patient, with the help of which the psychotherapist achieves the manifestation of any emotions in order to normalize and restore his emotional state. This technique is based on invented dramatic plots. By participating in the enacted story, without noticing to himself, the patient gets used to the role offered to him and thereby pushes himself to solve the psychological problem that has arisen. Drama therapy has found its application in the treatment of such disorders as:

• various unresolved psychological problems;
• minor psychological deviations;
• intra-family conflicts;
• psychological disorders.

Drama therapy also includes the resource technique of art therapy and involves the implementation of several sessions, with the help of which the psychotherapist helps the patient to establish contact with the outside world and solve his personal problems. When using this technique, for most patients the result of stabilization of the psychological state occurs in the shortest possible time.

Play therapy

Game therapy is a treatment method in which the main source of influence is role-playing play. The game helps to assist the client in overcoming his psychological and social difficulties. The main goal is to remove barriers to personal growth and emotional development. This method includes all psychotherapeutic interventions using games and toys. The object of treatment can be a person of any age and social status, but most often this method is applied to children and adolescents. During the game, the player learns to cope with his feelings and situations that are modeled in the game. One of the most important advantages of play therapy is that in the process of play you can identify the source of the problem, and then gently and carefully assess and correct the condition of the child or adult. It can also be used to teach a group of people to collectively interact in solving a game problem.

Isotherapy

Isotherapy is a technique used in psychotherapy and using painting. This method includes anti-stress coloring books, creative techniques coloring in art therapy and other methods. When using isotherapy in practice, the patient creates his own pictures or actively interacts with ready-made images. This technique has active influence not only for children, but also for adults. The essence of the drawing technique in art therapy is that the “artist” activates the brain and spills all hidden thoughts onto paper. Auxiliary tools for this technique are paper, paints and pencils. After a certain time, based on the saved work, the psychotherapist determines the dynamics of improvement or deterioration of the patient’s psychological state. To achieve a full positive result from the drawing technique in art therapy for the patient, classes are conducted systematically and under the supervision of a doctor. The use of isotherapy in practice is a proven technique that gives positive results in treatment psychological abnormalities.

Collage

Composing a composition connected in meaning from a large number of pictures, various images or drawings is called collage (art therapy technique). Family work brings people together, and this is a great option for those who want to do group work.

Such a concept as collage appeared at the end of the 20th century and beyond short time made a positive impression on art lovers. To compose this composition, a certain “platform” is used in the form of a sheet of paper, whatman paper or some flat surface, on which various images are fixed with glue. As an additional type of decor, various applications and small objects can be attached to the collage. The main feature of a collage is the ability to combine different images that are not similar in theme. The collected history on the “platform” stands out for its originality and uniqueness. For lately the collage has become a real work of art that anyone can create.

Sand therapy

In psychological practice, many methods are used to work with people with psychological problems, as well as children. One of them is the basic technique of art therapy using sand. The method is popular because of its effectiveness and ease of use. Using sand, the patient tries to harmonize his inner and outer selves, as well as overcome stress. When carrying out therapy, a tray with sand, water and small figures is used. The patient, using his own imagination, must connect everything together. The creation of sand compositions, as well as their reconstruction, is a special ritual. Based on it, one can trace the dynamics of mental changes. This is a kind of art therapy technique. A person immerses himself in creativity and learns to listen to his thoughts, which helps solve psychological problems that existed before therapy.

Color therapy

Color therapy - modern method psychocorrection using a color palette. Since ancient times, it was believed that color has the power to restore peace of mind, and is able to cure various diseases. It is believed that a person perceives colors not only with the help of vision, but also unconsciously absorbs it through skin, muscles and even bones. Modern specialists use color therapy to treat stress, headaches, chronic fatigue and lack of sleep and other psychological problems. Also, color treatment has a good effect on restoring the condition and appearance human skin, perfectly stimulates the immune system. Color therapy is also used for decreased appetite, allergies, skin diseases, gastrointestinal tract and other diseases. After a hard day, any person instinctively dreams of being in a suitable color environment, swimming in the blue sea, lying on a green lawn, and the like.

Fairy tale therapy

Fairytale therapy is one of the innovations in art therapy. In psychology, this method of psychocorrection and psychoprophylaxis began to be used by specialists relatively recently. Since ancient times, our ancestors have used fairy tales to convey information. Fairy tales have a very deep impact on the subconscious and consciousness of both children and adult audiences. In children, this method develops imagination and teaches them to look for ways out of various life situations. Therapy also works great with adults. Modern specialists quite often began to use fairy tale therapy in their seminars, trainings or individual sessions, because it can be classified as a resource technique of art therapy. During this therapy, not only existing works can be used, but also new ones can be invented. Today, fairy tale therapy is a serious means of shaping the consciousness of adults and an excellent method of raising children.

Phototherapy

In the modern world, phototherapy is a method of psychocorrection from one of the varieties of art therapy. This type of therapy is rapidly gaining popularity. Specialists use various photographs to treat depressive conditions, allowing patients to understand their inner world, feelings and fears. The method of this therapy is quite simple. The patient looks at various photographs to immerse himself in the events of his past. During a long story, the specialist makes various notes, and then, based on them, draws conclusions about the problems and their causes. Phototherapy can be individual, group or even family. To carry it out, a person will need mobile phone, digital camera or just an old camera. This type of art therapy can be used to treat people different ages while solving a large list of problems.

Clay therapy

Clay therapy is a method that is used in psychology and is a type of art therapy. This technique is used in the treatment of fears, aggression, and self-doubt in adults and children. It is also successfully used in the treatment of hyperactivity and attention deficit disorder in children. Clay therapy helps a person express those feelings that are hidden in his subconscious and cannot find a way out. Also, with the correct interpretation of the resulting figures, you can understand what feelings and emotions are missing in a person’s life, which he is not even aware of yet. If in the first lessons a person does not get the figures, he does not like them, then this also has a certain therapeutic effect. In subsequent classes, the person will still begin to do better. Seeing his skill improve, he receives emotional satisfaction. Hyperactive children and children with attention deficit disorder develop perseverance and improve concentration.

The use of art therapy techniques and exercises is a method of influencing the human psyche using means, images, objects, activities, and so on. Art therapy can return to normal life person with mental disorders. Art therapy affects the subconscious. Due to the methodology of its implementation, a change in character traits and actions is formed in a person at a subconscious level. So, a person can get rid of phobias, fall in love with something that previously seemed alien to him, and so on. The psychology of art therapy is a unique opportunity to understand what was incomprehensible, to see what was not visible, to change what was impossible, as well as to increase self-esteem, cheer up, change character, behavior and much more. But at the same time, the art therapy technique can only be implemented by a psychiatrist who knows the field. Judging by the advice of psychiatrists, methods and techniques of art therapy should be used only in cases where the problem that has arisen is difficult to solve with another method, when a person feels uncomfortable during treatment.

For example, lack of desire to live, depression, overwhelming apathy, and so on have many reasons. It could be psychological trauma received in early childhood, temporary crisis, development of fear, and the like. To cope with this, taking medications alone is not enough. Anxiety, fear, apathy, depression can be easily treated during play, through art, and so on. You can choose a specific art therapy technique and exercise at your discretion. The main thing is that it interests the patient. This is the only way art therapy will bring positive result. The most popular and frequently used technique is exposure through art, drawing, color, music. Fairytale therapy, play therapy and others are more suitable for children. The main result is a change in a person when he no longer keeps his thoughts to himself. He was able to pour out all the negative things on paper by opening up. Regular art therapy will change your life for the better.

10

Happy child 21.04.2017

Dear readers, are you familiar with the concept of art therapy? It turns out that this relatively new area of ​​modern psychotherapy is actively used by specialists not only with adults, but also with children. Many exercises can be offered to your child at home with great success, while achieving several goals at once: having fun, and understanding what is bothering your baby, and helping him gently solve the difficulty that has arisen. After all, in art therapy for children it is not bitter pills and mixtures that are used, but what childhood is already rich and happy with - creative thinking, imagination, vivid images and children’s most favorite activities. Tell me which of the kids will refuse to draw, dance, play interesting game?

Today on the blog we will introduce you more closely to art therapy in working with children, and offer a selection of fun exercise games that you can use at home with your child.

I give the floor to the presenter of the column, Anna Kutyavina.

Hello, dear readers of Irina’s blog! When it comes to art therapy, I can't stop listing its many benefits. This is probably due to the fact that I myself am an art therapist, and I have years of working with children in this method. But still, every time I observe the new successes of the kids, their big and small discoveries, as well as extraordinary changes, I am amazed again and again. It would seem like just a drawing, a game in the sandbox, a dance, a fairy tale. But how thanks to them the world changes, both around and inside us!

But let’s first take a closer look at art therapy and find out what it is used with.

Art therapy in working with children and adults and its tasks

What is art therapy? This is a direction of psychotherapy that involves the creation and analysis of creative works. Literally, the word “art therapy” is translated as treatment with art. But for the purposes of art therapy it is not at all necessary to be a brilliant artist, musician or poet with a “profile” education. It’s enough just to pick up the tools necessary for this or that type of creativity, relax, let go of external vanity and worries, and immerse yourself in the process.

However, not all creativity can be classified as art therapy. Ordinary modeling, dancing, drawing are not yet treatment. But properly directed, coordinated creativity (not to be confused with special training in creativity - in comparison, art therapy is more spontaneous) can help:

• react to unlived emotions, get to the bottom of true feelings and thoughts;
• diagnose psychological problems;
• release aggression and other negative manifestations in an adequate form;
• facilitate the process of communication, establishing relationships with other people;
• increase self-esteem;
• learn to control your own internal state;
• cope with fears, anxiety, and many psychosomatic manifestations;
• acquire new, more constructive models of behavior in a given situation;
• enjoy self-expression.

It would seem “just” childish pranks. And what a huge influence they have on a person!

Art therapy also works great with adult “patients”. But she literally works wonders with kids! Maybe because it’s not so easy for us, big aunts and uncles, to turn off the controller and “supervisor” in ourselves and create without judgment?

Types and methods of art therapy in working with children

There are quite a few separate types and directions in art therapy. Moreover, something new appears all the time. But the main types of creative treatment include:

Isotherapy– treatment with the help of drawing and fine arts. Materials for such therapy are paper, brushes, paints, and less often - pencils, pens, crayons.

Sand therapy – classes using a specially organized sandbox. In addition to the sand box itself, small figures, natural materials, etc. are used in therapy.

Bibliotherapy– special work with text. So, you can read the text, select and write down the words you remember, compose sentences from them, etc.

Music therapy– classes by listening to music, creating your own rhythms, playing musical instruments.

Tissue therapy – by working with fabrics.

Color therapy– use of different color combinations and images for therapy.

Puppet therapy– it involves the creation of dolls from various materials, and further interaction with them: playing stories, composing plots, etc.

Mandalotherapy– activities with children by creating mandalas. They can be drawn on paper or sand, and created from different materials.

Phototherapy– taking photographs and further therapeutic work with them;

POPPY– classes using metaphorical associative maps.

Testoplasty– therapy by influencing plasticine, dough, clay, and other plastic materials.

Collaging– treatment and filling with resources by creating collages.

Cinema therapy– therapy using films and videos.

Dance movement therapy – treatment through dance.

When working with children, especially young ones, isotherapy, fairytale therapy, sand therapy, testoplasty and doll therapy. Yes, yes, this is exactly what children love most in the world: drawing, reading fairy tales, sculpting, playing in the sandbox and with dolls. Magic Doctor Art therapy treats only what is pleasant and painless!

Exercises for doing art therapy with children

And now I suggest you play a little with the kids, and at the same time feel a little like an art therapist. To get acquainted with the method, let’s take what, in my opinion, are the simplest and fastest areas, as well as those that are very popular with children - isotherapy and sand therapy.

Isotherapy

In fact, all children love to draw. Why not work out with the kids? The following materials can be used for isotherapy: paper, brushes and paints, pencils, markers, pens, crayons. Everything you can draw with. To begin with, invite your child to choose what he would like to draw with now.

Scribble

A very simple and accessible exercise. Invite your baby to take pencils or paints and draw any lines. You can draw in any color, with any pressure, any shape and size. While drawing, try to find some image in the lines, and complete it with your child.

Or you don’t have to look for meaning in the scribbles, and just move a pencil over the paper, thus expressing yourself.

Hand drawing

A wonderful way to let your child experience incredible joy! After all, you usually can’t “get your hands dirty,” but suddenly you can! Invite your child to draw with his entire palm, fingertips, knuckles, and the edge of his palm, using gouache or special finger paints. There is no need to give any specific task. Just let your little one loosen up, applying sweeping, chaotic strokes, experiencing unusual tactile sensations and going beyond what is permitted.

With this exercise you can correct the state of fear, depression, and anxiety.

Drawing music

Offer your child paints, brushes, paper, and play a recording of classical music, for example, Mozart or Tchaikovsky. And ask him to draw the music he hears, using any lines and colors. The way he himself will feel.

Thanks to this exercise, the child learns to express his emotions and feelings on paper, and also develops his imagination.

Exercise "Flower"

An older child can be given an exercise "Flower". Give him paper, brushes and paints, pencils. Ask to close your eyes and imagine a wonderful flower. What is he like? What does it smell like? Where did he grow up? What's around him? Now let the child open his eyes and try to draw everything he just imagined.

Together with your child, come up with a story about a flower. What's his mood? What does he like? How is his day going, etc. If the story is sad, offer to complete the picture or change the story in a positive direction.

This exercise helps develop imagination and relieve emotional stress.

Now let's see how you can have fun with your children during modeling classes. What can we talk about, what children's crafts will tell us.

Sand art - therapy for children

Sand is a wonderful environment for developing a child’s skills and even for correcting and treating existing problems. The sand itself is pleasant to the touch, free-flowing, easily fills any shape, and children can play with it for hours. Just remember what happens on the shores of seas and rivers, as well as near large sandboxes in the yard. You can't tear your children away from the sand!

The “magical” properties of sand could not go unnoticed by specialists. The sandbox is actively used in the psychological and art therapeutic process. True, the psychological sandbox must have certain dimensions - 50 * 70 * 8 cm, and the inside is painted blue or light blue, as a symbol of sky and water.

But at home, we can also use improvised means - small trays, drawers, even plastic basins filled with sand. The main condition is that the sand must be safe for the child, that is, clean and disinfected. To do this, you can buy special sand, or take regular sand, rinse it and bake it in the oven.

Also for games you will need small figures - up to 8 cm high. These can be dolls, animal figures, trees, houses, interior items, natural materials. Psychologists usually have a whole collection of such toys. But at home it is enough to have at least a minimum set.

Getting to know the sand

At the very beginning, we invite the child to “get acquainted” with the sandbox:

“Say hello” to the sand (remember that playing in the sandbox is already the creation of a fairy tale, and in a fairy tale everything is alive).

Slide your palms along the sand in straight lines, in circular movements like snakes, or in a zigzag pattern. Then do the same with the edges of your palms.

Scoop sand into your palm or two at once and pour out in a thin stream.

Bury your palms in the sand, then “find” them, saying: “Where are our hands? Where did they hide?

Place your open palm in the sand and close your eyes. Then mom or dad pours sand on the finger, and the baby must guess which finger the sand landed on.

Leave footprints in the sand. You can invite your baby to jump with his toes in the sand like a bunny, walk like a big bear, or crawl like a snake.

Be sure to discuss with your child his feelings, the difference in impressions, and ask questions. You should not impose your opinion, listen to your child and help him without correcting or criticizing in any way. Be sure to praise for success.

Creation of a magical world

In order to get to know your child’s experiences and feelings better, you can offer him the following exercise. You need a sandbox and a set of small figures. The instructions for the task are as follows:

“Imagine that you are a real wizard. Before you is a fairyland. And you can fill it with whatever you want. Create any natural conditions, populate them with people, animals or other creatures. Arrange them the way you want."

Usually children begin to create with great joy and immediately immerse themselves in their world. Just by where a child begins “construction” and how he approaches the process, you can learn a lot about him. Did he build everything quickly, using large strokes? Or does he hesitate, ponder his decision for a long time, and cannot decide on a place for the figurine? Or maybe he rearranges some characters all the time, unable to find a place for them?

When the world is created and the baby says that he is finished, discuss the picture with him. Ask who lives in this magical land, what is it called, what do the residents do, what happens to them. If a child voices some problem with the hero - for example, this tiger is very angry and feels bad - try to find a solution together. Maybe the tiger just needs a friend? Or should he do what he likes? “Follow” the child, continuing his thoughts. And you will be surprised how effective this exercise can be.

Similarly, you can invite your child to create a picture “My family”, “My friends”, and find out how the child sees his environment, what can be changed in this system for the better.

There are a great variety of art therapy exercises and techniques when working with children. They help develop imagination, motor skills, and realize creativity. But it is not at all necessary to follow any strict instructions at home when working with your baby.

Art therapy in many ways is spontaneity, based on instinct, the ability to see and accept another, to understand him without words, through art. When choosing techniques, take into account the child’s age, his psycho-emotional state. After all, who, if not we, parents, are able to feel our child better than anyone?

Do not try to influence the result of creativity. The goal of art therapy is not the creation of masterpieces, but simple and accessible self-expression, an opportunity to get to know your inner world and help it become brighter, more cheerful, and brighter. Although, sometimes people discover amazing talents in themselves...

I sincerely wish you and your families health and happiness! Create for joy!

Anna Kutyavina, psychologist, storyteller, owner of the Fairytale World website

I thank Anya for her thoughts. Work with your children and be sure to develop yourself. After all, such methods can be very interesting for us adults too. Not long ago I discovered phototherapy for myself. I really enjoyed my experience. I wrote about it in the article Awakening yourself through phototherapy Birch sap is a real spring elixir for our health

The development of fine motor skills of the hands develops and improves our brain when we are at the age of a small child. When we grow up, the activation of the fine motor skills of our hands is already engaged in another job - not learning, but healing...

Even very severe patients art therapy eliminates apathy and lack of initiative, leads to stable remission, often replacing drug treatment. What can we say about the effect of art therapy on healthy people!

Art therapy I have long since left the office of a psychotherapist, as well as a rehabilitation doctor, and entered the widest masses. It diagnoses a person’s condition, treats it, and brings that deep positive “sense of self” that we call “happiness”... And all because art therapy satisfies the most important fundamental human need - the need for self-actualization... Not it is a secret that many people, living outwardly quite successful life, neglect this basic need, which causes chronic dissatisfaction with our being-in-the-world, simply making us unhappy.

But the most striking results (visible immediately, and naked eye) art therapy gives when it is resorted to in a state of severe stress. Here it has no equal, among other psychotherapeutic techniques.

However, as they say, there is no need to bring ourselves to such a state when we are already rushing to do at least something with ourselves (even art therapy!), just to retreat: depression, panic fear, psychosomatic symptoms of advanced neurosis in our beloved body... Art therapy should be used regularly, “three years before illness,” as a constant prevention of stress.

Why? The fact is that creative activity has unique property: it brings to the surface (a sheet of paper, for example) everything hidden that we are not aware of and that is secretly strangling us...

“Right-brain” drawing, sculpting, etc. cleverly bypasses the censorship of our consciousness, which usually does not allow negative thoughts, genuine experiences and in general everything related to deep unconscious processes. “Censorship of consciousness” does not let through words- but she is powerless in front of images, before choosing color spots, before scribbling...

The first and main commandment of art therapy

You must forever forget the shyness expressed by words like: “I am not an artist” or “The cow I drew can easily be confused with a dog”! The task of “drawing beautifully” is not set at all and is even contraindicated. Here we are faced with a completely different task: to throw out, to draw out all the accumulated stress in order to improve our health.

The Second Commandment of Art Therapy

The drawing (or sculpture or installation) must be analyzed first by the author himself, not a psychotherapist. If you work alone, then there can be no talk of a psychotherapist and his interpretations at all. Why is this so? The fact is that art therapy is a so-called “insight-oriented” technique, that is, it is aimed at achieving insight. What is this? In Russian, psychologists translated the word “insight” as “AGA-Effect”. This means that by analyzing (that is, simply contemplating) his creation, a person myself understands something about himself and his problem, which no psychotherapist, even the most experienced psychotherapist, will tell him for any money... Moreover, it is believed that the patient is almost OBLIGED to come to such an understanding himself.

This does not happen the first time and never immediately after completing the drawing. But this always happens. Therefore, the created “masterpiece” needs to be put aside and returned to it from time to time, looking at it from different angles and in different moods.

The Third Commandment of Art Therapy

In any case, even if you have difficulty understanding what and why you are doing now, even if you are still far from insight, remember that art therapy heals after the fact, by the fact that you are doing it. You may not understand the mechanism, but after creating the drawing you will feel better. Always remember this.

Which ones exist? general exercises art therapy and advice?

Firstly, if you are stifled by aggression and other very negative thoughts, destructive emotions- You should always prefer sculpting. In this case, the drawing will only irritate you, but the modeling, on the contrary, will calm you down.

Secondly, always (especially at first) prefer drawing to pasting collages cut out from magazines. Creating collages is the last, highest and final stage of art therapeutic work, when all the main “dirty work” has already been done and you can enjoy pure contemplation with a minimum of creative effort. They start with a drawing.

Thirdly, always have the most wide choice color palette - pencils, paints or felt-tip pens. However, prefer paints. Because the brush is more flexible and free. The pressure and severity of the line that a pencil requires are less conducive to liberation, especially at first.

Fourthly, when creating drawings, do not use a ruler, compass or other devices to obtain a more “beautiful” image. All art therapy drawings must be done by hand.

Fifth, when doing art therapy, you can create “programmed” drawings or “who knows what.” If you want to draw “program drawings,” then use the traditional theme of projective tests. Projective tests are still based on universal human archetypes.

By re-creating such traditional archetypes as “house”, “tree”, “person”, you will more easily achieve insight - that is, you will find common language with your unconscious, you will understand the signals emanating from it.

Create the following thematic drawings:

1. Drawing of myself
2. Drawing of your (possibly imaginary) family,
3. Drawing of a person in general,
4. Drawing “House, tree, man” (DHD)

Art therapy exercises with flowers

1. Choose (from a rich color palette) two colors. The first one is the one that is most preferable to you at the moment. The second one is the least preferable. Draw two designs on a single piece of paper using both of these colors.
2. Choose three colors from the color palette that, in your opinion, will form a beautiful harmonious composition and use them to draw an abstract or very specific picture.
3. Choose colors that you think express your personality or character and create a composition with them.
4. Choose colors that you feel “neutralize” your negative experiences and use them in creating any drawing.

Art therapy exercises with doodles

1. Draw a complex tangle of lines, drawing mindlessly and freely across the surface of the sheet. Try to “see” a certain image in these scribbles and develop this image meaningfully - using the same colors (pencil) and writing short story(comment).
2. Keep a “doodle journal” in a separate sketch pad. Keep it for a strictly defined period of time. (One working day, a week) Trace the changes in these scribbles. After the “experiment” period ends, write a story based on these doodles.

Art therapy exercises with inkblots

These art therapy exercises continue and develop the idea of ​​the famous Rorschach test, only instead of analyzing ready-made standardized stimulus material, you will create your own abstractions and analyze them, which is much more interesting!

Take ink, ink, thinly diluted gouache and drip it in the middle of a thick sheet of Whatman paper. Then fold the paper in half and press the folded parts together, gently smoothing them out. Unfolding a sheet of paper. You will see a very beautiful, symmetrical abstract design. Make a series of these "Rorschach blots" using different colors, and then try to describe your drawings, giving each of them a name and characteristic.

Art therapy exercises with clay, wax, dough or plasticine

1. "Sculpt your problem"
2. “Talk” to her, tell her everything you want,
3. transform it (you can very roughly) into whatever you want

Make an imprint of your hand, foot, various objects

1. Prepare many balls of different sizes from any plastic material
2. Closing your eyes, mold these balls into whatever you want.

Make a group composition on a given topic in a short set period of time.

Art therapy exercise “Life-size self-portrait”

This is the only art therapy exercise that cannot be done alone - you will need a partner and... a very large piece of paper.

You must lie down on this sheet so that your partner can trace you along the contour of your body.

After this, you create an “Image of yourself.” You finish drawing. You color it in such a way as to explain with your drawing: what is happening inside you, how “energy currents” flow through your body, how different parts of your body feel, what color they are...

And finally about art therapy...

Art therapy is applied to adults to solve their “adult” problems. But it will be very good if you do it regularly with your children - this way you can track the slightest changes in their emotional state, see their deep and unconscious feelings about themselves and their place in the family.

We have listed only the bare minimum of art therapeutic methods of self-diagnosis and self-healing. Art therapy is a fascinating world in which you have to make many independent discoveries.

Elena Nazarenko

1. Workshop on art therapy edited by A.I. Kopytina
2. Projective psychology. Bellak L, Ebt L, et al.

To date, many directions and schools have formed in the field of psychotherapy. They all aim to help a person cope with their problems, but they use different methods, techniques and techniques. One of the most popular areas has become art therapy, which uses the beneficial effects of art and creativity on the human psyche.

In the literal sense of the word, art therapy is treatment through art or. Moreover, in some cases we are talking not only about the correction of mental states, but also about treatment, for example, cardiovascular system, or rehabilitation after stroke and heart attack.

Art therapy: the healing effect of art perception

The beneficial effects of art on the human psyche have been known for a long time. Even in the era of antiquity, there was a concept of “catharsis” - the purification of the soul through empathy with the characters of a play or book. Catharsis helps to “process” one’s own negative ones and thereby alleviate mental suffering, making it more sublime and brighter.

Influencing consciousness, forming something specific is generally one of the most important goals of art, and all artists, musicians, writers, etc. strive for it. The more talented the work, the more power it has.

In a broad sense, art therapy includes the management of mental processes associated with the perception of works of art. This area of ​​psychotherapeutic practice was actively studied in the first quarter of the 20th century, including by S. Freud, C. Jung and the Russian psychologist L. S. Vygotsky.

Currently as aid in psychotherapeutic practice they use, for example, music for. Psychologists recommend visiting artist exhibitions and performances by dance groups to create a certain emotional background, relieving tension or, conversely, awakening activity and vitality.

Properly selected works of art can create a certain mood, help in the fight against, and also become a prevention of mental and psychosomatic diseases. Sounds, colors, words and rhythms affect not only the conscious mind, but also the subconscious, evoking from its depths memories and images that can have a very strong impact on human consciousness.

Unfortunately, this area of ​​art therapy has been studied relatively little, since each person’s reaction to a particular work of art is very individual. The problems posed by L. S. Vygotsky remained completely unresolved, so art tools are used with caution in psychotherapy. The exception is , which can be considered as a separate area of ​​art therapy. The impact of different colors on our mental and physiological state has been well studied and is actively used in psychological practice.

Much greater development received another direction of art therapy, which is based on practical activities and the direct involvement of a person in the creative process.

Art therapy: the healing power of creativity

Activities of various types of creativity for the purpose of psychotherapy and just for fun are becoming increasingly popular. Art therapy books and websites list many various types artistic creativity, which can have a beneficial effect on the psyche. These include not only music, dance, literary creativity and visual arts. Particular attention is paid to decorative and applied arts, which are so diverse that everyone can find something to suit their taste: ceramics and embroidery, knitting and patchwork, wood carving and art forging, felting wool toys and much more.

Engaging in these types of activities in itself improves the mood of a person, makes life brighter, fuller and allows you to find friends and accomplices. But art therapy is still a psychological practice, and it will be more beneficial if the classes are conducted by a specially trained person - a psychologist who is interested in artistic creativity, or an artist who has received a psychological education.

Given the variety of types of creativity that are used in art therapy, it is not possible to talk in detail about each of them. Therefore, I will focus on the most common of them - iso-therapy, the main means of which is drawing.

Art therapy for adults: how it works

Fine art is the oldest form of art that man has invented. It has now been proven that people learned to draw before they mastered articulate speech. This type of creativity operates with visual images that play important role in our psyche. The bulk of information is stored in this form, not only at the level of consciousness, but also at the deepest, subconscious level. And visual activity is the channel through which we can establish a connection with the subconscious.

By creating images on paper, we activate various mental processes that sometimes help us cope with the most serious problems and diseases. Even S. Freud believed that any artistic creativity fulfills compensatory function and helps people cope with their mental problems: complexes, phobias, condition, depression, etc.

The famous Russian psychophysiologist Academician N. N. Nikolaenko successfully uses visual arts to restore patients after severe traumatic brain injuries, as well as in complex treatment people suffering from depression and schizophrenia. You can read about this in his book “The Psychology of Creativity.”

Drawing and painting classes are useful for all people, regardless of whether a person considers himself capable of it or not. Absence of visual activity in general controversial issue, but that's a topic for another conversation. And in art therapy, the main thing is not ability, not skill, but desire. After all, you are not painting for an exhibition, but to harmonize your own state, so the question of “beauty” or quality is not raised here at all.

No matter how you draw, your creativity will still produce a psychotherapeutic effect. Moreover, its beneficial effect on the psyche is carried out through several channels at once.

• By creating images on a piece of paper, a person establishes contact with his subconscious. They are often stored there, which put pressure on us and create an unfavorable psychological atmosphere. By putting traumatic or disturbing images on paper, a person not only frees himself from their influence, but also rethinks them, transforms them, makes them more understandable and less painful.
• By engaging in visual arts, a person rethinks his problems through the prism of creativity. This helps him find a way out of a difficult situation or come to terms with the inevitable.
• Drawing is a creative process, and the accompanying process creates a tonic center of excitation in the cerebral cortex. It serves as a source of positive energy and positive emotions, helps overcome apathy and depression.
• Visual activity is a way of self-knowledge and self-expression. Creating graphic and color compositions allows you to better understand your desires, goals, comprehend your problems and see ways to solve them.
• Visual activity helps a person feel a taste for life. According to many people who started drawing in mature age, they looked at the world differently, more positively, and saw a lot that they had not noticed before.
• Drawing activates imaginative thinking and the work of the right hemisphere, thereby promoting development.

All this together helps a person find harmony, come to an agreement with the world around him and with himself. After all, it is often internal conflicts that make our lives unbearable.

A special feature of art therapy is also its universal nature - it not only helps a person cope with problems and find a way out of a wide variety of difficult situations, but also has no contraindications. Art classes cannot harm you, even if you practice on your own, without the guidance of an experienced psychotherapist.

Art Therapy Practice: Principles and Techniques

The main goals of art therapy are to reveal a person and create the most favorable conditions for harmonizing the personality. That is why the activity of the person himself is so important, the desire to immerse himself in the world of creativity, to feel how consciousness opens up under the influence of visual activity, dance or music.

Principles of art therapy

In the practice of art therapy, the statements “I have no abilities”, “my hands are clumsy” or “I don’t know how to do this” do not make any sense. For success psychological impact it is necessary to change the attitude towards creative activity and consider it not as “demonstration performances” for others, but as a way of self-realization. Getting rid of unnecessary complexes is impossible without following a number of principles:

• Don't ask “how”, just do it. First of all, the process is important, which will always lead to some result. This result cannot be bad or wrong, since it is a reflection, a mirror of your inner world.
• Don't be shy. Often people are embarrassed even by the art therapy exercises themselves, not to mention their own “doodles”. Step over this psychological barrier, free your creativity, make it exciting game and enjoy every movement of the pencil or brush on the paper.
• Make sense of the results. Reflection on the product of one’s creativity (drawing, composition, sculpture) is necessary stage art therapy. What you did is a source of information about you, your problems and ways to overcome them. It is while thinking about the result of creativity that the most correct thoughts come to mind and the necessary solutions are found.

The effect of “insight”, epiphany, is a very important point in art therapy. No psychologist will create it, no matter how great a specialist he may be. This is the task of the participant himself. It is you who comprehend your inner world and draw conclusions.

Art therapy techniques

There are a great many specific techniques and exercises that are used in art therapy. Here I will give just a few of them as examples.

Exercise "Avatar"

The purpose of this exercise is to create conditions for self-knowledge. It is very important, because we often make mistakes because we do not understand ourselves, our desires, problems, and do not know our strengths and weaknesses.

One of the meanings of the concept of “avatar” is the embodiment of the soul. This is an object that in your mind is associated with you or symbolizes you. Some choose an animal, some a bird or a plant, and some an inanimate object.

Find something in the world that reflects your inner world as fully as possible, and draw this object. Don't strive for maximum resemblance to reality. This is not necessary, because your soul and, for example, cheerful puppy or spreading willow, are not identical. Let your “avatar” be unlike anything real and unique, just as your soul is unique. Perhaps the drawing will be sketchy or similar to a cartoon character. It doesn't matter. The main thing is to try to make the work reflect your condition. Don’t forget about the details, some nuances, details. Take your time, because this is your avatar.

When finished, carefully examine the drawing, admire it, and reflect on it. Why did you choose this particular image? Where did these details, colors, decorations come from? What do you like most about the look? What's not to like? What would you like to change?

Exercise “Goal Image”

Do you have any goal? What do you strive for, what attracts you? Unfortunately, many people do not have clear ideas about their goals, and this prevents them from moving forward. Traditional: “I want a lot of money” is not a goal, but a means to achieve a goal. But which one?

Draw your goal. If at first you have difficulties, don’t be embarrassed, just draw, scribble, scribble. And gradually they will form a meaningful picture. Fix the image not only in your mind, but also on the sheet. Work out all the details, color with colored pencils, try to make it three-dimensional.

Now you already see the goal, moreover, it has become real for you, because you have already embodied it in the material, you can see and touch it. Once again, admire the drawing, praise yourself and ask what do you need to achieve your goal? There is very little left until its full implementation.

Exercise “Life is like a road”

In our lives, we have had the opportunity to walk many roads - paved and country roads, forest paths and garden paths. Which path do you see for your life?

Draw the path of your life. Think about where it starts, what places it passes through, what it is like now, what is on its sides. And in general, what is she like? Paved with bricks or trampled by many feet, wide or narrow?

Take your time, remember what you encountered on this road. Potholes and potholes, smooth smooth areas, ups and downs? What will you depict on the sides of this road?

Look carefully at your drawing and think about it. Answer yourself, are you satisfied with the road you are walking? Maybe it makes sense to fold? Or are you clearly missing new people or green spaces? What would you like your future path to look like, because it is still very long?

Exercise “Free drawing”

Take a piece of paper and a pencil (pen), relax, take a deep breath, close your eyes and start drawing. Draw randomly, without trying to create any meaningful image. Allow your hand to move the pencil freely across the paper, leaving various strokes, scribbles, interweaving lines and zigzags on it.

Then open your eyes and carefully examine the resulting drawing. What do you see on it? What images appear in the chaos of lines? Draw in the details to complete the picture you see, make the contours clearer, and fill in some places with colored pencils. Let your mood, your future, your hopes and your inspiration be born from the chaos of lines.

When practicing on your own, try to diversify your techniques. You can use the patchwork technique to create a composition from pieces of fabric, embroidery, clay modeling or wool compositions.

Many people, for example, like to create a collage. After cutting out pictures and letters from magazines, advertising brochures, newspapers, paste them on a sheet of paper. Just be sure to clearly formulate the goal of what you want to depict: mood, goal, future, solution to a problem, or something else. The resulting composition will make your vague expectations more clear and suggest the answer to complex questions.

This technique eliminates the awkwardness of people who are convinced that they cannot draw. But remember: creating a drawing yourself is much more useful, since the mechanisms of ideomotor communication between the hand and different areas cerebral cortex.

Art therapy originated in the 30s of our century. The first lesson in the use of art therapy relates to attempts to correct the emotional and personal problems of children who emigrated to the United States from Germany during the Second World War.

The first attempts to use art therapy to correct difficulties in personal development date back to the 30s of our century, when art therapeutic methods were used in working with children who experienced stress in fascist camps and were taken to the USA. Since then, art therapy has received widespread and is used as independent method and as a method that complements other techniques.

The term “art therapy” (literally: art therapy) was coined by Adrian Hill (1938) when describing his work with tuberculosis patients in sanatoriums. This phrase was used to refer to all types of arts activities that were carried out in hospitals and mental health centers.

This specialized form, based on the arts, primarily visual and creative activities.

Initially, art therapy arose in the context of the theoretical ideas of Z. and K. G., and later acquired a broader conceptual base, including the humanistic models of personality development K. (1951) and A. (1956).

Harmonization of personality development through the development of the ability of self-expression and self-knowledge. From the point of view of a representative of classical psychoanalysis, the main mechanism of corrective action in art therapy is the mechanism of sublimation. According to K. Jung, art, especially legends and myths and art therapy using art, to a large extent facilitate the process of individualization of personal self-development based on establishing a mature balance between the unconscious and conscious “I”.

The most important technique of art therapeutic influence here is the technique of active imagination, aimed at bringing the conscious and unconscious face to face and reconciling them with each other through affective interaction.

From the point of view of a representative of the humanistic movement, the correctional capabilities of art therapy are associated with providing the client with almost unlimited opportunities for self-expression and self-realization in creative products, affirmation and knowledge of his “I”. The products created by the client, objectifying his affective attitude to the world, facilitate the process of communication and establishing relationships with significant others (relatives, children, parents, peers, co-workers, etc.). Interest in the results of creativity on the part of others, their acceptance of creative products increases the client’s self-esteem and the degree of his self-acceptance and self-worth.

As another possible correction mechanism, according to supporters of both directions, the creative process itself can be considered as a study of reality, the knowledge of new aspects previously hidden from the researcher, and the creation of a product that embodies these relationships.

At the beginning of its development, art therapy reflected psychoanalytic views, according to which the final product of the client’s artistic activity (be it a drawing, painting, sculpture) was considered an expression of unconscious mental processes. Art therapy is quite widespread. In 1960, the American Art Therapy Association was created in America. Similar associations also arose in England, Japan, and Holland. Several hundred professional art therapists work in psychiatric and general somatic hospitals, clinics, centers, schools, prisons, and universities.

Art therapy can be used both as a main method and as one of the auxiliary methods.

There are two main mechanisms of psychological correction that are characteristic of the art therapy method.

The first mechanism is that art allows you to reconstruct a conflict-traumatic situation in a special symbolic form and find its resolution through the restructuring of this situation based on the creative abilities of the subject.

The second mechanism is associated with the nature of the aesthetic reaction, which allows you to change the effect of “affect from painful to bringing pleasure” (L.S., 1987).

Goals of art therapy
1. Provide a socially acceptable outlet for aggressiveness and others negative feelings(working on drawings, paintings, sculptures is a safe way to let off steam and relieve tension).
2. Facilitate the treatment process. Unconscious internal conflicts and experiences are often easier to express with the help of visual images than to express them in the process of verbal correction. Nonverbal communication escapes the censorship of consciousness more easily.
3. Obtain material for interpretation and diagnostic conclusions. Artistic products are relatively durable, and the client cannot deny the fact of their existence. The content and style of the artwork provide insight into the client who can assist in the interpretation of their artwork.
4. Work through thoughts and feelings that the client is used to suppressing. Sometimes nonverbal means are the only way to express and clarify strong feelings and beliefs.
5. Establish relationships between psychologist and client. Participating in artistic activities together can help create relationships of empathy and mutual acceptance.
6. Develop feeling internal control. Working on drawings, paintings or sculpting involves arranging colors and shapes.
7. Focus on sensations and feelings. Fine arts classes provide rich opportunities for experimentation with kinesthetic and visual sensations and developing the ability to perceive them.
8. Develop artistic abilities and increase self-esteem. A by-product of art therapy is the feeling of satisfaction that results from identifying hidden talents and their development.

Using elements of art therapy in group work gives additional results by stimulating the imagination, helps resolve conflicts and build relationships between group members. Art brings joy, which is important in itself, regardless of whether this joy is born in the depths of the subconscious or is the result of awareness of the opportunity to have fun.

Initially, art therapy was used in hospitals and psychiatric clinics to treat patients with severe emotional disorders. Currently, the scope of art therapy has expanded significantly, and it has gradually separated from its psychoanalytic origins.

Art therapy techniques are used for research into family problems. Relatives are encouraged to work together on art projects or depict their ideas of the state of affairs in their family.

Art therapy also provides an outlet for strong emotions, helps in interpreting repressed experiences, disciplines the group, helps to increase the client’s self-esteem, the ability to recognize one’s sensations and feelings, and develops artistic abilities. The materials used in art therapy classes are paints, clay, glue, and chalk. Art therapy is used both individually and in groups.

During creative self-expression during art therapy, explosive release is possible strong emotions. If there is no strong and experienced leader, then some group members or individuals may find themselves literally crushed with your own feelings. Therefore, they are presented special requirements to prepare a psychologist working in art therapy techniques.

Art therapy also has educational value, as it promotes the development of cognitive and creative skills. There is evidence that expressing thoughts and feelings through the visual arts can improve relationships and improve self-esteem.

A disadvantage of art therapy may be that the deeply personal nature of the client's work may contribute to the development of narcissism and lead to withdrawal rather than promoting self-disclosure and establishing contacts with other people. For some people, self-expression through art causes a very strong protest, although for the majority such methods of self-expression seem to be the safest.

There are two forms of art therapy: passive and active.

In the passive form, the client “consumes” works of art created by other people: looks at paintings, reads books, listens to music.

At active form art therapy, the client himself creates creative products: drawings, sculptures, etc.
Art therapy classes can be structured or unstructured.

In structured classes, the topic is strictly defined and the material is proposed by a psychologist. As a rule, at the end of classes the topic, manner of performance, etc. are discussed.

In unstructured classes, clients independently choose the topic for coverage, material, and tools.

There are various options using the art therapy method:
the use of existing works of art through their analysis and interpretation by clients;
encouraging clients to create independently;
use of existing works of art and independent creativity of clients;
creativity of the psychologist himself (sculpting, drawing, etc.), aimed at establishing interaction with the client.

Main directions in art therapy
Dynamically oriented art therapy originates in psychoanalysis and is based on the recognition of a person’s deep thoughts and feelings, extracted from the unconscious in the form of images. Every person is capable

164 express your internal conflicts in visual forms. And then it is easier for him to verbalize and explain his experiences.

In the USA, one of the founders of the use of art in therapeutic purposes There was a researcher M. Naumburg (1966). Her works were based on the ideas of Z. Freud, according to which primary thoughts and experiences arising in the subconscious are most often expressed not verbally, but in the form of images and symbols. Images of artistic creativity reflect all types of subconscious processes, including fears, internal conflicts, childhood memories, dreams, all those phenomena that are analyzed by psychoanalytic psychologists.

Within the framework of dynamically oriented art therapy, creative, integral, active, projective, and sublimation art therapy are distinguished.

Art therapy means include wood carving, embossing, mosaics, stained glass, modeling, drawing, crafts made from fur and fabrics, weaving, sewing, and burning.

Gestalt-oriented art therapy. The goals of correction in this type of art therapy are:
healing or restoration of adequate “I-function”;
helping the client to understand and interpret his own experiences with the help of images and symbols;
awakening of creative powers, spontaneity, originality, ability to open up, mental flexibility.

Art therapy methods in The Gestalt-oriented approach are: drawing, sculpting, modeling with paper, paints, wood, stone, imaginative conversations, writing stories, singing, music, expressive body movement.

Art therapy sessions are conducted in two ways. In the first case, the client is given the opportunity to make a craft from a specific material according to his own drawings on a specific topic. At the same time, it is possible to see amazing unusual combinations of colors, a unique shape, and an original expression of the plot. All this is directly related to the characteristics of the client’s worldview, his feelings, experiences, reflecting symbols hidden from consciousness. In this case, art therapy allows us to obtain additional diagnostic material indicating the client’s problems.

The second option is an unstructured lesson. Clients choose the theme, material, and tools themselves. At the end of the classes there is a discussion of the topic, manner of execution, etc.

Main role in art therapy is given to the psychologist himself, his relationship with the client in the process of teaching him creativity. The main task of an art therapist in the first stages is to overcome the client’s embarrassment, indecision or fear of unusual activities. Often resistance has to be overcome gradually. The functions of an art therapist are quite complex and vary depending on the specific situation.

Some authors believe that an art therapist needs to be proficient in all types of the listed works, since when conducting classes it is necessary not only to tell, but also to show and teach. Others believe that the art therapist’s task is to create a special atmosphere that will contribute to the spontaneous manifestation of the client’s creativity, and at the same time, the art therapist’s lack of perfect mastery of the material used puts him on the same creative line with the client and promotes the clients’ self-disclosure.

Active activity and creativity help clients relax and relieve tension. Additional opportunities for self-expression and new skills help eliminate negative attitude to art therapeutic activities and fear of them. To change and increase self-esteem, constant interest and positive assessment from the art therapist and other clients. Newly acquired ways of self-expression, positive emotions arising in the process of creativity, reduce aggressiveness and increase self-esteem (“I am no worse than others”). Emotional interest activates the client and opens the way for more effective corrective action.

The main goal of art therapy is development of self-expression and self-knowledge of the client through art, as well as in the development of abilities for constructive actions taking into account the reality of the surrounding world. This implies the most important principle of art therapy - approval and acceptance of all products of creative visual activity, regardless of their content, form and quality. There are age restrictions on the use of art therapy in the form of drawing and painting.

Art therapy is recommended for children from 6 years of age, since at the age of 6 years symbolic activity is still in its infancy, and children are just mastering the material and methods of representation. At this age stage, visual activity remains within the framework of playful experimentation and does not become an effective form of correction. Adolescence in connection with the increase in self-expression at this age and in connection with the mastery of the technique of visual activity, it represents a particularly fertile environment for the use of artherapy.

Art therapy aimed at correcting personal development in foreign psychology widely used for various age groups: for children from 6 years old, teenagers, adults and young men. Recently, it has been widely used in the correction of negative personal tendencies in older and elderly people.

Depending on the nature of creative activity and its product, the following types of art therapy can be distinguished: drawing therapy based on fine art; bibliotherapy as literary composition and creative reading literary works; music therapy; choreotherapy, etc.

Art therapy in the narrow sense of the word is most fully developed, i.e. drawing therapy and drama therapy.
Indications for art therapy as drawing therapy are: difficulties emotional development, actual stress, depression, decreased emotional tone, lability, impulsiveness of emotional reactions, emotional deprivation of the client, experiences of emotional rejection, feelings of loneliness, the presence of conflicts in interpersonal relationships, dissatisfaction in the family situation, jealousy, increased anxiety, fears, phobic reactions, negative " Self-concept", low, disharmonious, distorted self-esteem, low degree of self-acceptance.

Application of art therapy methods, primarily drawing therapy, is indispensable in cases of severe emotional disturbances, communicative incompetence, as well as with a low level of development of motivation for activity. In case of communication difficulties: isolation, low interest in peers or excessive shyness, arg therapy allows you to unite clients in a group while maintaining individual character their activities and facilitate the process of their communication, mediate it by the general creative process and its product.

Art therapy methods allow It is the best way for a psychologist to combine an individual approach to a client and a group form of work. As a rule, art therapy methods are present in any correction program, complementing and enriching the developmental capabilities of the game.

The creation of a product in the art therapy process is determined by the whole system motives, the central ones of which are:
the desire of the subject to express his feelings, experiences in the external effective form;
the need to understand and understand what is happening in oneself;
the need to communicate with other people using the products of one’s activities;
the desire to explore the surrounding world through symbolizing it in a special form, constructing the world in the form of drawings, fairy tales, stories.

The process of creating any creative product is based on such psychological functions as active perception, productive imagination, fantasy and symbolization.

Methods of art therapy in correctional work allow you to get the following positive results:
1. Provides effective emotional response, gives it (even in the case of aggressive manifestation) socially acceptable, permissible forms.
2. Facilitates the communication process for clients who are reserved, shy or poorly oriented towards communication.
3. Provides the opportunity for non-verbal contact (mediated by the art therapy product), helps to overcome communication barriers and psychological defenses.
4. Creates favorable conditions for the development of voluntariness and the ability to self-regulate. These conditions are ensured due to the fact that visual activity requires planning and regulation of activities on the way to achieving goals.
5. Has an additional impact on the client’s awareness of his feelings, experiences and emotional states,
168 creates the prerequisites for the regulation of emotional states and reactions.
6. Significantly increases personal value, promotes the formation of a positive “I-concept” and increases self-confidence through social recognition of the value of the product created by the client.

The effectiveness of art therapy can be judged on the basis of positive feedback from clients, increased participation in classes, increased interest in the results of one’s own creativity, and increased time for independent study. Numerous data show that clients often discover creative possibilities within themselves and, after stopping art therapy, continue to independently and enthusiastically engage in various types of creativity, the skills of which they acquired during the classes.