Question

we learn that Art Therapy is critical to those with many mental disorders as a part of their treatment. Art therapist Wendi Boettcher explains the power of art therapy. She makes the statement that “There is no health without mental health”.

Respond to the following questions about this video:

What do you think Ms. Boettcher is saying when she states that “There is no health without mental health”?

What are the different ways art therapy helps people?

What is the goal of this exhibit, according to Ms. Boettcher?

Many years ago, I had a student share with me a very traumatic experience that happened to them at age 5. This horrific action caused this student to become agoraphobic at a very young age, begin cutting around age 16 through adulthood, live homeless for much of their adult life, suffer with chronic depression and struggle to trust anyone. I noticed early on that this student always drew a succession of trees in different stages with each one becoming more complete. They would draw these trees on napkins, scratch paper, or anything available but the trees always looked the same. This student told me that the trees represented different seasons in their life. Drawing was a release for them and fortunately they had been given a gift for drawing. After many years of struggling with mental illness, my student now paints and sells their art as a means of financial support but also to help keep their illness in check.

Share any experiences you have had personally where art therapy has been used.

Answer 1

Art therapy cam be defined as the use of art such as painting, drawing etc as a means of expressive therapy for mental well being.

In various hospitals as a part of internship, the large scale benefits of art therapy were witnessed.This was about a patient with a diagnosis of bipolar disorder with psychosis who constantly in art therapy sessions used to draw figures of the opposite sex which were distorted. On asking him what it was he used to say its him. With many successive sessions it was revealed that hehhad the desire to undergo sex change. After recovery from his illness he did thetsame and currently in a good state.