Expressive Therapy: Integrative Therapy

“Therapy (psychotherapy) is the process of working with a licensed therapist to develop positive thinking and coping skills to treat mental health issues such as mental illness and trauma.” Psychological therapies can generally fall into some of these categories: behavioral therapies, which concentrate on behavior; humanistic therapies, which concentrate on self-improvement; arts therapies, which use creative arts within the therapeutic process. Some psychologists use a form of "integrative" therapy, which focuses on drawing on and blending particular types of techniques together. Others may work in an "eclectic" way, which focuses on taking elements of various models and merging them while working with patients. Talking with a therapist or

What does it promote? What does it include? What are some disorders that could be treated by expressive therapy?

Expressive therapy is defined as “the use of an art medium in the treatment, rehabilitation, education, and training of persons with physical, mental, and emotional disorders.” Expressive therapy goes past traditional talk therapy. It concentrates on inventive outlets as methods of expression. This treatment can be particularly useful for individuals who think that it's hard to discuss their thoughts and emotions. “The therapy is based on the belief that all people have the ability to express themselves creatively.” The therapy can promote self-awareness, healing, emotional prosperity, and self-esteem.

“McNiff (1981, 1992) proposes that the arts have consistently been part of life as well as healing throughout the history of humankind.” Today, expressive therapies have an undeniably perceived part in mental health, restoration, and medicine. In any case, as McNiff observes, these therapies have been used since old times as precaution and reparative types of treatment. There are various references within medicine, human studies, and the arts to the earliest healing applications of expressive

“[It] helps quiet my mind. Concentrating on the colors, lines and shapes takes me away from the noise in my head.” Visual art may help patients to understand their emotions, to think about what might cause these feelings, and to explore ways that will allow the patient to adapt to these emotions.

Patients that suffer from these disorders may also benefit from expressive therapy. These disorders include anxiety, high levels of stress, family problems, eating disorders, low self-esteem, depression, grief and sorrow, and trauma,(including trauma from sexual, physical, or emotional abuse)“Arts therapies allowed me to let go of my anxiety and use my imagination for something positive, rather than for thinking up negative situations.”

In art therapy, the specialist should encourage patients to create something - such as a bit of music, a drawing, a play or a dance routine — as a method for expressing the patient's feelings, often without using words. The therapist’s focus isn’t to evaluate the expressive work of art. The specialist works with the patient to translate the meaning of the artwork and the emotions that surround