arts therapies

by Sally Burningham

Therapy is another word for treatment and arts therapies are psychological treatments. They can be helpful for people who are very distressed or who have mental health problems and who feel uncomfortable with 'talking treatments' such as counselling or psychotherapy. If you have difficulties in identifying or expressing your feelings in a verbal way, or feel reluctant to answer questions about yourself, you may respond well to an arts therapy approach. There are a number of different arts therapies. They are:

• art therapy
• drama therapy
• music therapy
• dance movement therapy.

© Getty

Arts therapies were sometimes referred to in the past as 'creative therapies'. They should always be provided by specially-trained and accredited arts therapists. They differ from art, drama, music or movement and dance groups run by other professionals or volunteers. Although these groups are often enriching and enjoyable experiences and can aid self confidence, they are not psychological treatments. They are not attempting to help people understand their deeper feelings or find ways of coping more effectively with their problems.

how can arts therapies help?

Arts therapies can help different people in different ways.

They can be a way of helping you get in touch with feelings that may be contributing to your problems. It may feel safer if you can explore such emotions at one degree removed through a painting or story, for example. This gives you the opportunity to discover truths about yourself at your own pace and to express them in a way that you find easier to handle.

Betsy, who was very depressed and anxious, is an example of someone who has benefited from one of the arts therapies – in her case art therapy. 'I felt very trapped inside myself and unable to put into words what I felt, even to myself,' she recalls. 'It wasn't until I was able to express myself in a visual way through painting that I started to understand my feelings. I then began to be able to talk about them and deal with them because they seemed less frightening,' she explains.

If you have mental health problems you may feel quite lonely and cut off. Arts therapies may be able to help you overcome feelings of isolation through interaction with the therapist, or with others in a group within a carefully structured setting.

Arts therapies can help you get back in touch with the more spontaneous and creative aspects of yourself and give you a new sense of freedom.

You do not need any particular skill or ability to participate in an arts therapy but you do need to be persistent. Like all treatments it will take time and it will not always be easy. But in the end it can be very rewarding.

finding out about arts therapies

If you think an arts therapy approach might be helpful for you, and it has not been suggested, you could ask a professional involved in your care about what is available. Arts therapies are provided in a variety of settings such as health, social services, education and prisons and in projects for drug users, homeless people or people affected by domestic violence, for example. Unfortunately the provision is very patchy throughout the country, although it is gradually improving.

It is also possible to consult an arts therapist privately. If you do so, ask the appropriate organisation for the name of a suitably qualified therapist (see help and info). Check with the therapist what their fees are before you start.

If an arts therapy is suggested you will have a chance to meet the therapist and decide together whether or not it is an appropriate treatment for you. Arts therapies are often carried out in groups but may also be offered on a one-to-one basis.

Treatment is confidential. If you work with others in a group you will be expected to treat their contributions in confidence and not discuss them outside the group, and they will be expected to behave in the same way to you.

art therapy

'In art therapy you might draw, paint or make things with your hands, for example. Then together with the therapist you can use what you have created as a starting point to discuss your feelings,' explains art therapist Margaret who works with clients at a day hospital.

Art tends to be a rather messy process and this in itself can be an advantage. 'It can often help people whose behaviour has become rather rigid and restricted to get back in touch with their childhood spontaneity,' Margaret adds. Another advantage, in terms of therapy, is that people often find that whatever they are creating goes wrong or that they are dissatisfied with it. 'The realisation that something can be changed or that you can start again can be an important learning process for people who tend to be easily discouraged,' she comments.

Art therapy can be helpful for a wide range of mental health problems and distress. For example, Jane who self-harms felt very burdened by carrying this secret around. It wasn't until she had art therapy that she was able to unload her feelings, first onto the pictures she created and eventually through talking.

drama therapy

'In drama therapy you might work with stories, props, mime, movement or play, for example,' according to Dave, a drama therapist. 'Activities such as these give people the chance to look at their own situations and feelings from a comfortable distance and test out possible reactions in an imaginary setting,' he continues.

People with mental health problems often tend to have become 'stuck' in a particular role, such as being very dependent, for instance. Drama therapy can help encourage change by giving them the opportunity to explore different sides of their personality. 'It can also help people get back in touch with their childhood feelings and sense of playfulness,' adds Dave. 'Play is a very natural way of learning and can help people to become more spontaneous and move away from rigid patterns of behaviour that have been preventing change.'

Drama therapy can be helpful for people with a wide range of mental health problems including psychotic problems such as schizophrenia, personality disorders, anxiety and depression and dementia.

music therapy

Music therapy is based on the belief that we all have the ability to respond to music. In music therapy you will improvise and explore sounds together with the music therapist, using the voice or accessible instruments such as percussion. People often find that they are able to express deep feelings through the music that they are unable to express through words.

The therapist will work with you, responding musically to the sounds you make and showing they understand your feelings. For example, you might make sounds in a tentative or forceful way and the therapist will respond in the same mood, while at the same time giving some structure to the music you are creating together. As a trusting relationship gradually develops through this musical interchange, you may feel more confident to explore some of your underlying feelings further. This might be through words or by simply continuing to work through the music.

Music therapy can help people with a wide range of mental health problems including people with very severe mental health problems. 'Even people who are acutely unwell can experience satisfaction in relating to another person through music,' explains Jenny, a music therapist. 'Music can help to ground someone whose feelings are fragmented and chaotic.'

dance movement therapy

'In dance movement therapy you may use posture, gesture, mime and movement. This is to enable you become more aware of your body and how your mind and body closely interact in the way you experience and express emotion,' explains Joan, a dance movement therapist. The therapist will work with your movements as well as listening to what you say in order to help you gain insights and find ways of making your problems more manageable.

'Some therapists will use music and some will not but rhythm is very helpful as is the use of patterns,' adds Joan. People with mental health problems often have patterns of movement that are quite restricted. 'In dance movement therapy they discover that it is quite safe to make new patterns and this often encourages them to think about making changes in their life,' she comments.

Dance movement therapy can help people with a range of mental health problems. It is particularly helpful for people with eating disorders as it encourages them to have a more realistic body image and for people with post traumatic stress disorder as it can help to release the body tensions associated with the trauma. It can also be very beneficial for depression and anxiety as it seems to revitalise people. One severely depressed young woman commented 'it has allowed me to see colours where previously my world was black.'

help and info

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organisations

art therapy:

British Association of Art Therapists (BAAT)
24-27 White Lion Street
London N1 9PD
Tel: 020 7686 4216
E-mail: info@baat.org
Website: www.baat.org
The professional organisation for art therapists in the United Kingdom, with its own code of ethics. The website contains more information about art therapy and details of forthcoming events and courses.

drama therapy:

The British Association of Dramatherapists (BADth)
The Administrator
41 Broomhouse Lane
Hurlingham Park
London SW6 3DP
Admin: 020 7731 0160
Information and Membership: 01242 235515 (part-time telephone service, otherwise leave answerphone message or send e-mail)
E-mail: info@badth.org.uk
Website: www.badth.org.uk
The professional body that represents dramatherapists and their professional practice. Can provide details of individual drama therapists to the public.

music therapy:

Association of Professional Music Therapists
APMT Administrator
61 Church Hill Road
East Barnet EN4 8SY
Tel: 020 8440 4153
E-mail: APMToffice@aol.com
Website: www.apmt.org/mt-core.htm
The Association has area co-ordinators throughout the UK who can put you in touch with a music therapist in your area. The website features information about music therapy.

dance movement therapy:

ADMT UK (Association for Dance Movement Therapy UK)
c/o Quaker Meeting House
Wedmore Vale
Bedminster
Bristol BS3 5HX
E-mail: queries@admt.org.uk
Website: www.admt.org.uk
The professional association for dance movement therapy in the United Kingdom. Can provide details of dance movement therapy practitioners endorsed by ADMT UK.

reading

Art Is a Way of Knowing: A Guide to Self-Knowledge and Spiritual Fulfillment Through Creativity by Pat B. Allen (Shambhala Publications, 1995)
Full of personal and artistic exercises, this book represents an opportunity for art therapy to enhance peoples' everyday lives.
Get this book

Explore Yourself Through Art: A Practical Guide to Using a Wide Range of Art Forms for Self-expression, Personal Growth and Problem-solving by Vicky Barber (Carroll and Brown, 2002)
The first practical guide to self-directed art therapy. No prior knowledge or training necessary so activities are suitable for anyone, from novice to expert.
Get this book

(March 2002, resources updated December 2004)