To date, many directions and practices have been formed in the field of psychotherapy. All of them are aimed at helping people cope with their problems, but they use different methods, techniques, and methods. Creative approaches have been proven to be efficient in developing coping skills and identifying triggers (Kapitan, 2017). This paper explores how art therapy, painting in particular, and vision boards can be implemented to work in a mental health crisis unit for adults.
To begin with, art therapy classes under the guidance of a specialist are a creative process combined with effective psychological methods. The main task of the person who came to the lesson is not to create a beautiful picture but to realize oneself through the creative process (Guzman, 2020). Thus, art contributes to expressing a person’s feelings, fears, and experiences. At the same time, it is not necessary to be an artist and have pronounced artistic abilities: often, clients do not understand how they can create beauty. Classes help you learn more about your abilities, maximize your creative potential. The creative process leads to relaxation altogether and helps one feel only lightness and self-confidence.
Painting for a group of adults is a helpful way of recognizing their emotions and triggers. It is vital to offer watercolor of different colors to choose the one correspondent to their mental state. Numerous useful practices can be resorted to during the sessions. The one that appeals to me is drawing a self-portrait (Guzman, 2020). This technique is of great importance at the first step of getting to know each other. Moreover, patients can create a stress painting or paint while listening to a particular genre of music. Numerous drawing exercises help identify the emotional component which makes one feel elevated or depressed.
The other creative therapeutic approach is designing vision boards. This method is essentially indispensable when it comes to planning one’s future. The whole essence of the technique is to take materials (magazine clippings, photos, dried flowers, other items) and glue them to the base sheet (Guzman, 2020). Like other art therapy practices, a vision board immerses a person in a meditative state. In this state, the unconscious willingly tells about desires, motives, and fears.
The process may take up to several hours, depending on the topic. In order to determine the emotional triggers, a therapist can suggest creating a vision board regarding the situations in life where one feels tense. In case it is vital to contemplate the coping skills, a patient may design a collage on their perfect life. These are just the most common examples of what this method can offer. Once the board is created, individuals must decipher it by explaining what they see and feel about a specific image (Kapitan, 2017). An excellent way to analyze one’s collages is a free association session. These exercises can be incorporated in my practice to trace the improvements of my patients. In general, these methods will allow me to identify the trigger points and crisis stages of my patients.
In conclusion, during art therapy sessions, patients receive an important message from their own subconscious. Art therapy techniques are used for a relatively wide range of problems. For working in a mental health crisis unit for adults, painting and vision boards have been chosen as practical means of identifying triggers and coping skills. These therapies are supposed to reveal one’s potential for dealing with difficult situations and finding solutions.
References
Guzman, L. (2020). Essential art therapy exercises: Effective Techniques to manage anxiety, depression, and PTSD. Callisto Media Incorporated.
Kapitan, L. (2017). Introduction to art therapy research. Taylor & Francis.