Art Therapy for Adolescents Raquel Dunkman Indiana Wesleyan University Adolescence is an awkward stage of life. People experience so many changes in their body at once; it’s difficult to have time to process what’s happening. Art therapy is an external expression for how someone is internally feeling. It’s a combination of psychological therapy with artistic activities that allow the patient to non-verbally express themselves (Bazargan & Pakdaman, 2016). The benefits of art therapy are helping clients understand themselves better, letting them use their imaginations, and expressing themselves in a healthy way (Perryman, Moss & Cochran, 2015). Incorporating art therapy into a group setting allows adolescents to not only express themselves, but also gives them an opportunity to work on their interpersonal relationships (Moon, 2006). Robertson (2001) studied adolescents who were adopted as children, and how that affected their development. Potash (2009) developed a new way for adolescents to express themselves through therapy, by giving them the control to figuratively change the images and beliefs to how the client wishes they actually were. Another advantage to art therapy is that is offers adolescents the mature contact they need, and the ability to explore life’s experiences from a therapeutic standpoint by use of images (Potash, 2009). Shore (2014) studied how using modeling clay allows clients to use their imagination and create stories. The stories created ended up being a reflection of what the client was going through in the real world. Teens have a difficult time trying to express themselves, and the variety of mediums in art therapy allows them to do just that (Perryman, Moss, & Cochran, 2015). Art therapy has many benefits, even though it is a fairly new counseling technique. Studies have shown that there are many benefits to art therapy for adolescents. It has been shown to decrease internal and external problems in female adolescents. The internal problems that were proven to be reduced were anxiety, depression, withdrawal and somatoform disorders; while the external problems were aggressive behaviors and breaking the rules. From early childhood, children may face different psychological problems, and if they are left untreated, the children will most likely still have those same psychological problems during adolescence and even adulthood. Often, students don’t know how to verbalize their emotions to their therapists for many factors including age gaps, or cognitive and emotional characteristics. Art therapy is an external expression for internal conflicts. There are many different types of art therapy, including movement, dance, music, theatre, and painting. Painting is the most common, and it gives the patient control over the traumatic experiences they didn’t otherwise have in the real world. Painting for art therapy purposes is relatively new to society, and was first mentioned in the early twentieth century (Bazargan & Pakdaman, 2016). Group art therapy improves interpersonal relationships. Teens are usually referred to art therapy if they are known for have interpersonal relationship issues. It requires a great deal of patience when dealing with adolescents, as they are going through a very difficult phase in their lives. Because they are going through a very challenging transition in their lives from childhood to puberty, adolescents are one of the hardest populations to counsel. If the counselor has patience with the adolescents during this confusing aspect of their life, they will remember the counselor as someone who helped when they most desperately needed it. Teens work best in group environments, because they are used to being in this type of setting, with school projects, or being a member of sports teams or clubs. Adolescents struggle with the need for direction in their lives, and need the group setting rules and activities to be properly structured, so that each member knows what is expected of them. Groups that have members dealing with the same developmental and social issues will have a greater sense of cohesion than other groups, which were created simply by age. Each week, members should share one thing, whether good or bad, that happened to them; as this will allow the members to build trust and be able to support each other. Expressive art therapy allows members to experience the counseling and artistic side of therapy, creating a non-verbal in a verbal therapeutic environment. The most common forms of expressive arts are sculpting, writing, sound, and improvisation. Unlike a classroom setting the adolescents are used to, group art therapy doesn’t have a certain start and stopping point. Participants do best when they can work at their own pace, and not have to feel as if they are being rushed After each activity, there should be a group discussion for members to talk about what they created, and the story behind it (Moon, 2006). Adopted children have many unsolved mysteries about their life stories, which can be best coped with by the use of art therapy. Robertson (2001) incorporated art therapy into her study of adopted adolescents, and whether or not there was a difference in behaviors and emotions from non-adopted teens. The most common age group for adolescents in clinical settings is 11-15 years of age, and they have been reported to have social and expressive troubles. Adoptees are five times more often suggested for clinical treatment than non-adopted teens. It can be a difficult transition for a child to go to a new family that isn’t biologically theirs; however, the familiarity for both adopted and biological children being a part of a family remains the same. Since art therapy is a non-verbal way to express how someone is feeling internally, it’s a great tool to explore any concerns related to adoption that the client may not be aware of themselves. Adopted adolescents struggle with trying to be dependent upon their new parents, while also trying to figure out how to transition to being a mature, independent adult. Adolescents tend to use unhealthy external behaviors, such as acting out, as a way to express their internal struggles. In order to further understand the client’s background, the adoptees are told to draw their adoption story based on how they were told. This helps the therapist better understand the client’s behaviors and emotions, and why they might react a certain way. The other method is what Robertson described as fill-in-the-blank, where the client creates a fantasy about the missing links in their life such as birth place and birth parents. There may be little to no knowledge about a child following their birth and by using filling in the blanks; adoptees are able to discover and cope with any internal battle they may have regarding being adopted (Robertson, 2001). The more control an adolescent has over their life; the more likely they will live their life with more confidence in who they are. Potash (2009) found that art therapy can be more beneficial for individuals, rather than a group setting, but it really all depends on the person’s needs to individual attention. Creating art allows individuals to connect their life experiences together, and also allows a pathway to connect with other individuals. The media puts a lot of different pressures on adolescents to act and look a certain way if they want to be accepted or seen as attractive. Although art therapy doesn’t focus on the quality of the art product the client produces, pop culture does, and focuses less attention on the story behind the art. In this kind of setting, adolescents have the control to change the pop cultures they see into how they want the person should look. By allowing clients to have power over what they desire to see in the pop culture, it opens doors for them to acknowledge they don’t have to follow society’s rules, and are free to be themselves. Art making allows for an opening to see circumstances from a different standpoint. Adolescents, who are more creative and use more of their imagination in their artworks, experienced less monotony in their lives, weren’t as overwhelmed by problems they face, and were better able to tolerate any anxiety from nerve-racking situations (Potash, 2009). Life stories can be told through objects. Shore (2014) explored how modeling clay can help clients explore their own life experiences by the use of symbolism. This art therapy medium is designed to help shape devastating life experiences into more controllable, collective, and rational stories. It also allows the client to have access to their personal conditions and helps them best represent themselves in a creative way. Modeling clay is used by having the adolescent create animals or objects which represent events that happened in their life, without them consciously being aware of it. This technique helps the therapist better understand the ado-lescent’s reactions to events. As the teen’s imagination unfolds, the story will resemble more and more onto their own personal lives. The therapist can help guide the client to begin the story and ask questions along the way, but should be carful not to control too much of the conversation and let the client explore for themselves (Shore, 2014). Art therapy is a very beneficial tool for adolescents struggling to externally express how they’re internally feeling. Puberty is a very difficult phase for teenagers to adjust to, and art therapy can help them better cope with their internal conflicts. Adolescents are used to being in a group setting, and can greatly benefit from being with peers who share similar life experiences. Based on past research, art therapy has been proven to reduce anger, anxiety, depression and other psychological disorders in teenagers. Art therapy sessions might be the only place where the adolescent has complete control over their environment. The goal of art therapy is never about what was created, but the why to which it was. Children who are adopted may struggle to healthily develop into puberty, and art therapy can be used to explore any unknown evidence about their backgrounds, and any complications they face within their new families. There are a lot of expectations the media world places on adolescents to look and behave a certain way. By letting the client create images and making their own expectations for how society should be, the client has the sense of control they need in their lives. Modeling clay is also a good way for the client to create a story of their own life and use their imagination by the use of symbolism. Art therapy can be done either in a group of individual setting depending on the client’s needs, and is a healthy way for adolescents to outwardly express their internal battles. References Bazargan, Y., & Pakdaman, S. (2016). The effectiveness of art therapy in reducing internalizing and externalizing problems of female adolescents. Archives of Iranian Medicine (AIM), 19(1), 37-42. Moon, P. K. (2006). Reaching the tough adolescent through expressive arts therapy groups. Retrieved March 22, 2007, from http://www.counselingoutfitters.com/Moon2.htm Perryman, K. L., Moss, R., & Cochran, K. (2015). Child-centered expressive arts and play therapy: School groups for at-risk adolescent girls. International Journal of Play Therapy, 24(4), 205-220. Potash, J. S. (2009). Fast food art, talk show therapy: The impact of mass media on adolescent art therapy. Art Therapy: Journal of The American Art Therapy Association, 26(2), 52-57. Robertson, B. (2001). Drawing a blank: Art therapy for adolescent adoptees. American Journal of Art Therapy, 39(3), 74-79. Shore, A. (2014). Art therapy, attachment, and the divided brain. Art Therapy: Journal of The American Art Therapy Association, 31(2), 91-94. [Type text][Type text][Type text] 7 ART THERAPY FOR ADOLESCENTS 1 Running head: ART THERAPY FOR ADOLESCENTS