Preventive work of a psychologist at school. Methodological development "art therapy for anxious teenagers" Art therapy for maintaining boundaries for teenagers

Art therapy is an interdisciplinary approach that combines various fields of knowledge - psychology, medicine, pedagogy, cultural studies, etc. Its basis is artistic practice, since during art therapy sessions clients are involved in visual activities. The word “art therapy” was first used in the 1940s. in English-speaking countries by such authors as M. Naumburg and A. Hill, to designate those forms of clinical practice in which psychological “accompaniment” of clients with emotional, mental and physical disorders was carried out during their visual arts activities for the purpose of their treatment and rehabilitation .

Art therapy is a special form of art psychotherapy, which also includes drama therapy, music therapy and dance movement therapy.

We can say that during art therapy sessions, clients receive an important message from their own subconscious. This technique is one of the most ancient and natural forms of correction of emotional states. There are different models of art therapy in different countries. It is very important to note that this technique has no contraindications or limitations. It is used in almost all areas of psychotherapy. It has also found quite wide application in pedagogy and social work.

Art therapy gives anyone the opportunity to express their inner world through creativity.

If we talk about classical art therapy, it includes only visual types of creativity, such as painting, graphics, photography, drawing and sculpting. But modern art therapy has a larger number of types of techniques. It also includes bibliotherapy, mask therapy, fairy tale therapy, origami, drama therapy, music therapy, color therapy, video therapy, sand therapy, play therapy, etc.

Art therapy techniques are used for a fairly wide range of problems. These can be psychological traumas, losses, crisis conditions, intra- and interpersonal conflicts, post-stress, neurotic and psychosomatic disorders, existential and age-related crises. Art therapy helps to develop a person’s creative thinking and the integrity of his personality, and through creativity it allows him to discover personal meanings.

It should be noted that art therapy is highly effective, both when working with adults and when working with adolescents and children. It allows you to reveal the inner strengths of a person. Art therapy helps improve self-esteem; teaches you to relax and get rid of negative emotions and thoughts; When working in groups, it develops important social skills in a person. Art therapy is used in individual and group psychotherapy, in various trainings. It can also serve as a complement to other methods and areas of psychotherapy, systems of health improvement, education and upbringing.

Art therapy has acquired a pedagogical direction in recent years. At school it performs the following functions: educational, correctional, psychotherapeutic, diagnostic and developmental.

Upon entering school, a child is bombarded with a lot of different types of information - lessons, clubs, extracurricular activities, communication with classmates, adults, teachers, parents, etc. When moving to high school, children are also burdened with responsibility for their own future destiny, setting life goals, professional self-determination. It is not for nothing that modern society is called information society, noting in its features a high level of development and use of information technologies, a large volume of various information that a person must possess, already from the first stages of education. Currently, a huge problem is not just teaching children, endowing them with a certain set of knowledge, skills and abilities, but teaching children how to navigate the information society, the ability to think and work with a huge amount of data in modern society.

In the system of psychological and pedagogical support for students in an educational institution, the central place is occupied by the problem of timely identification and prevention of possible problems in students, especially adolescents. One of the tasks of a school psychologist is to ensure the educational process and relieve stress associated with a heavy workload on students. This is why art therapy is so widely spread and used. The purpose of the method is not to teach the student to draw, but to help, through art therapy, cope with information overload, stress associated with experiences during the learning process, and give an outlet for creative energy. Using art therapy methods, you can cope with various negative conditions, such as a negative “I-concept”, anxiety, fears, aggressiveness, experiences of emotional rejection, depression, conflicts, inappropriate behavior and many other psychological problems that prevent a teenager from living and slow him down development.

The teenager equips himself with one of the accessible and pleasant ways to relieve emotional stress, release emotions, fears, and internal conflicts. It is very important to express your inner world through creativity and try to achieve spiritual harmony.

The advantages of art therapy, especially when working with adolescents, are as follows:

the possibility of nonverbal communication, which is important for children because they find it difficult to verbally describe their experiences;
facilitating the communication process, creating relationships of mutual acceptance and empathy;
opportunity to explore unconscious processes;
the opportunity for free self-expression and self-knowledge;
mobilization of creative potential, internal mechanisms of self-regulation;
increasing adaptive abilities, reducing fatigue and tension;
creating a positive emotional mood.

There are many different types and areas of art therapy. These are: isotherapy, music therapy, dance therapy, bibliotherapy, drama therapy, film therapy, puppet therapy, imagotherapy, sand therapy, etc.

Among the art therapy methods that I use in my work with high school students are the following:

1. One of the most common types of art therapy is isotherapy (drawing, ) a therapeutic effect, correction through visual activity.

Isotherapy gives positive results when working with schoolchildren, helping them cope with their psychological problems. There are a lot of isotherapy techniques. When working with high school students, I use the following: “Blots”, “Drawing circles”, “Drawing a mandala”, “Drawing emotions”, “Coloring feelings”, “The color of my mood”, “Drawing a name”, “Drawing trees”, “ Mascot mask”, “Drawing aggression”, “Sculpting from plasticine”, “Gifts”, “Ice wall”, “Plan of my life”. All the guys’ drawings can also be used for diagnostic purposes.

Among the classical projective tests used in my work, we can highlight: “Non-existent animal” (M.Z. Dukarevich), “Drawing of a person” (F. Goodenough, D. Harris), “House-Tree-Person” (D. Book), “Drawing of a Family” (W. Wulf, W. Hules, R.K. Burns, S.K. Kaufman).

2. Another type of art therapy based on the therapeutic and corrective effects of reading is bibliotherapy.

From all the variety of artistic materials for reading - stories, novels, novels, poems - in solving problems of aggressive, insecure behavior, accepting one’s feelings, I use fairy tales and parables.

Fairy tales and parables are examples of vivid imagery of speech that help resolve intrapsychic conflicts and relieve emotional stress, change life position and behavior.

One of the parables that I use in working with children who show verbal aggression is “The Parable of Nails.”

3. - a method using music as a means of correction.

In this case, I use it as additional musical accompaniment to other correctional techniques to enhance their impact and increase their effectiveness.

It is important to note that the difference between free learning of creative skills and art therapy is of fundamental importance. They influence the psychological structures of students in different ways and cause different mental dynamics. Art therapy classes require the presence of a specialist who will give direction to the work, monitor the process and organize a safe environment for clients.

The effectiveness and undoubted benefits of using art therapeutic techniques in working with children are convinced by the following:

close psychological contact is established between all members of the process;
the child develops a sense of importance and self-esteem increases;
a sense of collectivism is fostered;
there is a high degree of activation of the independent work of each child, unsociable children easily get involved in the work;
During classes, an individual approach is used to each child;
a comfortable psychological climate is created:
goodwill, openness, frankness, everyone’s opinions are listened to;
creativity is stimulated, imagination develops;
speech and communication skills are developing; the ability to clearly and concisely express your thoughts;
The feeling of anxiety decreases, the level of attention increases, excessive aggressiveness and muscle tension are relieved.

Practice has shown that this is an excellent method of working both individually and in groups, as it allows each child to operate at their own level and be accepted. This method can be used to develop communication skills and is an ideal tool for increasing self-esteem and confidence (both of which underlie children's desire to take risks in learning, make mistakes and try new things). It can be used to develop group cohesion and can help a child express things that he or she does not have words for or cannot verbalize.

The use of art therapy methods in working with groups of high school students allows us to strengthen group relationships and safe self-disclosure of its participants, teaching self-regulation skills and improving communication skills and emotional intelligence. In preventive work, it is important to identify and study the totality of all the reasons, incentives, circumstances and actions of an individual or social groups that make up the obvious or hidden mechanisms of their behavior that does not comply with accepted norms or rules in society. Art therapy methods have enormous potential and can be effective in a wide variety of areas of society.

Bibliography:

Golovan O.V., Osadchikh V.A. The role of art and art therapy in the socialization of the individual and the prevention of deviant behavior.
Kopytin A.I. The use of art therapy in the treatment and rehabilitation of patients with mental disorders. [Electronic resource] // Medical psychology in Russia: electronic. scientific magazine 2012. N 2. URL: http://medpsy.ru
Mendelevich V.D., Sadykova R.G. Psychology of dependent personality. - Kazan, 2002. - 240 p.
Kopytin A.I., Svistovskaya E.E. Art therapy for children and adolescents. - Cogito Center, 2014 - 197 p.

Anxiety is a child of evolution

Anxiety is a feeling familiar to absolutely every person. Anxiety is based on the instinct of self-preservation, which we inherited from our distant ancestors and which manifests itself in the form of a defensive reaction “Flight or fight.” In other words, anxiety does not arise out of nowhere, but has an evolutionary basis. If at a time when a person was constantly in danger in the form of an attack by a saber-toothed tiger or an invasion of a hostile tribe, anxiety really helped to survive, then today we live in the safest time in the history of mankind. But our instincts continue to operate at a prehistoric level, creating many problems. Therefore, it is important to understand that anxiety is not your personal flaw, but a mechanism developed by evolution that is no longer relevant in modern conditions. Anxious impulses, once necessary for survival, have now lost their expediency, turning into neurotic manifestations that significantly limit the lives of anxious people.

Anxiety is a child of evolution

Current page: 2 (book has 14 pages total) [available reading passage: 10 pages]

Art therapy with teenagers

Although in relation to adolescents, especially those who, due to the presence of severe emotional and behavioral disorders, cannot participate in a group, individual art therapy is recognized as a suitable or the only acceptable form of work, group art therapy in many cases has certain advantages over individual art -therapy, which is emphasized in a number of art therapeutic publications (Steward et al., 1986; Wolf, 1993). B. Knille and S. Tuana (Knille, Tuana, 1980) indicate that individual art therapy may be of little use for many adolescents due to their inherent negative attitudes towards adults and social authorities. Group art therapy gives adolescents the opportunity to control the extent to which they trust others with their thoughts and experiences and therefore provides them with greater psychological security than in individual art therapy (Riley, 1999; Knille, Tuana, 1980). As noted by P. Carozza and K. Hersteiner (Carozza, Heirsteiner, 1982), as well as L. Berliner and E. Emst (Berliner, Emst, 1984), this is of particular importance when working with adolescent victims of violence who exhibit symptoms post-traumatic stress disorder. In addition, unlike individual psychotherapy and art therapy, working in an art therapy group gives adolescents a sense of greater independence and, thus, satisfies their need for independence and protection of their personal space.

Group art therapy provides adolescents with the opportunity for mutual emotional support during the period of their distance from family and psychological self-determination. When working with adolescent victims of violence, group art therapy serves to overcome feelings of social isolation and stigmatization. Group interaction with peers in the presence of a psychotherapist and co-therapist to some extent contributes to the formation of healthier family relationships in adolescents from dysfunctional families and survivors of violence (Steward et al., 1986).

The opportunity for non-verbal communication in an art therapy group is of great importance for adolescents. Sometimes verbal communication, especially with the leading role of an art therapist, can lead to increased defenses and concealment of psychologically significant material. This does not mean, however, that group art therapy should not involve discussion at all. It is just that discussions and interpretations must be applied in a form that takes into account the psychological readiness of the participants and the degree of their trust in each other and the facilitator. It is better if, when leading a teenage group, the art therapist uses indirect questions and interpretations. The latter, for example, may involve the use of predominantly metaphorical language and references to third parties. It is advisable to avoid unambiguous interpretations of the behavior and visual production of group members, as this can be fraught with “labeling”.

Various options for group work with teenagers are possible: it can be built in the form of thematic, dynamic or studio groups (their characteristics will be given in the next paragraph), although the thematic group form is most suitable for the conditions of general education institutions. The work may initially be time-limited because adolescents are very reluctant to enter into an agreement for long-term or open-ended art therapy (Riley, 1999).

The article by M. Rosal, L. Turner-Schikler and D. Yurt (Rosal, Turner-Schikler, Yurt, 2006) presents some results of using a comprehensive innovative program for working with overweight adolescents, combining elements of art therapeutic and educational influences. Noteworthy is the authors' desire to take into account the unique racial and ethnic background of the group members. This trend is reflected in many recent Western art therapeutic publications. In describing their work with adolescents of different ethnic backgrounds, authors such as M. Mauro pay particular attention to the cultural experiences of their clients. Presenting a case involving helping a Latino teenager, M. Mauro uses the concept of cultural identity and ideas about the different age phases of its formation to explain the dynamics of work and the client's experience (Mauro, 2000).

The theory and practice of a multicultural approach to art therapy used with adolescents is presented in the book Contemporary Art Therapy for Adolescents by S. Riley, where she, in particular, writes: “We must ask our adolescent clients to teach us about their culture and correct us if our understanding of them is not true” (Riley, 1999, p. 35). In her opinion, the process of art therapeutic work with a teenager should be built taking into account many factors: the geographic region and size of the city in which he lives, his socio-economic status, race and ethnicity. This author argues that the known ideas that adolescence is a fairly predictable stage of development and is characterized by a well-defined set of tasks are currently insufficient, and the specialist should pay closer attention to the living conditions and personal position of the adolescent.

Riley also points to the need to maintain flexible space-time boundaries when working with adolescents. However, the basic conditions and rules of group art therapy must be observed. She draws attention to the longer period of formation of an atmosphere of mutual trust and group cohesion when working with adolescents than when working with most children's and adult groups, which may be due to their characteristics such as increased “fragility” of the “I” and the need for independence.

Teen groups are also characterized by a heightened reaction to the emergence of new members. Therefore, the group should, if possible, be closed or semi-closed, and if a new member is planned to be included in it, it is advisable to carry out lengthy preparatory work.

Even if the group's work is short-term and requires focusing on certain problems, structuring the work should be done gently and unobtrusively. Some experts even believe that the psychotherapist should develop a plan for art therapy work together with the group members, but for this they must be sufficiently motivated. Despite the fact that the group’s work may have a thematic focus, the facilitator must be flexible and allow for the possibility of changing the lesson plan, the participants showing initiative and the relatively high spontaneity of their behavior.

By gently structuring the course of group art therapy sessions, the psychotherapist can, in particular, offer adolescents various free-drawing tasks and so-called “open projects” (Waller, 1993) with different options for thematic and technical solutions to creative problems. In order to help teenagers feel safe in a group, a psychotherapist can offer them tasks related to identifying and recognizing personal boundaries. One of these tasks could be, for example, the depiction or modeling by participants of their “living space” using various objects and volumetric materials (Riley, 1999).

In order to unite the group and activate group dynamics, the leader can offer participants various forms of pair work (pair drawing and discussion) and collective work, while ensuring, however, that group members respect each other’s personal boundaries.

Taking into account the great importance for adolescents of issues of psychological, gender and cultural identification, the presenter can gently offer them tasks aimed at presenting their psychological, gender and cultural “I” in a visual form - creating self-portraits, personal coats of arms, a flag of their cultural identity.

As S. Riley notes, in sufficiently close-knit groups, it is possible, while maintaining delicacy, to address such difficult topics for research among adolescents as physical maturation, disturbances in family relationships, violence among adolescents, alcohol and drug use, early sexual experience, etc. .

1.3. Art therapy in the activities of educational institutions around the world

We were able to find many publications on the use of art therapy in educational institutions around the world, primarily those where art therapy has reached a high level of professionalization. This, in particular, applies to countries such as the USA (Allan, 1997; Earwood, Fedorko, Holtzman, Montanari, Silver, 2005; Holt, Keyser, 2004; American Art Therapy Association, 1986; Bloomgarden, Schwarts, 1997; Bush, Hite, 1996; Bush, 1997; Dunn-Snow, 1997; Essex, Frostig, Hertz, 1996; Henley, 1998; McNiff, 1974, 1976, 1979; McNiff, Knill, 1976, 1978; McNiff, McNiff, 1976; Riley, 1999; Silver, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1988a, b, 1989, 1993, 2005; Silver et al., 1980, Silver, Ellison, 1995) and the UK (Boronska, 2000; Welsby, 2001; Case, Dalley, 1992; Liebmann, 2004; Prokofiev, 1998; Waller, 1993). Art therapy activities are carried out in these countries mainly by certified art therapists who have received special postgraduate training lasting at least two or three years.

Recent American publications reflecting the experience of using art therapy in education indicate an increase in the clinical orientation of the activities of art therapists, which is confirmed by the inclusion of clinical art therapists in school staff (Pfeiffer, 2005). This is due, on the one hand, to the strengthening of the role of clinical disciplines in the training of art therapists and increasing requirements for the quality of art therapeutic services in this country, and, on the other hand, to changes in the understanding of the heads of educational institutions of the priority tasks of the activities of those working for them. database of art therapy specialists.

The greater clinical focus of art therapy in schools than in previous years inevitably leads to its further separation from educational practice and, at the same time, to the establishment of closer interaction between art therapists and teachers and school psychologists. Important arguments in favor of strengthening the clinical focus of art therapy in US schools are the opportunity to bring psychotherapeutic services closer to those children who primarily need them, as well as the use of early intervention programs for children and adolescents at risk.

Even before the development of art therapy as an independent psychotherapeutic direction, some art teachers in the USA, such as V. Lowenfeld (1939, 1947) and F. Kane (Cane, 1951), initiated new approaches to art education, trying to combine It has therapeutic and educational elements. Analyzing the trend of integrating art therapy into education, the President of the American Art Therapy Association, S. McNiff, notes that as art therapy became established in the United States, attempts to combine pedagogy with therapy began to meet with increasing resistance, primarily from certified art therapists who believe , that this will lead to a blurring of the boundaries of the profession:

“The relationship between education and art therapy is currently developing in such a way as to prevent attempts by teachers to go beyond the solving of purely educational problems... We defend that art therapeutic services can only be provided by “professional art therapists,” but so far most schools have not can afford to have them in their state"

(McNiff, 2005, p. 18).

McNiff himself, who by his first education is an art teacher who subsequently underwent professional art therapeutic training, back in the 1970s tried to establish contacts with educational institutions, believing that since children are there a significant part of the time, it would be advisable to bring art closer to them -therapeutic services by creating art therapy rooms in schools. This author, to this day, supports initiatives to introduce art therapy into general and special educational institutions. In his opinion, this would make it possible not only to carry out therapeutic and correctional interventions in relation to children with emotional and behavioral disorders, but also to teach them to creatively express their feelings and develop cognitive skills.

As an encouraging sign, S. McNiff considers the trend that has emerged in recent years in the United States towards the consolidation of services and the development of interdisciplinary connections, which encourages art therapists to strengthen contacts with other specialists. Along with this, the increase in the number of professional art therapists, including those who are teachers by their first education, increases the likelihood of successful implementation of art therapy programs in schools.

M. Essex, K. Frostig and D. Hertz (Essex, Frostig, Hertz, 1996) note that expressive psychotherapy with art is the method most suitable for working with minors, and long-term forms of psychocorrectional work with them can be successfully implemented precisely on the basis schools These authors see the main goal of introducing art therapy into schools as adapting children (including those suffering from emotional and behavioral disorders) to the conditions of an educational institution and increasing their academic performance. While these authors point out the differences between the priorities of teachers and school art therapists, these authors also believe that teachers and art therapists have a number of common long-term goals, such as developing students' problem-solving skills and coping skills. stress, increasing their interpersonal competence and improving communication skills, as well as unlocking the creative potential of young people and developing healthy needs in children. These authors link the introduction of art therapy into schools with the tendency in American education to view the school environment as a means of developing healthy and socially productive individuals.

D. Bush and S. Hite (Bush, Hite, 1996) point out the benefits of using art therapy in schools. One of them is the cooperation of various school workers, including teachers, psychologists and art therapists, as well as the possibility of closer contact between the art therapist and parents in the interests of preserving and strengthening the health of children.

A number of recent American art therapeutic publications have actively discussed the issues of working with children and adolescents suffering from depressive disorder and having increased aggressiveness traits who attend general education and special schools. Commenting on the problem of aggressive and suicidal behavior of minors in US schools and the tasks of clinical art therapists working in schools, L. Pfeiffer notes:

“…violence prevention is becoming the number one issue in schools. Special programs are being introduced into schools across the country, but they are aimed at those students who show clear signs of aggressive behavior. At the same time, quiet, introverted students who tend to hide the feelings of anger they experience are out of the field of view of specialists. They make up a significant proportion of children and adolescents. In this regard, I remember the case when one 14-year-old excellent student stabbed another excellent student at the school where my children attend.”

(Pfeiffer, 2005, p. xviii).

As Chairman of the Clinical Art Therapy Department of the Miami Public Schools Education Department, L. Pfeiffer considers it very important, given the current situation in schools, to introduce methods for early detection of aggressive and suicidal tendencies in students.

A significant number of American publications reflect the diagnostic and developmental aspects of the use of art therapy methods in education (Silver, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1988, 1989, 1993, 2000, 2005; Silver, Ellison, 1995; Earwood, Fedorko, Holtzman, Montanari , Silver, 2005; Holt and Keyser, 2004). In this case, original graphic methods developed by art therapists are often used. The most indicative in this regard are the works of R. Silver, who has studied the diagnostic and developmental capabilities of art therapeutic methods in educational institutions since the 1970s. She created three graphic tests intended for use in art therapy counseling in schools: the Silver Drawing Test, the Draw a Story test, and the Stimulus Drawing Technique (Silver, 1982, 1983, 1988, 2002).

The Silver Drawing Test for the Assessment of Cognitive and Emotional Spheres, abbreviated RTS (Silver, 1983, 2002), was originally developed and used by R. Silver as a tool for determining and developing the cognitive and creative abilities of children and adolescents with developmental disabilities, in particular students with speech disorders and deaf-mutes, as well as mental retardation (Silver, 1975, 1976, 1977). Using RTS, the author discovered that many such children and adolescents have significant cognitive and creative abilities. Their imaginative thinking sometimes turned out to be even more highly developed than that of students with normal development. R. Silver connected this with the fact that in RTS, drawings replace language, being the main tool for perceiving, processing and transmitting different ideas. The stimulus images used in the test evoked visual-graphic responses aimed at solving cognitive problems and conveying ideas. The subjects with speech and hearing impairments coped with the tasks quite successfully.

The idea that the cognitive abilities of children and adolescents, especially those who have speech impairments, can be largely associated with imaginative thinking prompted R. Silver to develop and implement in educational institutions a number of developmental programs based on using a system of visual exercises (Silver, 1975, 1976, 1982, 1997).

The RTS and the “Draw a Story” test are used in the USA, including in educational institutions, to identify emotional disorders in children and adolescents. Thus, the main purpose of the “Draw a Story” test is to diagnose such disorders, including depression, including their masked variants. Given that children often cannot describe their condition in words, identifying depression in them is particularly difficult. However, depressive disorder can be determined by the nature of children's drawings, including the predominance of negative themes in them (images of sad, lonely, helpless characters, attempting to commit suicide, or being in mortal danger).

Based on evidence of a close connection between depression in children and adolescents and delinquency, R. Silver and J. Ellison (Silver, Ellison, 1995) conducted a survey of adolescents attending a correctional school. The authors found that many of their drawings depicted destructive interactions between characters. Referring to clinical data, R. Silver and D. Ellison suggest that adolescent aggressiveness can mask depression, and therefore the depiction of destructive interactions between characters can not only confirm delinquency, but indicate a high risk of depression and even suicidal tendencies.

Based on the example of the use of graphic diagnostic methods in US secondary schools, clinical art therapists C. Irwood, M. Fedorko, E. Holtzman, L. Montanari and R. Silver (Silver, 2005), as well as E. Holt and D. Keyser (Holt , Keyser, 2004) show the possibility of early identification of children and adolescents at increased risk of developing emotional and behavioral disorders and conducting preventive art therapy programs with them. Using the “Draw a Story” test, C. Earwood, M. Fedorko, E. Holtzman, L. Montanari and R. Silver were able to identify children and adolescents prone to aggressive behavior in schools. They also pay attention to the presence of indicators of depression in the drawings of some schoolchildren, which allows for early clinical examination of such children and initiation of antidepressant therapy (Irwood, Fedorko, Holtzman, Montanari, Silver, 2005).

In some cases, art therapists use well-known projective graphic methods. Thus, American art therapists E. Holt and D. Keyser, using the Kinetic Family Drawing, were able to identify signs of family alcoholism from the drawings of schoolchildren and thereby confirm that this factor is the most likely cause of the difficulties some of them have in adapting to school and communication. The authors consider it possible to use individual and family interventions for such children to prevent problems associated with addiction to psychoactive substances. Taking into account the fact that recently in the United States there has been a reduction in outpatient programs for psychological support for children and adolescents at risk, E. Holt and D. Keyser consider school art therapy as a significant factor in preserving the health of minors (Holt, Keyser, 2004).

British art therapist K. Welsby (Welsby, 2001) notes that in the context of reforming the state education system and increasing teaching load, many teachers are developing the syndrome of “emotional burnout.” They are not able to work with disadvantaged or lagging students, and therefore school art therapists can take on the function of psychological support for such children.

T. Boronska describes her work with a teenager at a boarding school. The teenager suffered from an emotional disorder and, despite a fairly high level of intellectual development, lagged behind in his studies. The author draws attention to the fact that art therapy allowed the teenager, through the creation of metaphorical images, to understand the causes of his internal tension and overcome his fears. As a result of art therapy sessions, the teenager was also able to strengthen his “I” and recognize previously repressed and frightening aspects of his inner world (Boronska, 2000).

Recently, in a number of British publications devoted to art therapy groups in schools (Case, Dalley, 1992; Liebmann, 2004; Prokofiev, 1998; Waller, 1993), the question of which options for group art therapy are most suitable for educational institutions and how the end of group sessions should be organized to ensure a smooth transition for children from the conditions of the art therapy room to school classes. It is noted that the organized completion of art therapy sessions prepares children for a change in activity and prevents impulsive reactions to feelings of resentment and loss (Prokofiev, 1998, p. 55).

K. Case and T. Dalley describe their work with primary school students in one of the UK comprehensive schools (Case, Dalley, 1992). Unlike some other authors who prefer individual art therapy, they worked with a small group of children, consisting of three first-grade students who were referred to art therapy on the recommendation of the teacher. All children were characterized by emotional and behavioral problems; they had no intellectual development disorders. As follows from the description given by these authors, the classes had a relatively free format. As a rule, they began with a short conversation, during which the children expressed their wishes about what they would like to do today, after which everyone moved on to visual activities, choosing suitable materials and means for themselves. Sometimes the children moved from one activity to another and interacted with each other. The art therapist periodically joined one child or another, trying to understand his feelings and briefly commenting on his work.

A number of publications indicate the active implementation of art therapy in Israeli schools (Aaronson, Housman, 2001; Moriya, 2000a, b, c). L. Aaronzon and M. Hausman even raise the question of introducing the specialization of a school art therapist.

D. Moria has prepared guidelines for the use of art therapy in schools. It comprehensively substantiates the system of art therapeutic work with students of general education institutions and specifies some organizational procedures associated with the implementation of art therapeutic programs. She considers the most important conditions for the successful integration of art therapy into schools to be, firstly, close contact and cooperation of the art therapist with school workers, and secondly, understanding by the art therapist himself, the school administration and other workers of the uniqueness of the art therapeutic approach and tasks its application in schools (Moriya, 2000a).

Some current issues regarding the integration of art therapy into schools are further discussed by D. Moriya in articles such as “Strategies for overcoming the problems of art therapy activities in the school system” (Moriya, 2000b) and “Recommendations for the transition of art therapists from clinics” to schools" (Moriya, 2000c). She pays great attention to the specification of organizational procedures relating to the work of art therapists in schools, considering them as one of the conditions for the successful use of art therapy methods there.

“Clear operating procedures when carrying out art therapy activities are important both for school administrators and art therapists themselves. They allow art therapists to set expectations about their work in schools... and to organize their work there. Since these procedures are standard, they do not depend on the private initiatives of art therapists. On the school’s side, organizational procedures provide the ability to monitor the activities of art therapists... Since psychotherapists can come to and leave the school, art therapy documentation maintained by the school is an important source of information about individual children.”

(Moriya, 2000a, p. 30).

The publications of this author also discuss such issues related to the introduction of art therapy in schools, such as establishing effective dialogue and cooperation between art therapists and school employees and exchanging information with them, maintaining the rule of confidentiality in relations between art therapists and clients, and the need to focus on the inner world of children and neutralization of external distractions, the inclusion of art therapeutic activities in the school schedule and the introduction of art therapists into the staff of schools, the need for professional communication and supervision, etc.

The initial experience of using art therapy in one of the secondary schools in Japan is presented in the article by T. Okada (Okada, 2005). This publication reflects the preliminary results of a scientific program to study the effects and prospects for introducing an art therapeutic approach into educational institutions in Japan.

Domestic experience in using art therapy in schools is reflected in the works of M.Yu. Alekseeva (Alekseeva, 2003), E.R. Kuzmina (Kuzmina, 2001), L.D. Lebedeva (Lebedeva, 2003), A.V. Grishina (Grishina, 2004), L.A. Ametova (Ametova, 2003a, b), E.A. Medvedeva, I.Yu. Levchenko, L.N. Komissarova, T.A. Dobrovolskaya (Medvedeva, Levchenko, Komissarova, Dobrovolskaya, 2001).

M.Yu. Alekseeva has prepared an educational manual for foreign language teachers, which describes an original teaching methodology with elements of art therapy (Alekseeva, 2003). The author justifies the use of elements of art therapy in teaching children a foreign language by the need to develop their independent creative thinking and nurture a creative personality. She notes that the use in modern pedagogy of innovative forms and methods of work that stimulate cognitive activity, such as the method of performing “creative tasks,” is often associated with a number of significant difficulties that reduce their effectiveness. M.Yu. Alekseeva decided to use elements of art therapy, considering it as “the most effective way to satisfy the individual’s needs for self-expression, self-knowledge, and self-development” (ibid., p. 3). This, in her opinion, necessitates its use in pedagogical practice as a developmental teaching tool.

Thought M.Yu. Alekseeva that it is art therapy, and not artistic creativity in its various manifestations, that is the most effective way to satisfy the individual’s need for self-expression, self-knowledge, and self-development seems controversial. Can’t creative activity that occurs outside the art therapeutic process serve these goals? And if creative activity satisfies these individual needs, then why did the author need to build his program specifically on elements of art therapeutic influences?

In the section “Pedagogical possibilities and features of art therapy” M.Yu. Alekseeva considers some options for using art therapy by teachers. As one of the options, she allows teachers to perform the functions of an art therapist, when their activities are related not to “treatment”, but to the upbringing of children and their harmonious emotional and intellectual development. Since such activities of teachers are related to the field of preventive medicine and, in addition to educational and developmental tasks, must solve therapeutic and diagnostic problems, “for such use of art therapy, the teacher needs to receive additional psychological or art therapeutic education” (ibid., p. 3) .

As another option for using art therapy, M.Yu. Alekseeva allows its use by teachers who do not have additional psychological or art therapeutic training. As examples, she cites “creativity lessons” and the inclusion of elements of art therapy in a specific lesson, where it acts as a developmental teaching tool.

We again do not understand why M.Yu. Alekseeva considers “creativity lessons” as art therapy. Should creative activity in such lessons necessarily be reduced to art therapy? Persistent use of M.Yu. Alekseeva’s word “art therapy” makes us assume that she, apparently, unreasonably expands the content of this concept, describing with it a wide variety of creative manifestations, accompanied by the effects of harmonization and personality development.

In psychological work with children, it is important to use effective and flexible forms of psychotherapeutic work. Art therapy provides the child with the opportunity to play out, experience, and become aware of a conflict situation or any problem in the most convenient way for the child’s psyche.

That is why art therapy, a technique that allows one to immerse oneself in a problem as much as the child is ready to experience it, gives a high-quality result. By drawing, a child can give vent to his feelings, desires, dreams, and rebuilds his relationships in various situations.

Drawing acts as a way to comprehend one’s capabilities and the surrounding reality, as a way of modeling relationships and expressing various kinds of emotions, including negative ones. Therefore, drawing is widely used to relieve mental tension, stressful conditions, and to correct neuroses and fears.

The metaphorical meaning of creativity therapy is achieving inner harmony

Personality, revelation of the Inner Creator in the child.

Thus, the use of art therapy techniques and methods in psychological practice allows us to leave the position of the “All-Knowing Adult” and involve children in the process of co-creation, comprehension of their capabilities, hidden talents and resources.

Art therapy techniques in the psychological practice of a child psychologist

Art therapy methods help:

Provide a socially acceptable outlet for aggression and other negative feelings. Working on drawings and paintings is a safe way for a child to let off “steam” and relieve tension.
Facilitate the correction process. Unconscious internal conflicts and experiences are often easier to express with the help of visual images than to express them in the process of verbal correction. Nonverbal communication more easily escapes the “censorship” of consciousness.
Obtain material for interpretation and diagnostic conclusions. The content and style of the artwork provide information about the child who can help interpret his or her work.
Establish the relationship between the psychologist and the child. Participating in artistic activities together can help create relationships of empathy and mutual acceptance.
Develop a sense of internal control. Working on drawings and paintings involves organizing colors and shapes.
Concentrate on sensations and feelings. Fine arts classes provide rich opportunities for experimenting with kinesthetic and visual sensations and developing the ability to perceive them.
Develop artistic abilities and increase self-esteem. A by-product of art therapy is the feeling of satisfaction that comes from identifying hidden talents and developing them.