Existential and Expressive Arts Therapy Essay - 1762 Words

Existential and Expressive Arts Therapy Sarà © Gebhardt GEXTH 5102.01 Karen Estrella November 30, 2008 Sometime in the late eighties, Shaun McNiff, Sr. Kathleen Burke and I sat in a small pub in Cleveland, Ohio. It was after midnight when conversation turned to my writing project, this book. Sr. Kathleen asked, â€Å"What’s the title going to be?† â€Å"Well,† I replied, â€Å"the working title is Existential Art Therapy.† Shaun sighed. â€Å"Bruce, don’t be redundant. All art is existential.† †¦I have thought often of Shaun’s admonition. He is right, all art is existential. Perhaps that is why the concepts†¦have held up as the world of health care has revolutionized, i.e., all art has to do with the basic human experience of life as it is.†¦show more content†¦Expressive Arts Therapy within the Existential Framework Not much has been written about the use of expressive arts in existential practice. â€Å"Pat Allen, one of the founders of the open studio approach to art therapy†¦ decided to experiment with having people make art alongside each other and be of service to each other during the process, hence the Open Studio Approach† (Story, 2007). This approach is based upon three elements; intention, attention and witness (Story, 2007). Story continues to explain what a session would look like, â€Å"an Open Studio ‘session’ begins with art making†¦participants are encouraged to focus their intention towards what the y would like to understand, change or accept about themselves† (2007). This is the start of the participant developing self-awareness. â€Å"Following this, is a time for each person in the group to sit before their art†¦ (participants) are encouraged to pay attention to their bodily sensations, judgments and reactions† (Story, 2007). The concept of dialoging with the art is often used at this stage. Allen then had individuals write for a length of time about what they had experienced during their time sitting with the art. As the studio participants gather as a group, individuals may share their writing if they wish. The other participants are there to witness, to place no judgments and do not interrupt during this time. This open studio idea was labeled as an â€Å"art therapy† process.Show MoreRelatedThe And Process : Power Of Support1264 Words   |  6 Pagesapproaches to understanding when dealing with a group setting. The following theories become ou r focus for the bereavement group. Complicated Grief Therapy (CGT) A new form of behavior therapy Complicated grief therapy (CGT), this technique is drawn from attachment theory and rooted in both interpersonal therapy (IPT) and cognitive-behavioral therapy. CGT includes techniques similar to prolonged exposure, (e.g., recurrently telling the story of the demise and in vivo experience activities. As farRead MoreCarl Rogers : A Humanistic Approach1295 Words   |  6 Pagesactual experiences. Carl Rogers not only had a humanistic approach, but he allowed the client full control of his or her therapy sessions. Allowing the client to control his or her therapy sessions gave the client the ability to reach within and figure out what’s causing distress. This type of session is called â€Å"non-directive† (Kirschenbaum, 2014). The article â€Å"Client-Centered Therapy† by Harvard Mental Health notes, â€Å"with this method, the therapist refrains from asking questions. The therapist rarelyRead MoreThe And Process : The Power Of Support2311 Words   |  10 Pagesapproaches to understanding when dealing with a group setting. The following theories become our focus for the bereavement group. Complicated Grief Therapy (CGT) A new form of behavior therapy, Complicated Grief Therapy (CGT), is a technique drawn from attachment theory and rooted in both interpersonal therapy (IPT) and cognitive-behavioral therapy. CGT includes techniques similar to prolonged exposure, (e.g., recurrently telling the story of the demise), and vivo experience activities. As farRead MoreApplication Of Theory And Values That Will Impact The Execution Of Person Centered Therapy1107 Words   |  5 Pagesbecoming. With Person-Centered Therapy humans are generally capable of self-direction and understanding thyself. Also, it is viewed upon humans to be able to make constructive changes. Self-esteem plays a huge part in one’s life. It can either make or break one. This paper will address the presenting problems, the application of theory and values that will impact the execution of person-centered therapy to the case of the violinist. Application of theory Person-Centered therapy main focus is the clientRead MoreHelp Aging Adults Cope with the Process Concept of Death 1722 Words   |  7 Pagesprocess concept of death and coping with the end of life to which an existential approach will be applied. The everyday aging adult faces many challenges that have to do with the process of aging, such as loss of certain privileges (e.g. driving), loss of vision and hearing, loss of friends and family, loss of freedom, just to name a few. One of the resources to be established is existential group counseling for the elderly. In existential group counseling, members will explore their purpose and meaningRead MoreHelping Girls And The Foster Care System Essay1457 Words   |  6 Pagesthe transition from home to foster care as smooth as possible. The group will allow the girls to make connections with each other so that they can build a support network. Type of Group The type of group we will be working with is a transitional therapy group for teenage girls that are in the foster care system. This will be a mixed group utilizing both a psychoeducational and counseling group type. The counseling focus of this group will consist of helping these girls through the transition processRead MoreExperiential Family Therapy879 Words   |  4 PagesExperiential family therapy (EFT) was first developed in the 1960’s by physician and psychotherapy pioneer Carl Whitaker and is aimed at helping individual family members feel fulfilled and self-actualized within the family unit by means of improving cooperation and intimacy among family members. Unlike other schools of family therapy, EFT does not focus on the perceived problems of individual family members but examines how family interactions and communications cause problems for the individualRead MoreArt Therapy Essay2790 Words   |  12 PagesWhat Is Art Therapy? Most forms of therapy are centered on verbal communication. Art therapy, however, breaks that mold and introduces a more creative means of both communicating ideas and learning to grow. The American Art Therapy Association defines art therapy as: Art therapy is a mental health profession in which clients, facilitated by the art therapist, use art media, the creative process, and the resulting artwork to explore their feelings, reconcile emotional conflicts, foster self-awarenessRead MoreAdolescents and Counseling2202 Words   |  9 Pagesfamily change (divorce, separation, and adoption), obsessive-compulsive, chemical dependency, anxiety and depression and more. Therapeutic factors in children’s groups Much like Yalom’s factors, the same therapeutic factors are used in group therapy with adolescents. They include the following (Yalom, 2005): †¢ Universality The recognition of shared experiences and feelings among group members and that these may be widespread or universal human concerns, serves to remove a group members senseRead MorePhenomenological: Qualitative Research and Research Methodology9542 Words   |  39 Pagesphenomena such as psychotherapeutic change are particularly evident when attempting to examine psychotherapeutic interventions such as ‘art therapy’. Art therapy involves the use of art images as symbolic communications in therapy. These images may reveal unconscious meaning systems that are inexpressible in words. Although an emotional experience in art therapy may be profound and life changing, it is not always immediately accessible or recognisable to the client on a conscious or cognitive level