Art Therapy thoughts

[CYNTHIA ECKLES]

I am a student at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas and am very
interested in Art Therapy. What I wanted to know was what Clinical or
ther types of psychologists think of that sort of therapy as a
treatment.

I ask this because when I recently phoned the Chicago School of
Professional Psychology, my inquiry about Art Therapy was met with a very
cold response.

Thanks.

Cynthia Eckles

_____________________________________________________________
"Heaven for climate, | "I want to harbor you from the anger, |
Hell for company..."| Find a refuge from the wrath..." |
-- Mark Twain | -- Amy Ray |
______________________________________________________________
Cynthia Eckles (eck...@nevada.edu or Spri...@aol.com)|
______________________________________________________|

[Stephen Landman]

In article <3dm5iv$9...@news.nevada.edu>,

CYNTHIA ECKLES <eck...@nevada.edu> wrote:
>I am a student at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas and am very
>interested in Art Therapy. What I wanted to know was what Clinical or
>ther types of psychologists think of that sort of therapy as a
>treatment.
>
>I ask this because when I recently phoned the Chicago School of
>Professional Psychology, my inquiry about Art Therapy was met with a very
>cold response.
>
>Thanks.
>
>Cynthia Eckles
>

I direct an inpatient dissociative disorders unit. Art therapy
is an integral and essential part of the program. On my unit
patients get 5 hours of individual psychotherapy per week,
group therapy daily, 2 hours of individual art therapy per
week, and one art therapy group per week. I would not run
a dissociative disorders unit without art therapy, and I
suspect almost all directors of such units in the country
would say the same thing.

Nothing about art therapy is taught in most graduate psychology
programs, and most psychologists are ignorant about what art
therapists do. They equate art therapy with recreation or
diversion, rather than therapy. I'm sure that interest in
professional pecking orders, professional rivalries, and
professional insecurities lead some psychologists (and
psychiatrists and social workers) to denigrate art therapy
as "not real therapy" also.

Stephen Landman, Ph.D.