Theraputic art activities
Therapeutic Art and activities
By Mugdha Chandorkar, School Counselor
Art therapy is a distinct discipline that incorporates creative methods of expression through visual art media. Art therapy can be used to help people improve cognitive and sensory motor function, self-esteem, self- awareness, emotional resilience. It may also aide in resolving conflicts and reduce distress.
The British Association of Art Therapists defines art therapy as: “a form of psychotherapy that uses art media as its primary mode of expression and communication.”
These activities don’t have to be perfect or Picasso masterpieces, but your own expression. Just start working on these art therapy exercises for mental health and let your mind go with the flow.
- Design Gratitude in your own way – Draw and design gratitude cards for your family and friends. You will feel great because you do something for someone else.
- Abstract Meditation with Lighthouse –This type of painting allows you to focus on the painting, move the center of your thoughts from inside your brain onto the canvas. It could be a beautiful sunset, a stormy sea, a lighthouse, a colorful or black and white abstract painting.
- Mandala Art Therapy – Another gorgeous example from the art therapy exercises for mental health is to draw and color a mandala. You can get inspiration from various models you find on the internet.
- Create a finger painting -This technique allows you to get intimate with the drawing because there is no brush between you and the paper. The act of touching the paint and applying it on paper has the same therapeutic effect like working in the garden, bare hands.
- Mood Tracker – Mood Tracker is a positive psychology technique for improving mental health where a person records their mood, usually at set time intervals in order to identify patterns in how their mood improves.
Here is what our students have created in the weekly counselling sessions –
