Page 14 - ART FORM AND MENTAL HEALTH - Ingrid Pénzes

The art therapy triad
The art therapy triad consists of three entities: the client, the therapist and the art form.
The client is the main focus in art therapy assessment. Every client is a person with his or her own unique background, history, character, situation and preferences. Problems, in terms of mental health symptoms that interfere with daily functioning, are often the reason to seek help and are observed in art therapy assessment.
The therapist is a professional1 who systematically applies the art form in order to initiate therapeutic processes that meet clients’ individual goals. Several art therapy perspectives that originate from diverse orientations, such as psychodynamic, humanistic, behavioral, developmental and integrative approaches, influence art therapists (Jones, 2005; Rubin, 2001, 2005; Van Lith, 2016). From any approach, there are varied perspectives and rationales on art therapy as well as on art therapy observation and assessment. The art therapists’ perspectives strongly influence their approach, methods and interventions regarding treatment, observation and assessment.
The art form refers to the use of art materials within an art-making process that result in an art product. Art materials such as pencils and paint have their own properties; some of them are resistive and controllable such as pencils and markers, others are more fluid and less controllable, such as colored ink and watercolors. Art materials can be applied with diverse drawing and painting techniques. Some of the art materials are used with a tool; most sorts of paint and ink are applied with a brush, while other materials are manipulated with hands, such as soft pastel and finger paint. The art product is the visible and tangible result of the art- making process; for example, a painting, drawing or sculpture. The visual art product distinguishes art therapy from other art therapies in which the art product – the dance, music or play – only remains when it is recorded. Instead, the visual art product continues to exist; it can be observed, analyzed and touched, and it can offer a bridge for communication (Lefevre, 2004; Moschini, 2005).
All three entities – the client, the therapist and the art form – are considered within the art therapy triad. They interact and influence each
1 Art therapists are bachelor or master-level professionals.
12 | Chapter 1