Many ways to grow: creative art therapies

So often, the prevailing thought surrounding treatment is that to be effective the treatment must be serious in tone. Yet, when you ask creative art therapists to describe their work, more often than not they will say that the ability to mix enjoyment with clinical technique is the "secret of our success." Again and again, recalcitrant, angry, underfocused, lethargic, and delayed children spring to life within an arts therapy session. Whether the modality used is music, dance, or the visual arts, children find in it the pleasure, stimulation, fun, and communication that may be missing from other aspects of their world. The creative art therapist helps a child by presenting the two-pronged approach of using the art form to foster mastery while allowing it to be a metaphor for ideas and concerns. Thus, both the process of "making something" and the symbols within the content are simultaneously providing therapeutic acid. Most exciting is the ability of the creative art therapist to unlock the child's inner world and bring new vitality to children and families alike. The creative art therapies are an important and unique tool among the constellation of health services.