In Dance Movement Therapy (a Creative Arts Therapy), therapists use a variety of tools. As a person who is trained in the Halprin Method, one tool is the use of drawn images. When I work with clients I use art in service to therapy, allowing the client to draw before moving so the image becomes a prop, and/or a drawing after moving allowing the client to draw their experience.
In the creative arts process, the symbols that are created contain valuable information which speak to the circumstances of life. The unique aspect of the creative arts is that it often taps into the subconscious using a different part of the brain to express than what is used to verbalize
When using drawings with clients I look beyond the psycho pathological perspective, and view the work for its intrinsic value as an expression. I acknowledge the universality of images and symbols with an open mind to the uniqueness and specific feeling content of the client’s creation.
CreativeTherapyTools 