THE USE OF ART-THERAPEUTIC MEANS FOR THE PURPOSE OF PSYCHOSOCIAL RECOVERY OF THE INDIVIDUAL

Abstract

The article pays attention to the actual problems of psychological assistance to the population as a result of various social upheavals, proposes a strategy for psychosocial recovery of the individual, which is represented by a number of art therapy exercises for working with different age categories of clients in need of psychological assistance, and analyses the advantages of using the art therapy method. Art therapy is a type of psychotherapy. In general, this direction uses the process of involving a person in creativity to improve his or her emotional, cognitive and physical well-being. It is a form of expressive therapy that encourages people to explore and express their thoughts and feelings through creativity rather than relying solely on verbal communication. A more complete definition of art therapy was provided by the American Art Therapy Association (2013): art therapy is an integrative mental health and social service profession that enriches the lives of individuals, families, and communities through active creativity, the creative process, applied psychological theory, and human experience within the psychotherapeutic relationship [4]. Art therapy as a method of working with clients of different ages combines “talk” therapy with the interpretation of visual images to penetrate the subconscious mind, using tools that reveal thoughts and feelings that cannot be immediately expressed in words, and succeeding when other interventions fail. Art therapy as a means of healing and communication is very relevant for children and adolescents. When working with young children, it is possible to avoid the problem of children’s limited language skills to express their complex thoughts and emotions. This barrier can be overcome by using methods of expression that children understand quite well, such as drawing or coloring. Adolescents may benefit from a pressure-free and consequence-free environment to express their thoughts and feelings. Distress from pent-up emotions and difficult experiences that need to be expressed is particularly common among adults. In such cases, art therapy helps to develop emotionally oriented coping skills and increase the emotional awareness of adults, etc. It should be noted that art therapy classes serve purposes beyond the scope of arts and crafts. Even independent art classes engage the mind, body and spirit in such a way that a person can convey their thoughts and emotions through visual and symbolic methods, not just words, which helps to increase self-esteem and self-awareness.