Abstract
Art therapy is a form of expressive therapy that uses art materials, such as paints, chalk and markers.
Art therapy combines traditional psychotherapeutic theories and techniques with an understanding
of the psychological aspects of the creative process, especially the affective properties of different art
materials. Its psychotherapeutic modality is based on the disciplines of “art” and “psychology” involving
Sigmund Freud’s psychoanalytic theory, relying on the human person’s symbolic expression as a
means of communication as an alternative to verbal communication.
The term was coined by Margaret Naumburg in 1947 in the United States of America (some have
mentioned that Adrian Hill did so in Britain in 1945). Art therapists have generated definitions of art
therapy split into two categories. The first involves a belief in the inherent healing power of the creative
process of art making, embracing the idea that the process of making art is therapeutic, which is referred
to as “art as therapy” (Edith Kramer’s theory). The second definition of art therapy is based on the idea
that art is a means of symbolic communication, referred to as “art psychotherapy,” emphasizing the products
– drawings, paintings and other art expressions – as helpful in communicating issues, emotions, and
conflicts. The art image becomes significant in achieving insight, resolving conflicts, solving problems,
and formulating new perceptions that in turn lead to positive changes, growth, and healing. In reality,
both approaches are used together in varying degrees.
