THERAPEUTIC ELEMENT
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MECHANISM FOR CHANGE
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Art is accessible.
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Art provides successful and inclusive experiences.
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Art is aethetic.
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Art inolves the interactive creation of beauty.
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Art is expressive.
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Art is a nonverbal mechanism for affective modulation.
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Art is physical.
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Art requires pyschomoto coordination.
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Art is powerful.
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Art connects us to primal archetypes.
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Art is communicative.
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Art allows for the purposeful transfer of ideas.
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Art is metasocial.
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Art creates social unity.
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Art is cognitive.
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Art requires perception, attention and memory.
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Excerpts extracted from paper written by Jilene Dachtler, Educator in Art Therapy - 2006
THE ISSUE:
Traditional educational settings have imbued students with a sense of learned helplessness. Learned helplessness occurs when children quit trying to achieve something, because they've acquired the belief that they cannot influence outcomes, and therefore give up rather than face failure. External locus of control is highly correlated with lack of intrinsic motivation. This is magnified exponentially in abandoned children, where failure has been an insidious part of their life experience. Behavioral problems are also a manifestation of the student's sense of isolation. Interdependence and interconnectedness with others is crucial to mental health.
THE SOLUTION:
Facilitating the development of autonomy and relatedness are two possible solutions. The usage of art-making in class sessions is a feasible way to facilitate the development of autonomy and relatedness in orphans. This results in achievement of overall educational goals by reducing behavioral problems, which prevent teachers from teaching both the behaviorally disordered students and the other well-behaved students. Because art-making involves a process of choice and decision making, the creative process promotes problem-solving strategies while engaging the child with a sense of discovery. Self esteem and autonomy is increased as children learn to be problem solvers, which is an antidote to learned helplessness.
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Magda, Age 9
“We were running from the burning houses. Janjaweed and soldiers with
guns and planes and bombs came, all together, quickly. They were shooting…my
uncle was shot. I saw them taking women and girls away. All of us—my
family—we
were screaming and running from the Janjaweed to hide in the wadi [riverbed
or oasis]…holding each other by the arms to keep together. Here in camp
we are safe, but my father…he was lost.”
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| Children's Art from Darfur conflict |
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