Finding courage i n Creativity

Story by Holly Hunter | Photos by Jack Royer | Design by Kayla Craig

You’ve just woken up and it’s another day of avoiding the plethora of check-in texts from your friends and barely making it out of bed to get to class on-time. It looks like your anxiety has sparked again. However, you don’t have to live in this state forever.

One way students are learning to manage the stressors of college life is by trying art therapy. This is a technique utilized to help students express their personality and emotions through channels that traditional therapy doesn’t allow.

According to the American Art Therapy Association, “Art therapy is [a] … profession that enriches the lives of individuals, families and communities through active art-making, creative process, applied psychological theory and human experience within a psychotherapeutic relationship.”

Creative therapy is more than just using different art forms such as music or painting to cope with anxiety; it allows people to connect with their emotions on a different level. “It taps into another part of our brain that often we can’t tap into with verbal communication. Many of our early memories are implicit and non-verbal, and often when we experience trauma, it’s similarly difficult to talk about,” explains Amy Claridge, associate professor of Family and Child Life.

“Art therapy allows for a less direct way to communicate about complicated emotions and begin to make meaning of them,” she adds. This acts as a new form of opening communication channels about common issues college students are facing.

It’s known that a lot of people struggle with anxiety. In the U.S. alone, around 40 million people struggle with this mental illness, making it the most common according to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America.

Nobody should have to feel like they are alone in the fight against anxiety, even though it may appear at times like you don’t have any other choice. Art therapy can help students and people of all ages be able to express their emotions in a positive way.

“Art can be used for the greater good,” says Associate Professor in the Department of Art and Design, Rachel Hall Kirk. “Many artists make artwork for themselves. It’s great when we artists can guide others to use art as a means of personal expression and release.”

The Benefits for Students Art therapy isn’t just to treat people who struggle with anxiety. This therapy can help people of all ages with all different types of backgrounds.

“It can help people with degenerative diseases to stay physically active, and it provides mental stimulation to people with dementia or Alzheimer’s to keep their brains alert,” says Kirk. “Art therapy has been used in prisons to help rehabilitate the inmates to help them integrate back into society in positive ways.”

This new form of therapy has the power to help so many people. Ambree Hollenberry, senior Psychology major and future art therapist, explains that it “can be used in many different ways such as with individuals who have PTSD, ASD, Depression, Bipolar Disorder, anxiety, drug abuse and can also be used as a form of family therapy and even in hospitals for those who are terminally ill.” In relation to those facing serious diseases such as drug addiction, Hollenberry says that her “hope is to be a resource for those who seek healing and to give them the tools to be resilient and recognize that there is greatness in them.”

Art therapy can be beneficial because there’s something for everyone within this kind of practice. “[It] is not just for those with medical or mental health needs. It promotes all values and beliefs and strives to improve emotional, creative and even spiritual growth,” Hollenberry says.

Central currently doesn’t offer any classes for students who are interested in pursuing art therapy as a career which creates a lack of publicity toward what this field can do for people.

“I wholeheartedly believe the university should implement classes geared toward art therapy. These classes would do well where there is a high volume of psychology, family [and] child life and family consumer science majors,” explains Hollenberry.

Art therapy may not be for everyone who struggles with mental illness or other issues, but it can be very beneficial to the right people. A common misconception with this form of treatment is that you have to have something wrong with you to get this type of help. That’s not true.

Art therapy simply dives into a deeper level of those creative outlets for people who may need more assistance. Don’t feel afraid to reach out to professionals, friends or professors to see if art therapy is something you could try to help better your life.