Art Therapy Research Paper

I researched Art therapy for my assignment. I chose this field because it lines up well with my career profile. It would play into my need to help people while also using my passion for art. Art therapists uses the creative processes of making art to help improve their patients’ mental, physical, and emotional well-being. My interest in psychology also a huge part of why I chose this. I interviewed Sarah Brodie. She is an art therapist in the oncology department at a children’s hospital. I looked at school resources and online sources to find an art therapist.
One of the first questions I asked her was, “What are a few daily tasks you encounter?” She answered that she holds sessions where her clients can use whatever art medium they prefer and just make art and show freedom of expression. She also has to write many treatment plans, case summaries, progress reports, and other reports related to her individual clients or client groups. I also asked what are ways that she maintains her own well-being. She mentioned that she just makes sure she takes time to do things she enjoys. Sarah …show more content…
I did more research on values, and most of them were based around what she said. The other value I found to be extremely important is the freedom of expression and creativity. Patients need to feel that they can create anything and that they have some form of control. I also asked what were some of the rewards and challenges of being an art therapist. She immediately answered that helping the children and seeing them progress is her greatest reward. I researched other answers and one I came across was the reward of seeing their patients’ success through the help of their work. A common challenge I came a cross is the difficulty of working with people. She said that we must realize that they are struggling through hardships, and we must be patient with