About Creative Therapies
Creative arts therapy is a term referring to a group of related professions that utilize expressive processes, such as art, music, writing, movement, or drama, as resources healing, growth, mental health, or wellness.
Art Therapy
The American Art Therapy Association describes art therapy as a mental health 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.
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Art therapists work with individuals of all ages and are credentialed mental health professionals. They are trained in a broad range of psychological theory and ways to use art media and creative processes to help people cope with mental health challenges.
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Creative Arts Therapies
The National Coalition of Creative Arts Therapists describes creative arts therapies as human service professions that use arts-based interventions and creative processes for the purpose of ameliorating disability and illness and optimizing health and wellness.
Treatment outcomes include, for example, improving communication and expression, and increasing physical, emotional, cognitive and/or social functioning. Creative arts therapists are trained and credentialed according to their distinct profession and each creative arts therapy field is governed by a separate professional association with a unique scope of practice. Examples of creative therapies include:
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Art therapy
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Dance/movement therapy
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Music therapy
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Drama therapy
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Expressive therapy
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Poetry therapy
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Music Therapy
The American Music Therapy Association states music therapy is an established health profession in which music is used within a therapeutic relationship to address physical, emotional, cognitive, and social needs of individuals.
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After assessing the strengths and needs of each client, the qualified music therapist provides the indicated treatment including creating, singing, moving to, and/or listening to music. Through musical involvement in the therapeutic context, clients' abilities are strengthened and transferred to other areas of their lives. Music therapy also provides avenues for communication that can be helpful to those who find it difficult to express themselves in words.
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