Spotlight on Art Therapy
The following is a list of Art Therapy courses which have been offered in the past at ITP. Courses are offered based upon the interests of the current student body and faculty availability. Please consult the appropriate academic-year course schedule for each program of interest for classes offered at this time.
Art Therapy: Person-Centered Expressive Arts for Therapists and Healers
Using the expressive arts to enhance and deepen psychotherapy is a natural evolution. We are coming to understand the need to engage in processes that integrate all aspects of self: the body, mind, emotions, and spirit. We awaken creativity by engaging in creativity. The Creative Connection© process as developed by Natalie Rogers, interweaves all of the expressive arts—movement, sound, art, writing, and guided imagery—to tap into the deep wellspring of creativity that is within each person.
This self-exploration can only be accomplished in a safe and trusting, person-centered environment. The person-centered approach as developed by Natalie's father, Carl Rogers, emphasizes qualities of empathy, openness, honesty, and congruence as the fundamental basis for the therapeutic relationship and creating safety in a group. Incorporating the expressive arts adds a powerful and effective way to help clients identify and be in touch with their feelings. Unconscious material often surfaces which gives the client the opportunity for fresh insights.
Mind/Body Integration
Throughout all times and cultures dance has been used as a way to heal the body, mind, and spirit. Ancient indigenous dance and rituals served as cathartic outlets and as vehicles for psycho-physical integration. Ancient cave paintings of dancers show the historical importance of creative expression for achieving personal experiences of power. In many cultures, dance has been an important aspect of spiritual practice. In transpersonal psychotherapy, the world of somatic expression can be a key to unharnessing the physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual well-being of our clients.
This experiential course will introduce the healing potential of dance and movement as a psycho-physical approach to therapy. From an anthropological perspective, participants will experience the therapeutic elements in the dances of indigenous world cultures. Students will explore dance/movement therapy as an avenue for personal expression, insight, and transformation. Participants will be introduced to dance/movement therapy through experiencing the methods of pioneer dance therapist Blanche Evan. In this approach, they will engage in body-centered exercises that expand movement vocabulary and creative expression; experience the process of translating emotional content into dance expression; and explore aspects of in-depth thematic movement improvisation as a route toward personal discovery. This class will also provide a brief introduction to the broad field of dance therapy, its pioneers, and the client populations who benefit from movement intervention.
Advanced Creative Expression : Forms in the Field—Space, Word, and Image
The goals of this class are (1) to explore a student's unique aesthetic of beauty through creating short poetry forms and visual works on paper; 2) to develop an appreciation of the influence of fields, spaces, and environments on one's verbal and visual creativity; (3) to expand one's own aesthetic to present experiences in verbal and visual forms that echo that aesthetic; (4) to develop one's capacity to receive constructive feedback; (5) to present formal responses to environments, spaces, and fields through a combination of short poetic forms and minimalist visual expressions suitable for inclusion in a group show.
Students are expected to be self-motivating, to work with one's inner personal psychological material independently of the course, to be an independent creator, and to give and receive constructive criticism. Students are also expected to submit one of many short poems and visual works for a group show. Emphasis is on the finest product each student can create as well as on conscious, nonjudgmental engagement with one's creativity.
