Municipal preschool educational institution

"Kindergarten No. 12 in Cheremkhovo"

Card index

Compiled by:

Guro O.S. – educational psychologist

2016

Card index

art therapeutic exercises

A practical guide for educators, methodologists, parents, specialists (speech therapists, music workers, physical education instructors)

Card index of art therapeutic exercises. – Cheremkhovo, 2016. – 26 p.

Benefit contains a system of exercises that are effective for developing the psychological culture of people and increasing the level of their psychological health through the use of the potential of different types of art. The collection of exercises is universal and suitable for work in any preschool institution.

The manual is addressed primarily to educators, methodologists, parents, speech therapists, music workers, physical education instructors, specialists from a wide range of teaching and support professions.

Content

Introduction……………………………………………………………………………….5

The advantage of the art therapy method……………………………………….6

What types of art therapy are there?……………………………………………………6

Art therapeutic exercises…………………………………...…8

List of references………………………………………………………26

Introduction

Art therapy (art therapy) is a method of psychocorrection that was first used in psychotherapy by A. Hill in 1938.

Art therapy(Latin ars - art, Greek therapeia - treatment) is a method of treatment and development using artistic creativity.

Among other things, art therapy is a wonderful way for others to express their emotions and feelings painlessly.

Children's art therapy is a simple and effective way of psychological assistance based on creativity and play. In other words, this is creativity therapy.

The main goal of art therapy is to harmonize the development of personality through the development of the ability of self-expression and self-knowledge.

Through simple exercises that are more reminiscent of children's pranks, you can not only diagnose the mental state of any person (both adults and children), but also successfully fight many nervous disorders.

Art therapy – exercises for children – is:

getting to know your inner self; formation of an idea of ​​oneself as a person;

creating a positive self-perception;

learning to express your feelings and emotions;

relieving psycho-emotional stress;

development of fine motor skills, communication skills, imaginative thinking and abilities for various types of creative activities.

So, by creating and imagining, you can understand your emotional experiences, understand yourself and your inner world, or you can help your child overcome shyness, dispel fears, become more sociable and open to communicating with people.

Art therapeutic exercises help to “break through” fears, complexes, and pressures into consciousness.

Each exercise, removing masks and clamps, returns you to the essence, to the roots, to the heart, to the root causes.

The advantages of the art therapy method are that it:

provides an opportunity to express aggressive feelings in a socially acceptable manner: drawing, painting, sculpting are safe ways to relieve tension;

accelerates progress in therapy: subconscious conflicts and internal experiences are more easily expressed through visual images;

allows you to work with thoughts and feelings that seem insurmountable;

helps strengthen relationships between participants;

promotes a sense of internal control and order;

develops and enhances attention to feelings;

enhances the sense of one’s own personal value and improves artistic competence.

What types of art therapy are there?

Isotherapy - drawing with colored sand, with fingers on a mirror and on paper, plasticine drawing;

Color therapy - (chromotherapy) - This is a direction in which the influence of colors on the psycho-emotional state of a preschooler and his well-being is used.;

Fairy tale therapy - This is a way to correct children's psychological problems. The idea is that a fairy tale is told for the child, the hero of which is himself. At the same time, in the narration of the fairy tale itself, certain difficulties are thought out for the main character, which he must certainly cope with;

Sand therapy. Playing with sand is a natural and accessible form of activity for every child. A child often cannot express his feelings and fears in words, and then playing with sand comes to his aid. By acting out the situations that agitated him with the help of toy figures, creating a picture of his own world from sand, the child is freed from tension. And most importantly, he gains invaluable experience in symbolically resolving many life situations, because in a real fairy tale everything ends well;

Water therapy. Water is the first and favorite object for study by all children. The first substance that a child gets acquainted with with pleasure is water. It gives the child pleasant sensations, develops various receptors, and provides almost unlimited opportunities for the development of cognitive activity. The value of technology lies in the fact that playing with water is one of the most enjoyable ways to learn. This makes it possible to use this technology for cognitive and speech development, enriching the emotional experience of the child, in case of difficulties with adaptation;

Play therapy – influence on children using games. The game has a strong influence on the development of the child’s personality, promotes the development of communication, communication, the creation of close relationships, and increases self-esteem. The game shapes the child’s voluntary behavior and his socialization;

Music therapy - one of the methods that strengthens children's health and gives children pleasure. Music promotes the development of creativity and imagination. The melody is especially effective for hyperactive children, increases interest in the world around them, and contributes to the development of the child’s culture.

Classes using art therapy toolsare carried out in individual and group form, during educational activities, independent activities.

It is important that art therapy does not require special training. Interaction with children using art therapy is very fruitful and interesting. Classes are based on a game plot, where children perform certain tasks of the teacher. This wonderful form allows you to include a number of speech games, exercises, tasks for speech correction, for the development of cognitive and mental processes, and sensory skills.

Art therapy exercises

Exercise "Masks"

Target : Self-expression, self-awareness. Working with different feelings and

states. Development of skills, active listening, empathy, and the ability to treat each other without judgment.

On pre-prepared mask stencils, draw the faces

You are the person you would like to be. Tell a story from the perspective of each mask. At the end of the work, organize an exhibition of masks. Find masks that are similar to each other among all the masks.

Exercise “What is a boy? What is a girl?

Target : expanding the understanding of people, social behavior of people.

The group is divided into subgroups: adults and children. Each group is given the task of making a joint collage on the topic: “What is a boy? What

is that a girl? At the end of the work, a joint discussion is held. At the end of the discussion, both groups unite and create a single collage on the same topic. Particular attention is paid to ensuring that the views of each group are taken into account when creating a single work.

Exercise “Drawing yourself”

Target : Self-disclosure, work with the image of “I”.

Draw yourself as a plant, animal, schematically. Works are not signed. At the end of the task, all the works are hung on a stand and the participants try to guess which work belongs to whom. They share their feelings and impressions about the work.

Exercise “Scratching”

Target:

Graphic work on a soap lining. The work done in this way resembles an engraving, as it is created by a line of different directions in length, smoothness and turns out velvety due to the deepening of the scratching of the surface.

Material : a sheet of paper prepared in advance (a sheet of paper is first soaped, then covered with gouache, ink or paint), a pen with an asterisk nib.

Graphic work on wax lining. To complete this work, you need a piece of stearin candle, watercolor paints, and ink.

They make a drawing with paints or paint over the sheet with combinations of different tones, depending on what you have in mind. Then carefully wipe with a piece of candle so that the entire surface of the sheet is covered with stearin. After which the entire work (the entire sheet) is covered with ink. Sometimes twice. Scratch after drying.

Exercise “Salt drawings and toothpaste”

Target : develop imagination, fine motor skills, relieve emotional stress.

What if you paint with glue and sprinkle salt on top of these areas? Then you will get amazing snow pictures. They will look more impressive if they are done on blue, blue, pink colored paper. Another way to create winter landscapes is to paint with toothpaste. Draw light outlines of trees, houses, and snowdrifts with a pencil. Slowly squeezing out the toothpaste, go over all the outlined contours. Such work must be dried and it is better not to put it in a folder along with other drawings.

Exercise “In the raw”

Target : develop imagination, fine motor skills, relieve emotional stress.

The drawing then turns out to be raw, when paint is splashed into the not yet dried background and spread out with a swab or a wide brush.

This method of painting helps to get magnificent sunrises and sunsets. Drawing an animal, or rather its coloring, helps to achieve similarity with nature. The object turns out to be fluffy. This method of drawing was very often used in his works by the illustrator Charushin.

Exercise "Spraying"

Target: develop imagination, fine motor skills, relieve emotional stress.

Material : an ordinary comb, a brush or toothbrush, paints.

Using this method of drawing in your work, you can convey the direction of the wind - to do this, you need to try to ensure that the spray falls in the same direction throughout the entire drawing.

Express seasonal changes vividly. So, for example, the leaves on the awn turn yellow and red earlier than on birch or other deciduous trees. They are yellow and green and orange on her. And the method of spraying will help to convey all this diversity.

Exercise “Egg Mosaic”

Target : develop imagination, fine motor skills, relieve emotional stress.

Once you have eggshells on your kitchen counter, don't throw them away. Separate from the films, wash, dry and grind. Dilute the paint in several cups and put the crushed shells there. After 15 minutes, the shell is squeezed out with a fork and laid out to dry. Now the material for the mosaic is ready. Mark the drawing with a pencil outline and, having previously smeared the surface with glue, fill it with a certain shell color.

Exercise "Monotype"

Target : Develops creativity and imagination.

Material : cellophane or glass (the size of a sheet of paper), any paints, clean water, paper.

The paint is splashed onto the glass with water and a brush, and splashed onto the glass. Then a sheet of clean paper is applied and pressed with your fingers. Depending on the stains and the direction of rubbing, different images are obtained. You can't get the same image twice.

This method can be used when tinting paper for drawing meadows, landscapes; the background can be one-color or multi-colored.

Exercise “Invisibility. Drawing with a candle"

Target: develop imagination, fine motor skills, relieve emotional stress.

Material : paper, wax, paraffin candles, watercolors or paints. Gouache is not suitable for this method of drawing, because... does not have shine. You can use mascara.

First, the children draw with a candle everything that they want to depict on the sheet (or according to the topic). A magical drawing is obtained on the sheet, it is there, and it is not there. Then watercolor is applied to the sheet using the wash method. Depending on what you're painting, watercolor may be combined with ink.

Exercise “Paired drawing”

Time spending : 10-15 min.

Goals : development of self-regulation, arbitrariness of behavior, ability to work according to rules, development of the ability to interact constructively. The technique is carried out in pairs.

Necessary materials : paints, brushes, pencils, crayons, paper, water cups, colored paper, magazines, scissors, glue, felt-tip pens, markers. Progress of work: the group is divided into pairs, each pair is given a sheet of paper, a box of paints, pencils. Other materials can be placed on a separate table so that any child can come and get what they may need.

Instructions : “Now we will draw in pairs. Two people draw a single composition or image on one sheet of paper. At the same time, there is a very important condition: you cannot agree in advance about what kind of drawing it will be, you cannot talk during the work. In addition to paints and pencils, it is allowed to complement the image with colored paper, use ready-made images from magazines, cutting and gluing them in addition to the composition. We start at the signal."

After the drawings are ready, a discussion and exhibition of the works is held. You can choose the most harmonious, the most unusual or the most conflicting work and ask the authors questions about what helped them, how they acted, how they agreed on a non-verbal level what exactly they would draw, etc.

Negative experiences of interaction in the process of paired drawing are also discussed.

Exercise “Walk in the Forest”

Target : development of imagination and knowledge of one’s inner corners of the soul.

Materials : paper, paints, pencils, brushes, music player, music records.

Procedure : 1. Imagine that you are in the forest. Use a short verbal story to revive the imagination of the participants: “Once upon a time there was a Green Forest. It was not just a Green Forest, but a Singing Forest. The birches there sang the tender songs of the birches, the oaks sang the ancient songs of the oaks. The river sang, the fontanel sang, but, of course, the birds sang loudest of all. The tits sang blue songs, and the robins sang crimson songs.” How wonderful it is to walk along a thin ribbon of path and, forgetting about everything, dissolve in the majestic beauty of the forest! He seems to open his arms for you, and you freeze in silent surprise. Silence delights you. You stand motionless, as if you are waiting for something. But then the wind blows, and everything immediately comes to life. The trees wake up, shed their sunny leaves - letters from Autumn and the Forest. You've been waiting for them for so long! As you go through each piece of paper, you eventually find a letter addressed only to you. What is Les thinking? What does he dream about? Peering into the orange veins of the Maple Letter, you can find out about everything: The forest writes to you about Summer with the sun that laughs, and the nightingale trills, about spring with its first flowers, cranes and flowering trees. About the winter sorceress, who will soon come, cover the Forest with her snowy carpet, and it will sparkle in the sun. For now, the Forest lives in Autumn and enjoys every moment, not paying attention to the fact that days and months float by... And Autumn changes. She becomes sad more and more often and cries like autumn rain. How wonderful it is to sit in the forest under a Christmas tree and watch the silvery drops! Rain fills the forest with unique freshness. You are not sad at all, on the contrary, you are happy when you suddenly see small colorful mushrooms that have quietly appeared under the tree. Your soul flies high to the skies. And you hide this feeling of flight deep in your heart in order to bring it to the next Autumn, or maybe to carry it through your whole life...

2. Participants are invited to draw a memorable forest.

3. Discussion and interpretation of drawings.

Issues for discussion:

How are you feeling?

What would you title your drawing?

Tell me what is shown?

How do other participants' drawings make you feel?

Try to find an image or drawing in the group that is similar to yours?

Exercise “Drawing circles...”

For this technique, the circle was chosen as a mythological symbol of harmonies. It is believed that the circle, due to the absence of sharp corners, is the most “benevolent” of all geometric shapes, meaning approval, friendship, sympathy, gentleness, and sensuality. Working in a circle activates integrative, emotional, intuitive (right-hemisphere) thinking, and also unites, stabilizes the group, and promotes the formation of favorable interpersonal relationships. Even small children, according to the observation of S. Rais, prefer circles to all other figures. This is apparently due to the simplicity of the round shape. The artist, as E. Bülow noted in the article “And here is a sign for you...”, immersed in the process of depicting a wide variety of symbols, fills the entire surface of the sheet to the very edge, as if discovering them for himself. Many sheets, dotted with circles of sometimes larger and sometimes smaller sizes, touching or intersecting with each other, and sometimes included in one another, raise the question of the significance of the circle as a symbol. Typically, drawn circles are far from perfect in terms of geometry. However, they are self-sufficient entities for which it is difficult to find words. In consciousness only ideas about a certain form arise, the aesthetic merits of which retain attention.

Target : development of spontaneity, reflection; allows you to clarify the personal characteristics, values, aspirations, nature of the problems of each participant, his position in the group; reveals interpersonal and group relationships, their dynamics, and has the potential to form group cohesion.

Materials : Two rolls (one for each table) of thick paper. A variety of visual materials and tools in sufficient quantity: pencils, felt-tip pens, paints, gouache, brushes, jars of water, eraser, tape.

Progress of the exercise : The group sits around a table and is offered whatman paper, simple pencils, paints, brushes, glossy magazines and glue. Each participant draws a circle figure, and can also complete other people’s drawings and write wishes to each other. At the end of the work, the participants share their impressions of their joint work, show their own drawings, talk about the idea, plot, feelings, and, if desired, read out loud the good wishes that other participants wrote to him.

Instructions : Take a seat at one of the tables. You can change your location if you wish. You have the right to move freely around the table and work in any area. Draw a circle of the desired size in your favorite color. Then draw one or two more circles of any size and color on the sheet. Trace the outlines of the drawings. Connect your circles with lines that you like the most. Imagine you are building roads. Fill the space of each of your circles with plot drawings, icons, symbols, i.e. Give them your own personality. Next, walk around the picture sheet and carefully examine the drawings. If you really want to finish drawing something in the circles of other participants, try to negotiate with them about it. With the consent of the authors, write kind words and wishes next to the drawings that you liked. Be respectful of the space and feelings of others! Draw the remaining free space of the sheet with patterns, symbols, icons, etc. First of all, agree with other participants on the content and methods of creating the background for the collective drawing.

Issues for discussion:

"How are you feeling?"

“How are you feeling now?”

“Tell me about your drawing?”

“Did you complement the work of other participants?”

“What difficulties arose during the work?” and etc.

Exercise “The Tale of the Butterfly of Dreams”

Target : updating the emotional and cognitive components of dreaming, studying “night fears,” searching for an internal resource.

Materials and equipment : A4 sheet of paper, felt-tip pens; materials for making a collage: newspapers, magazines, postcards, paints, pencils, felt-tip pens, PVA glue, scissors, a silhouette image of a butterfly, music player, music records.

Procedure:

1. The psychologist demonstrates a variety of materials for making a collage. Psychologist. To complete the next task we need to draw a butterfly. (The following text is intended for an adult: the symbolic meaning of the butterfly can be explained for further work).

In many cultures, the butterfly is a symbol of the soul, immortality, rebirth and resurrection, as this winged celestial creature is born from an ordinary caterpillar. For the Celts it represents soul and fire, for the Chinese it represents immortality, abundant leisure and joy. Sleep was also considered a semblance of short-term death, when the soul leaves its bodily shell every night and goes on a kind of journey. Butterflies help the soul to “return” to its body. And on their wings they carry memories of the soul's journey.

2. You can ask participants to close their eyes. A psychologist tells a fairy tale to meditative music.

In one magical country, dream butterflies live in a huge flower meadow. During the day, they most often sleep, comfortably nestled in flower buds. But when night falls, butterflies wake up and fly all over the world. Each butterfly is in a hurry to visit its person - a child or an adult.

The dream butterfly has amazing wings. One wing of the butterfly is light. It smells of flowers, summer rain and sweets. This wing is covered with multi-colored specks of good and cheerful dreams, and if a butterfly flaps this wing over a person, then he will have good and pleasant dreams all night.

But the butterfly also has another, dark wing. It smells like a swamp and is covered with the black dust of terrible and sad dreams. If a butterfly flaps its dark wing over a person, then at night he will have an unpleasant or sad dream.

The dream butterfly gives every person both good and bad dreams.

Try to remember your most pleasant dreams (pause), and now your worst dreams. Open your eyes.

3. Making a collage.

Take a sheet of paper with a butterfly silhouette drawn on it. Using colored pencils, paints, or any other means (clippings from newspapers, magazines), try to reflect the content of your bad dream on one wing, and the content of pleasant dreams on the other wing. Use color to express your emotional attitude towards your dreams. Draw the butterfly's face.

4. After making the collage, the client presents his work. Further interaction between the psychologist and the client is carried out taking into account the tasks of correction or counseling, as well as the intellectual and reflexive capabilities of the client.

Issues for discussion:

What are your feelings and experiences during the exercise?

Did you feel a sense of belonging to the group and security?

Did you like the exercise, did you feel comfortable?

Exercise “Spontaneous drawing”

Target : provide children with the opportunity to realize their real experiences and react to their feelings towards the teacher.

Progress of the exercise : After reading the fairy tale, the children are invited to draw a picture - who wants what. The facilitator helps group members realize their real experiences and reveal their perspectives in the process of discussing the drawings. Children are asked questions for understanding and clarification. What did you draw? What is this? What did you like and dislike about the fairy tale? What place in the fairy tale was most memorable? Was it difficult or easy to draw? Note: the drawings are not interpreted, not compared, and results based on the drawings are not summed up.

Exercise “My Planet”

Target:develop imagination, fine motor skills, relieve emotional stress.

Instructions: “Close your eyes and imagine a planet in space. What planet? Who inhabits this planet? Is it easy to get to? By what laws do they live on it? what do the residents do? What's your planet's name? Draw this planet"

Children make drawings, after which a discussion of the work is held.

Game "Two with one chalk"

Target : development of cooperation, establishing a psychological climate in the group.

Equipment : A4 sheet, pencils.

Progress of the game : Divide into pairs and sit at the table next to your partner. Now you are one team that must paint the picture. You are given only one pencil. You must take turns drawing one picture, passing a pencil to each other. There is a rule in this game - you cannot talk while drawing. You have 5 minutes to draw.

What did you draw while working in pairs?

Was it difficult for you to draw in silence?

Have you come to the same conclusion with your partner?

Was it difficult for you because the image was constantly changing?

Exercise “Drawing on crumpled paper”

Target: develop imagination, fine motor skills, relieve emotional stress.

Use crumpled paper as a basis for the drawing. Pre-wrinkle it well and get ready for work. In this case, you can draw with paints or pencils (chalk), you can tear off the edges of the drawing, designing it in the form of an oval, circle, etc.

Exercise “Ink Spots and Butterflies”

Target: develop imagination, fine motor skills, relieve emotional stress.

Drop ink onto thin paper and roll the sheet into a tube or fold it in half, unfold the sheet and transform the image you see. Discuss the results of the work in the group, find the images you liked most from other participants.

Paint Blowing Technique

Target: develop imagination, fine motor skills, relieve emotional stress.

Apply water-soluble paint with plenty of water to a sheet of paper, use various combinations of colors, at the very end of the work, blow color spots through a thin tube, forming droplets, splashes and mixtures of colors into fancy scribbles and blots; try to see the image and develop it.

Exercise “Drawing with charcoal chalk”

Target: develop imagination, fine motor skills, relieve emotional stress.

To create an image, use charcoal crayons, taking advantage of all the possibilities of this visual material. Large paper sizes can be used for work. Use charcoal along with colored pencils or wax crayons. Discuss the sensations and feelings that arise during work and its results.

"Doodle" technique

Target: develop imagination, fine motor skills, relieve emotional stress.

Freely moving a pencil over a piece of paper, draw doodles without any purpose or intention and pass them on to your partner, who will have to create an image from them and develop it.

Options:

then exchange transformed scribbles with your partner and try to continue the drawing without disturbing what he has drawn, then discuss together your associations associated with each other’s drawings;

after completing the drawing, compose a story based on the scribbles;

express in words your feelings and associations that arose when you perceived your partner’s scribbles;

Using sweeping movements of various parts of the body, create doodles on a large sheet (whatman paper, the back of the wallpaper), you can close your eyes. After completion, find the image in the image and develop it.

Exercise “Drawing the mood”

Target : Developing empathy.

Material : Paints, paper.

Carrying out : We paint different moods (sad, happy, joyful, etc.). We discuss with children what mood depends on, what a person looks like when he is in a good mood, when he is sad, etc.

Exercise "Rainbow"

Target : Development of the emotional world. Development of communication skills.

Material : Whatman paper, paints, brushes.

Carrying out : Children are told about the sequence of colors of the rainbow. On a large sheet of whatman paper, they each take turns drawing one stripe of the rainbow. When all the children have drawn a strip, the drawing can be decorated with flowers, trees, birds, etc.

Exercise “Group drawing in a circle”

Target : Developing empathy and a friendly attitude towards each other.

Material : Paper, pencils.

Carrying out : On a sheet of paper you need to draw a simple picture or just spots of color, and then pass the baton to the next participant to continue the drawing. As a result, each drawing returns to its original author. After completing this task, the original concept is discussed. Participants talk about their feelings. Collective drawings can be attached to the wall: a kind of exhibition is created, which for some time will remind the group of collective work in a “foreign space”.

This technique can cause aggressive feelings and resentment. Therefore, the psychologist should warn the participants to be careful with each other’s work.

Exercise “Drawing to Music”

Target : Relieving emotional stress.

Material : Watercolor or gouache paints, wide brushes, paper, audio cassette by Vivaldi “The Seasons”.

Carrying out : Drawing to the music of Vivaldi "The Seasons" with large strokes.

Summer – red strokes (berries)

Autumn – yellow and orange (leaves)

Winter – blue (snow)

Spring – green (leaves)

Exercise “Finger painting”

Target : develop imagination, communication skills, empathy.

Two or more children stand opposite each other and alternately “draw” various objects, animals, cars in the air. Opponents must guess and name the “drawing”.

Exercise “Draw your mandala”

Target : relieving stress, fatigue, tension or internal conflict.

Using a simple pencil, draw a circle with a diameter corresponding to the size of your head. There should be at least 3 cm left to the edge of the sheet. Find a central point in the circle that would give you a feeling of balance. This will help you achieve a steady state. Think about those natural forms that grow and develop from the center, for example, flowers, snowflakes or sea shells. You are part of nature, and therefore you also have a certain center from which you can grow and develop. Start drawing from this center - your center - depicting a certain figure of one color or another, and let the composition of your drawing build itself, as if without your direct participation. With this drawing you can learn something new about yourself, and when you finish drawing, you can discuss your mandala with your therapist.

Exercise “Magic colors”

Target: develop imagination, fine motor skills, relieve emotional stress.

Now you and I will create Magical colors. Here is your tray with all the necessary things (flour in cups, gouache, salt, sunflower oil, water, PVA glue.) Take the flour in your hands, stir it with your hands. What does it feel like? Give her a piece of your warmth, and she will become warmer. Now add salt and mix everything with your fingers. Now let's add oil. Then add water to make real magic paint. To make our paintings durable, we add PVA glue. Almost everything is ready. All we have to do is give our paint color. Choose a gouache color that you like and add a little to the paint. Well done, you have made real magic paint. These are paints for everyone, let's put them in the center of the table. Now we will try our magic colors and draw a fairyland. Children are offered cardboard of different colors, calm music is turned on, and children draw with their hands. Finished works are laid out on free places, organizing an exhibition, while the music continues to play.

Discussion:

How did you feel while doing the work? How do you feel now?

Exercise “A story from the life of flowers”

Target:development of sensory abilities; development of imagination.
Age: preschool; junior school.

Materials:A4 paper; watercolor paints; tassels; photographs of the sky, sun, sea, flowers, trees.

Description of the exercise:

“Today I will tell you one interesting story from the life of flowers. But first, let’s remember what colors there are. I will name the first one, and you will continue, okay? So, red..."

Once the different colors are named, start telling the story.

“Once upon a time there were two colors: Yellow and Blue. They did not know each other, and each considered himself the most necessary, the most beautiful, the very, very best color! But somehow they met by chance... Oh, what happened then! Everyone was desperately trying to prove that he was the best!

Yellow said:

- Look at me! Look how bright and radiant I am! I am the color of the sun! I am the color of sand on a summer day! I am the color that brings joy and warmth!
Blue answered:

- So what! And I am the color of the sky! I am the color of the seas and oceans! I am the color that gives peace!

- No! I'm still the best! - Yellow argued.

- No, I’m the best! – Blue did not give up.
And so they argued and argued... Argued and argued...

Until the wind heard them flying past! Then he blew it! Everything was spinning and mixed up! These two disputants also mixed up...Yellow and Blue....

And when the wind died down, Yellow and Blue saw another color next to them - Green! And he looked at them and smiled. - Friends! – he turned to them. - Look, thanks to you I appeared! The color of the meadows! Tree color! This is a real miracle!

Yellow and Blue thought for a moment, and then smiled back.
- Yes, you are right! This is truly a miracle! And we won't quarrel anymore! After all, everyone is truly beautiful and necessary in their own way! And there is sky and sun, seas and meadows, joy and peace! Thanks to all of us, the world becomes bright, interesting and colorful!
And the three of them held hands and laughed merrily! So they felt good!”

After this, invite your child to create a miracle together. To do this, take one landscape sheet, paints and two brushes. Ask your child: what color would you like to draw now - yellow or blue? After he chooses a color, say:

"Great! You chose your color and you will paint with it. And I will paint with the color that remains. And together with you we will create a miracle! Do you remember how the miracle happened in the story I told you? Yes, that’s right, there are two colors mixed with each other: yellow and blue. And it turned out green! So now you and I will try to do this!

To do this, you start painting with your color from one edge of the sheet, and slowly move towards the middle. And I will draw from the other edge. And when you and I meet, a miracle will happen!”

When the “miracle” happened and the color turned green:

Ask your child how many colors are on the piece of paper now;

Ask why yellow and blue were arguing;

Why then did they decide not to quarrel anymore;

Talk again about what you needed to do to get the green color;

Suggest experimenting with mixing other colors;

Draw an overall picture that includes all the colors you found. Give it a name. Notice how great it really is that our world is so colorful, and everything in it is good in its own way. How important it is to live together.

Note:It will be especially good if, while telling a story, you also show your child photographs or pictures of the relevant topic. Let's say when there is a debate between yellow and blue, then show your child photographs of the sky, sun, sand, sea, etc. When green appears, show meadows and various plants. And at the end of the story, show a photograph in which the child can see how all these colors combine with each other.

Exercise “Map of my inner world”

Target:formation of ideas about oneself; awareness and expression of one's feelings; emotional rapprochement between child and parents.
Age:children of senior preschool age.

Materials:paper of different formats; paints, brushes;
a set of pencils/markers/crayons; various geographical maps.

Description of the exercise:Show your child various geographical maps.

“There are various geographical maps in front of you. As you can see, they can tell us about how the continents, oceans, seas, mountains are located; about the features of nature; about the structure and development of cities; about different peoples. The map reflects everything that people were able to discover and study. Although our Earth was once completely unknown, people knew little about what surrounded them.
But all this is the external world. And there is also a special world. Inner world. Each person has his own - amazing, unique, and somewhere unknown.
So let's create maps of our inner world. They will be similar to the cards that we looked at today, only all the names on them will be special. For example, “ocean of love” or “mountain of courage”. Let us first designate what we have already discovered in ourselves, we know. And let’s leave room for our further discoveries.”

When the cards are ready, arrange “tours” on them for each other.

When viewing, pay attention:

What prevails on your cards: what feelings, states, colors;
- what “route” of progress on the map was chosen, from what place the journey began and where it ended;

- which areas were left for further discoveries; what discoveries would you like to make;

- ask your child what was most difficult for him to portray, and also share your difficulties, if any.

- at the end of the excursion, ask if everything worked out as planned? Would you like to change something? What did you like most about your card and the other’s card? How are your cards similar and how are they different?

Note:Try to continue working with the cards in the following days. Let them remain visible for this purpose, so that something can always be added or changed. It will be good if you periodically again conduct “tours” for each other and pay attention to what has changed in the perception of the map.

Exercise "Envelopes joy And grief"

Goals: development of skills to openly express one’s feelings in relation to various life situations, stress relief, emotional rapprochement between the child and parents.

Age: senior preschool;

Materials: postal envelopes, paper of various formats; colored/white cardboard; paints, a set of pencils/markers/crayons; scissors, glue.

Description of the exercise:

“In a whole day, a lot of different events happen - some amuse us, some surprise us, some make us happy, and some sadden us. Let's make envelopes in which we can collect everything we remember during the day. In one of them we will collect our joys, and in the other we will hide our sorrows.”

Now invite your child to make envelopes. To do this, you can use either ordinary postal envelopes (which you can then paint or make some kind of applique on them), or you can make them yourself. To do this, you can come up with your own form, choose the material itself (landscape sheets, white/colored cardboard, foil, etc.)
When the envelope of joy and the envelope of sorrow are ready, start filling them out.
Take small pieces of paper and ask your child to write on them or draw what made him happy and what made him sad. And distribute it into the appropriate envelopes.
Then invite him to use his hands to depict scales.

Let him put one envelope on his right palm and the other on his left. How much does he think he outweighs? Joy? Great, tell me that tomorrow, when we fill out our envelopes again, there will probably be even more of it! Are the disappointments outweighed? Say that, of course, this is sad. But we put them in an envelope, they are no longer in you - but in this envelope. This means they have lost power over you. And tomorrow we will continue to fill out our envelopes again, and we’ll see who wins!

While filling out the envelopes, you and your child can periodically review their contents, discuss something, remove or add something. Let the child decide for himself how long he will “keep” such envelopes. When he wants to stop, conduct a “full audit” of the content. Then offer to store the envelope with accumulated joys in a safe place, so that you can always review it if you suddenly feel sad. But offer to “deal with” the envelope of grief. Let the child come up with a way to make grief disappear from his life forever (for example, the envelope can be torn and trampled on; you can cut it, or put it in water and wait until it gets wet, etc.)

Exercise “Our family poster”

Target: emotional rapprochement of family members, assimilation of family values.

Age: preschool, school.

Materials: paper of different formats; colored/white cardboard; paints, a set of pencils/markers/crayons; various envelopes, scissors, glue.
Description of the exercise:

A3 paper or a sheet of Whatman paper is best suited for making a poster. Together with your child, come up with a greeting that you will write on the poster, think about the design. You may want to decorate the poster with your family photos, or maybe you will draw something together.

Each family has its own traditions, its own rhythm, its own atmosphere. Try to come up with pockets that will characterize your family specifically, so that you can feel the “zest”.

Note:try to ensure that these pockets are filled by all members of your family. Thanks to this, the child will be able to quickly understand and assimilate family values, and what is especially important - to feel the unity of his family.

Exercise “My emblem”

Target: formation of ideas about oneself; awareness of one's interests and aspirations; building self-esteem; emotional rapprochement between child and parents.

Age: beforeschool age.

Materials: paper of different formats; colored/white cardboard; paints;
a set of pencils/markers/crayons; scissors, glue, plasticine; images of various emblems; family photos.

Description of the exercise: Show your child various emblems and look at them.

“As you can see, an emblem is a distinctive sign that depicts something that symbolizes some idea, person, object.
What does it symbolize you? What objects most clearly reflect your lifestyle, interests, plans?

Try to create your own logo"

After making the emblem:

- look at it together with your child;

- let him tell you why he depicted these particular objects;

- Did he like the way he implemented his plan?

Note:You can also invite your child to create a coat of arms for your family. It is better to perform this task together with him. Tell us about the history of your family, if you have photographs, show them. Ask what he would like to depict on the coat of arms, and share your ideas. Try to find a common solution that would most fully reflect your vision of the coat of arms.

Exercise "Flower"

Target : develop imagination, fine motor skills, relieve emotional stress.

Materials: paper, brushes, paints, pencils, felt-tip pens.

Close your eyes and imagine a beautiful flower. What does he look like? What does it smell like? Where does it grow? What surrounds him? Now open your eyes and try to picture everything you imagined. What is your flower's mood? Let's make up a story about him.

Notes:It is important to finish the exercise in a positive mood; if the child has composed a sad story or his flower is in a bad mood, then you can suggest changing the drawing or story so that the mood becomes good.

Recommendations for the use of art therapy methods

in working with children

Dear teachers, parents!

For some of you, art therapy is still an unknown area, about which you have heard little and have little trust, maybe some of you are already familiar with art therapy, its methods and features, and perhaps you have already been captured by the spontaneous, creative, bearing the joy of experience is the spirit of this method. Of course, in addition to creativity, this method has many advantages - and we will emphasize them once again.

When working with children, remember that their hands are not yet developed enough, they are awkward and clumsy. Children do not yet know how to regulate the strength, accuracy, and direction of movements. Often the absence or lack of development of these skills makes you angry and frustrating. Tell me, help me how to perform a certain action correctly, but do not criticize in any way.

If a child is aggressive, then when working with him you should prefer modeling. In this case, the drawing will only irritate the child, but the modeling, on the contrary, will calm him down.

Always have the widest selection of color palettes - pencils, paints or markers. However, paint is preferable. Because the brush is more flexible and free. The pressure and severity of the line that a pencil requires are less conducive to liberation, especially at first.

Remember art therapy:

helps develop the child’s emotional sphere, strengthening trust in the world;

helps to go through the adaptation period easier - relieves negative stress conditions - anger, anxiety, resentment, abrupt departure of the mother for a certain period of time, etc.;

develops the child’s sensory abilities - sensations, perception, intelligence, fine motor skills, speech, imagination, creativity; enriches the child’s social experience, develops the child’s communication skills;

art therapy helps to understand the world, explore it, develop experimental and experimental activities;

helps develop a harmonious, spiritually developed personality;

reveal problems and shortcomings in the development and upbringing of a child, his experiences and conditions, relationships with the world.

Bibliography

1. Art therapy [Text]: reader / comp. and general editorship by A.I. Kopytin. - St. Petersburg: Peter, 2001. - 320 p.

2. Art pedagogy and art therapy in special education [Text] / textbook. for students avg. and higher ped. textbook Establishments / E. A. Medvedeva, L. N. Komissarova, T. A. Dobrovolskaya - M.: Academy, 2001. - 248 p.

3. Zinkevich-Evstigneeva, T. D. Workshop on creative therapy [Text]: textbook. allowance / Zinkevich-Evstigneeva T. D., Grabenko T. M. - St. Petersburg. : Speech, 2003. - 400 p.

4. Zinkevich-Evstigneeva, T.D. Workshop on fairy tale therapy [Text] / Zinkevich-Evstigneeva T.D. - St. Petersburg. : LLC "Rech", 2002. - 310 p.

5. Workshop on art therapy [Text] / edited by A.I. Kopytin. - St. Petersburg. : Peter, 2001. - 448 p.

6. Kopytin, A.I. Theory and practice of art therapy [Text] / Kopytin A.I. - St. Petersburg. : Peter, 2002. - 368 p.

I decided to do a short review of books on art therapy. At one time, I myself analyzed the entire array of psychological literature in order to find good books on art therapy or at least some mention of art therapy in general. It turned out - not much. Even now, according to the plan, I wanted to make the top 10, but I really only found it in the top 5.

I present the main works on art therapy, primarily those that can be found for free download on the Internet. For me, the selection criteria were: the uniqueness of the material presented and practical usefulness (that is, specific plans, notes, techniques that can be used in your practical activities).

1 place, of course, I give under all the works and books of A.I. Kopytin, plus those that are co-authored and edited by him. A lot of them. There is a lot of repetition of information in them. Many translated articles by American experts in the field of art therapy.

Art therapy - new horizons/ Ed. A.I. Kopytina. - M.: Cogito-Center, 2006. - 336 p. The book consists of articles by foreign authors on working with various population groups and on working with various traumas and addictions.

Kopytin A.I., Kort B. TECHNIQUES OF BODY-ORIENTED ART THERAPY. - M.: Psychotherapy, 2011. — 128 p. I also have this book in print, and I bought it already having the electronic version. It contains many techniques of body-oriented therapy, I think it is a very successful book. The book is practical, so I decided to have a printed version of it on the shelf, so that at the slightest need I could leaf through it and find what I needed.

Art therapy/ Comp. and general editing by A.I. Kopytin. St. Petersburg: Peter, 2001. P. 320. (Series "Anthology on Psychology"). This book, as befits a textbook, contains original articles by foreign experts in the field of art therapy. Probably every interested reader can find something for themselves among the articles. But I didn’t really find anything for myself. I was just looking for practical tools, but the articles were more theoretical and philosophical.

Workshop on art therapy / Ed. A. I. Kopytina. - St. Petersburg: Peter, 2001. - 448 p. The book consists entirely of articles by various authors, mostly American, and is divided into chapters on the specifics of art therapeutic work with various groups - children and adolescents, the elderly, psychiatric patients, and in the social sphere.

Kopytin A.I., Bogachev O.V. Art therapy for drug addiction: Treatment, rehabilitation, post-rehabilitation. - M.: Psychotherapy, 2008. - 172 p. For those. who works with these population groups. with these groups of addicts, this will be a really useful book. It describes many methods of work, many techniques, with detailed examples and descriptions. A good book, but not very relevant for me yet.

Kopytin A.I. Phototherapy training. St. Petersburg: Rech Publishing House, 2003. - 96 p. A small book on phototherapy, but when I was interested in this particular technique, it was very useful to me. A good book in which most of the text is occupied by techniques, games and exercises based on photography. I was surprised that this, in my opinion, is the only book that contains phototherapy techniques for the development of the child’s cognitive sphere: conceptual thinking, memory, attention, fine motor skills and others.

ART THERAPY FOR VIOLENCE VICTIMS/ Comp. A. I. Kopytin. - M: Psychotherapy, 2009. - 144 p. From the title it is clear what the book is dedicated to and therefore it contains all the materials devoted to working with victims of violence. There are descriptions of cases of working with victims of abuse, descriptions of the specifics of working with such clients. there is a description of the Silver testas a tool for art therapeutic diagnosis and correction, the use of photography in work with victims of violence.

First place, I think, is enough. There are, of course, other books by A.I. Kopytin, there are also on the Internet, probably in printed versions, but let’s dwell on this... You need to master this first!

2nd place deserves a book Lebedeva L.D. The practice of art therapy: approaches, diagnostics, system of classes.- St. Petersburg: Rech, 2003. - 256 p. It can be easily found on the Internet, for example at http://psi-art.rv.ua/ . I really liked the book - simple, accessible and to the point. It contains detailed descriptions, listing everything necessary for organizing art therapeutic counseling. There are descriptions of diagnostic techniques, descriptions of the art therapeutic process, notes of art therapeutic sessions.

3rd place I give for the name and pioneering of M. E. Burno. On the website http://www.koob.ru/burnov/ there is only his “Clinical Psychotherapy”, which contains parts of the book “Creative Therapy self-expression". And I found the book itself at http://www.twirpx.com/file/227696/. SoBurno M.E. Creative Expression Therapy. Publisher: Academic. project, Business book, Year: 1999. The book is not exactly about art therapy, it examines the whole range of therapies that use art and creativity in their practice. What else? Pays attention, of course, to the clinicalthe nature of the material presented and examples. In my opinion, this is a book that needs to be read very carefully, and not just skimming between the lines. Every word has a deep meaning. It's definitely worth mastering it.

4th place I would like to give, again, not exactly to art therapy, but to so-called “creative therapy” and a book Zinkevich-Evstigneeva T. D., Grabenko T. M. Workshop on creative therapy. - St. Petersburg: Publishing house"Speech"; “TC Sfera”, 2001. - 400 p. As a fairytale therapist, T.D. Zinkevich-Evstigneeva devoted a significant part of the book to fairy tales, namely to the techniques of fairytale therapy, dramatization of fairy tales, creation of a fairytale environment, and more. In addition to fairy tales, attention is also paid to play therapy, the theory and practice of sand therapy, and rhythmoplasty. I was especially interested in the method of psychodiagnostics that was proposedZinkevich-Evstigneeva T. D., Kudzilov D. B. in the book Psychodiagnostics through drawing in fairy tale therapy. - St. Petersburg: Rech, 2004. - 144. The book describes in detail psychodiagnostic methods and techniques for processing results. This method is very close to me.

5th place I give it to M. V. Kiseleva. There are 2 books by the author on the Internet Kiseleva M. V.

Art therapy in working with children: A guide for child psychologists, teachers, doctors and specialists working with children - St. Petersburg: Rech, 2006. - 160 p. And Kiseleva M. V. Art therapy in practical psychology and social work. - Speech, 2007. - 336 pp. The books, of course, I think, do not pretend to be unique, they have a lot borrowed, for example from Kopytin, but they also have their advantages. For example, I liked the brevity of the presentation of some questions, it looks “clear and to the point.” The books are strongly practical and therefore can be very useful. I found the books at the following addresses: http://cxid-art.org.ua/books/M_kiseleva.pdf and http://www.twirpx.com/file/560302/.

What art therapy can do for adults. Basic methods of art treatment. The most effective art therapy techniques and exercises.

The content of the article:

Art therapy literally means treatment with art. This method of psychotherapy is actively used in the treatment of psychological and somatic problems. Initially, visual art was used as a healing tool. Today, this method has been supplemented by other types of creativity: music, photography, modeling, literary creativity, dancing, acting, etc.

Objectives and functions of art therapy for adults

Modern art therapy can perform several functions at once:

• self-expression;
• stress relief;
• increased self-esteem;
• harmonization of the inner world;
• personal development;
• normalization of relations in society;
• awareness of psychological problems.

Using seemingly simple techniques, art therapy quietly diagnoses the patient’s mental and physical state, treats identified problems, and simply brings a lot of pleasure. It is based on the effect of spontaneity, like any type of creativity. But it does not require special talents or abilities.

Art therapy can be called one of the safest, most versatile and enjoyable methods of psychotherapy, successfully used with patients of any age.

Basic art therapy techniques for adults

Modern art therapy treatment includes two main techniques:

1. Using a person’s creative abilities to identify, recreate and resolve a traumatic situation;
2. Transformation of the negative impact of affect into a positive one, based on the nature of the aesthetic reaction.

Another way to conduct art therapy is to communicate “on free topics.” It involves a free choice of theme, material, plot and tools for self-expression. At the end of such a lesson, it is the patient’s selection criteria and the manner of completing the task that are assessed.

It is noteworthy that you can correct your internal state through creativity without the help of a psychologist or psychotherapist. Moreover, there is a clear position that art therapy is an “insight-oriented technique.” That is, a technique through which a person must find his problem himself. Therefore, if you decide to heal your soul in the art style yourself, remember a few truths:

• Don’t be shy and don’t try to draw (sculpt, dance, compose) beautifully. The process itself is important - to draw, dance, sculpt your stress, fear or discomfort.
• It's okay if you don't figure out your creation right away - understanding the problem doesn't always come right away. Therefore, it is better to save the results of your therapeutic creativity and periodically review them - from different angles and in different moods. According to the dogmas of art therapy, sooner or later you will definitely see both the problem itself and its roots.
• Art therapy is effective even when you do not fully understand its essence and mechanism of action. It heals “after the fact,” already in the process of how you create.

Types of art therapy for adults

Today, there are the following types of art therapy: isotherapy (drawing treatment), game therapy, music therapy, dance therapy (dance treatment), fairy tale therapy, sand therapy, phototherapy, color therapy, video therapy, multi-therapy, mask therapy, drama therapy (theatrical art treatment), bibliotherapy (therapy with books). In addition, creativity treatment can take place actively (through independent creation of creations) and passively (using works already created by someone). It can be done independently, individually or in a group.

Isotherapy

There are several tips regarding the success of isotherapy:

1. In a state of aggression, anger, irritability, give preference to sculpting - it copes better with strong negative emotions.
2. Making collages is also used as an art therapy technique, but it is better to use it at the final stage of classes. Leave all the “dirty” work to the drawings.
3. Provide yourself with a wide color palette.
4. The choice of tool for creation is yours. These can be felt-tip pens, pencils, pens, but it is better to give preference to paints. It is believed that working with a plastic brush gives more freedom and emancipation. Such effects are especially important at the beginning of therapy.
5. Give up the desire to draw beautifully and correctly - do not use rulers, compasses, etc. for this. Everything must be drawn by hand.
6. As an object of creation, you can choose either existing program drawings (archetypes) or create your own individual projects.

Music therapy

The impact of music occurs through several mechanisms:

• Sound vibrations stimulate metabolic processes and can change some physiological parameters (motor function, respiratory, cardiovascular).
• Associative connections caused by the perception or performance of music affect a person’s mental state.

Main stages of music therapy:

1. Adjustment. At this stage, a melody (song) is selected that matches the mood.
2. Maintaining. The next piece of music should gently and imperceptibly neutralize the feelings revealed by the first melody. That is, to instill hope, to console.
3. Consolidation. The third melody strengthens the positive effect - gives confidence in one’s abilities, instills fortitude.

However, the primacy in terms of the effectiveness of its impact on the human psyche still remains with classical music. Only it is capable of not giving the effect of satiety.

So, if you are depressed, it is recommended to listen to Mozart’s “Requiem,” the Introduction to Tchaikovsky’s 5th Symphony, or Grieg’s “Death.” For anxiety - Strauss waltzes, preludes and mazurkas by Chopin. To relieve aggressiveness - “Sentimental Waltz” by Tchaikovsky, “Rush” by Schumann or “Italian Concerto” by Bach. For vivacity - “Adelita” by Purcell or “Csardash” by Monti, for relaxation - “The Seasons” by Tchaikovsky (“June. Barcarolle”), “An Old Song” or “Pastoral” by Meringue.

Of course, you can create your own individual list of musical works for any mood. And not necessarily classics - the main thing is that you feel that it has a positive impact.

Important! Music itself is magic that can heal the soul. However, from a psychological point of view, a greater effect can be achieved not so much from listening to it as from performing it.

Phototherapy

The basis of the method is the psychologist’s work with the patient in the context of his perception of the photograph: the emotional background, connection to details, the time when it was taken. These can be photos of the patient himself or clippings, magazines, or collages prepared in advance by a specialist.

The first help to identify the problem in relationships within the family, the role in it and hidden grievances, unexpressed emotions. They can also reveal internal complexes regarding their appearance or position in life. This is especially important if the person has few or no photographs. The opposite fact can also alert a specialist - the presence of a large number of photos where the person is alone or is in the center of the plot.

Photos that have nothing to do with the patient often help to reveal secrets from personal life and attitudes towards the opposite sex.

Phototherapy involves working from different angles: creating, human perception of photographic images, discussing them and adding (if necessary) a creative component. As the latter, visual techniques, writing parables, stories, and fairy tales can be used. Such art therapy activities may include drawing, making photo collages, making shapes from photographs and playing with them, artistic description, etc.

Human nature is multifaceted and changeable, and man himself is individual. Therefore, the palette of art therapeutic techniques is constantly updated with new methods of self-expression and self-knowledge.

The most effective art therapy techniques for adults

We have made a selection of the easiest art therapy exercises for you to use on your own:

• "Working with creative waste". Inspect your drawers and take out everything that you don’t need for a long time, but would hate to throw away (paper clips, candy wrappers, calendars, felt-tip pens, pens, etc.). Select from these “treasures” only those that you associate with something negative - grievances, fears, failures. Make a composition from this building material, analyze it, thank each “brick” for the experience and life lesson, and dispose of it.
• "The Tale of a Hero". Take some leaves and a pen, create a pleasant atmosphere (lights, music, a comfortable chair or armchair), relax and write a fairy tale. Before starting to create a creation, decide on the Hero (Heroine), their character and lifestyle, place and time of action. Follow the standard scheme: beginning, obstacles, overcoming them and a happy ending, where the Hero receives not only the desired reward, but also invaluable experience and knowledge that changes his life for the better. Re-read the fairy tale, find your similarities with the Hero and determine at what stage of the fairy tale you are now and what you need to do to reach a happy ending.
• "My mood". Draw your current mood on a piece of paper. To do this, you can use any method (landscape, abstract art, weather) and any tools (paints, pencils, felt-tip pens). Look carefully at the drawing and try to determine what emotions it expresses - sadness, joy, memories, expectations. Think about whether these emotions correspond to your desires. If not, feel free to take on the transformation of the drawing to transform it into the desired mood. To do this, it can be completed, repainted, removed lines or even parts of the sheet, trimmed or supplemented with new elements.
• "Let's make a monster". In order to get rid of internal “monsters” (conflicts, complexes, fears and aggression), you can materialize them and destroy them physically. For example, sculpt it from a material you choose yourself. Think about your biggest problem, imagine its image and transfer it to the material. When the figurine is ready, express to its face everything that is boiling inside. After such a “heartfelt” conversation, neutralize it by remaking it into something more positive.
• "Cactus". A very simple test in which you need to draw a cactus on a piece of paper using a simple pencil. The drawing is assessed according to the following parameters. Position on the sheet: in the center - adequate self-esteem, focus on the present; below - low self-esteem; at the top - inflated self-esteem; on the left - focus on the past, on the right - on the future. Size: less than 1/3 of a sheet - low self-esteem, 2/3 or more - overestimated. Lines: clarity - confidence, shading - a sign of anxiety, intermittency - impulsiveness, strong pressure - tension, weak - passivity, despondency. Needles: the more there are, the greater the level of aggressiveness.

Interesting! Such seemingly mundane things as manicure and pedicure, makeup and any handicraft are also considered art therapy methods for adults. This also includes keeping a diary or blog.

It is an effective method of solving a person’s internal psychological problems, which is based on the creative process. The main difference between art therapy and other forms of psychotherapeutic work is the use of nonverbal communication as the main way of conveying information to other people.

However, despite the importance of knowing the essence and benefits of art therapy, it is based on practical exercises, thanks to which a person finds answers to his questions, copes with internal limiting factors, and overcomes fear. The forms of art therapy sessions, as well as most other forms of psychotherapeutic work, are standard - individual and group therapy.

Art therapy exercises serve as a tool for exploring ideas, events and feelings, developing interpersonal relationships and skills, increasing self-esteem and self-confidence, and creating a new, more successful self-image.

If we talk about group art therapy, before starting practical exercises, each of its participants must become familiar with the main principles of work, which must be followed under any circumstances, otherwise the exercises will not give the desired result. These are the principles:

1. Respect for the opinions and points of view of other participants.

2. Each art therapy session is confidential.

3. Each participant must listen carefully to other speakers.

4. If you do not want to take an active part in the exercise, you can not take part in it.

5. Each participant in the art therapy session should feel comfortable.

6. Under no circumstances should you interrupt the speaker.

An art therapy session is divided into two main parts. The first part is creative, non-verbal in nature, and does not contain a specific structure. The main means of expression for patients in the first part of an art therapy session is visual activity (sculpting, drawing). This part forms the basis of the art therapy session (from 60 to 65% of the total session time), various mechanisms of visual communication and non-verbal self-expression are used.

The second part of the session is verbal and has its own, albeit somewhat formal, structure. It follows immediately after the first, main part of the session and includes a verbal active discussion of the results of the work done. Session participants share their own impressions and feelings, express their attitude to the work process (from 30 to 35% of the total session time).

Exercises performed in groups:

1. Individual drawing. This exercise is performed by art therapy groups mainly at the beginning of an art therapy session. This is due to the fact that the “Individual Drawing” exercise allows each group member to get to know each other better, and also stimulates the perception of feelings and sets the person up for creative work. In addition, performing this exercise does not require special training from the participants, which is very important at the stage of participants getting to know each other.
To carry out the “Individual Drawing” exercise you will need paper, clay or paints and colored pencils. The duration of the exercise is 60 minutes.

Process: Each group member is given a sufficient quantity of colored pencils and paper. Next, each participant should begin to draw his feelings and sensations that arise in him at this second. In this case, a person’s ability to draw is of completely secondary importance; the process itself is important. Participants simply draw strokes on paper with pencils, using multi-colored pencils to more vividly and memorablely describe their current state.

The biggest mistake of many participants in an art therapy session is the desire to draw pictures beautifully so that they will be properly appreciated by other group members and the facilitator. You shouldn't do this. Improvise, draw the first thing that comes to mind. After the last group member completes their drawing, they are turned in to the facilitator for further analysis and discussion. Evaluation of the drawing by group members and the presenter is not allowed.

This exercise perfectly stimulates creative imagination; based on the results of the analysis of work, each group member can learn important information about himself and, of course, get to know his group colleagues better. In addition to colored pencils, other objects (clay, paints, crayons) can be used.

2. Creation of the clay world. This exercise is great for exploring relationships in a team, encouraging participants to collaborate, exploring people's values, and stimulating people to be creative.

To effectively complete this exercise, the group leader/leader must have experience in group dynamics. The duration of the exercise is from 60 to 120 minutes. The materials needed for the exercise are plasticine and clay.

Process: The leader divides all participants into groups of 6-8 people each. Each participant is given one large lump of clay. In order to create a relaxed and pleasant atmosphere, musical accompaniment is added to the work process (for example, playing the flute).

Next, each participant begins to “create a world” from clay. The exercise is performed with eyes closed; participants must give free rein to their imagination and express their feelings with their fingers. When the sculpture is created, the subgroup member places it on the table next to the sculptures of other members of his subgroup. When all the sculptures are ready, the participants open their eyes and, together with the presenter, analyze the world they have created and its integrity. The analysis is first carried out between members of the subgroup, and then with the participation of members of other subgroups.

3. Group drawing. The exercise is suitable for studying the influence of group members on each other, considering relationships in the group, and defining the roles of each group member.

A prerequisite is that the leader has experience in group dynamics and art therapy. The materials needed to complete the exercise are colored pencils, pens and paper. The duration of the exercise is 60 minutes.

Process: Participants sit in a circle in the middle of the room. Each participant is given pens, colored pencils and paper, after which each participant must depict on paper something that is of particular importance to him. At the leader’s signal, each participant hands over his sheet of paper to the person sitting to his left. Accordingly, each of the participants will receive a drawing from the person sitting on the right side of him, after which the task of each participant is to complement this drawing and make changes to it that he considers necessary. Then, at the signal from the presenter, the operation of transferring the drawings is repeated. The exercise ends when each participant returns to their original drawing. Participants should be aware of the feelings their colleagues experience when adding to the drawings. At the end of the exercise, the results are discussed in the group.

The following exercises are intended for an individual form of art therapy:

1. Collage. Collaging allows the art therapist to assess the client’s current psychological state and identify his most disturbing experiences. The main characteristics of collaging: the emphasis is on the positive emotional experiences of a person; gives the opportunity to express oneself even to a person who has no artistic inclinations; allows you to maximize a person’s potential; is a very effective means of working with a person.

Most often, the art therapist chooses a topic based on the client’s problems and needs. The collage is made from newspapers, glossy magazines, images and photographs. Often, the collage includes personal photographs of the client and drawings he has previously made.

Process: The client picks up scissors, paper, glue, newspapers, magazines and photographs, and begins to create a collage. The main limitation is... the complete lack of restrictions. An absolute flight of client's imagination. It is also not prohibited to add comments to the collage and paint over the free parts of the paper.
At the end of the exercise, an analysis of the work done by the client is performed.

2. Creating sculptures from clay. Thanks to this exercise, a person is able to give vent to his emotions, to express the experiences that have accumulated in him here and now through clay modeling. There are many variations of this exercise: making clay vessels; creating casts of body parts and objects; creating figures for group compositions; creation of sculptural images; making amulets and amulets from clay; creating imprints of objects in clay.

3. Child's play. The client is invited to draw his favorite childhood game on a piece of paper and come up with a name for this drawing. It would seem that nothing could be simpler. However, the peculiarity of this exercise is the need to perform the drawing with a hand that is not the main one for the client. Materials for completing the exercise - a sheet of paper (A3 format), colored crayons, gouache, watercolor. This exercise is aimed at pushing the limits of the client’s skills, developing spontaneity of action, and discovering new feelings and sensations. In addition, when performing the exercise, childhood fears and experiences that were previously hidden in the client and interfered with his normal life activities often surface.

After completing the drawing, the art therapist conducts an analysis of the work with the client, asking questions like: “What do you feel when looking at the drawing?”, “Why did you choose this particular game?”, “What feelings took hold of you while completing the task?” etc.

Exercises for working with effects are a separate pillar of art therapy. They contribute to the achievement of in-depth self-knowledge, facilitate the development of new ways of behavior in unfamiliar and non-standard situations, and help a person more easily master previously unfamiliar areas of activity. This work technique refers to techniques for analyzing the deep unconscious; the topic of work is chosen at the request of the client and the art therapist and has no restrictions. The main achievement of these exercises is their ability to actualize strong fantasies, experiences of the client, his fears and feelings.

1. Drawing on wet paper. A drawing is applied on a pre-moistened piece of paper using watercolors. It is advisable to use the maximum possible color palette. The patient observes how the colors mix with each other, feels his feelings arising in the process of observation. Next, the patterns formed on the sheet of paper are given a name. At the end, the drawing is analyzed together with an art therapist.

2. Contrasting pattern. In one composition, the client must combine contrasting shapes, colors and styles, creating a vibrant design. The point is to radically change the work strategy to the opposite one in the process of creating a drawing, using all known contrasts and ways to create contrasts when creating a drawing.

3. Exercise “Fingerprints”. It consists of creating a drawing using a print of any objects that the client wishes. The client's imagination is used to the maximum. The items can be prints of the client’s body parts, accessories, clothing, etc. The place from where these items will be brought does not matter.

4. Creating a composition on paper. Using tape, glue, scissors and paper, the client creates a three-dimensional composition. You can cut out figures from newspapers and magazines and make a story out of them. It is also possible to use candy wrappers, wrapping and toilet paper, cardboard boxes, etc. to create a composition.

5. Drawing with mixed paints. At the beginning of the exercise, the client mixes several thick paints in the shades he likes most. The main thing is to give free rein to your imagination and mix several colors, even if shades that do not initially match each other. Subsequently, the client creates a drawing from the resulting shades.

6. Monotypes. The client creates an image on glass using thick paints, and then prints it onto a sheet of paper. At the end, the results obtained are discussed.

7. Paint blowing technique. The client applies water-soluble paint with a high percentage of water content to a sheet of paper and uses a straw to blow up the resulting design. It is important to use the maximum possible color palette when performing the exercise. At the end of the task, the client makes an attempt to recognize and understand the resulting image, and the results obtained are analyzed.

8. Ink stains. The client picks up a thin sheet of paper, drips a few drops of ink onto it and folds it in half. Next, the client unfolds the paper and observes the resulting image. The results of the work are discussed with the art therapist.

Art therapy exercises

"Music of my soul." Finding an image of yourself in the sound of musical instruments.

“Conversation with the help of musical instruments” in trios, quartets, orchestra.

“Animal Dances” to the music of Saint-Saëns from the suite “Carnival of Animals”, each excerpt of which has a very specific name (“Turtle”, “Elephant”, “Antelope”, etc.). The finale of the suite sounds at a fast tempo and promotes vigorous interaction, emancipation and motor catharsis of the participants.

"Plasticine World" A flute or harpsichord sounds. Close your eyes and imagine that you can make anything you want to see in this world out of plasticine. Work with clay with your eyes closed and let your feelings and thoughts be expressed with your fingers if you have any feelings for another participant. express them in sculpting or speaking. When the figure is ready, open your eyes and place it on the stand next to the figures of other participants. Together, organize a complete world from individual parts and then discuss the result of collective creativity.

"Sculptures". Participants reproduce famous characters from fine art, trying to most accurately convey their poses and facial expressions. Option: The sculptor selects a suitable material for his design and silently “sculpts” his work. The group and then the Sculpture itself guesses what it is. The sculptor can also create a group composition on any theme. “Psychodrawings”: “Mood in the group”, “Me and the group”, “The group turned into animals”, “What am I afraid of”, “Happiness”, “Life goes on!” "Pair drawing." Partners, without agreeing, jointly draw an environment in which they would like to be together. "Flower Argument" Each participant chooses a color for themselves and then a partner with a color suitable for future work. Partners draw their colored lines on a common sheet of paper or draw spots, dots and certain shapes, imitating a quarrel.

"The problem and its solution." One draws a problem on his half of the sheet, the other draws its solution on his half.

"Dangerous journey". One draws a path with obstacles, the other - ways to overcome them.

"Alternate drawing." The first participant draws for two minutes, then passes it to another, etc., until the drawing in a circle returns to the first participant. It is discussed who liked what in the resulting drawing and what didn’t.

“Whose portrait is this?” Group members draw abstract symbolic or metaphorical portraits of each other, mix them up and then try to determine who is in which picture. To maintain anonymity, the author of the drawing expresses his impressions of it without admitting authorship.

"Stopover". The group is divided into two subgroups, each drawing a picture that symbolically reflects the group’s route and the place where it is now located. This could be a geographical map, landscape, building, etc. It is important that each member of the group is depicted in the drawing and it is clear what he is striving for. Then there is a general discussion.

"The History of the Conflict". One subgroup draws the story of the conflict and passes the drawing to another subgroup, which tries to determine the content of the drawing, the roles of individual participants and their positions in the conflict.

“Develop the idea.” One subgroup begins to create its composition, and then passes it on to another subgroup for continuation. It is then discussed how successfully the second subgroup developed the idea of ​​the first.

"Compensation for damages." One subgroup creates their drawing and passes it on to another subgroup, which tries to present it in an ironic way and then returns the drawing to the first subgroup. During the general discussion, the scoffers will have to atone for their guilt.

"The struggle of two principles." Each subgroup depicts one of the opposites: day and night, good and evil, man and wild nature, etc. Roles are assigned within subgroups, and participants embody them on separate sheets of paper. From these drawings, each subgroup creates a composition. Then it is discussed whether the composition was complete, what emotions accompanied the work, whether it was possible to act together, what the result could have been with better interaction.

"Town". Each participant finds a place on a large sheet of Whatman paper and draws a house. When all the drawings are ready, the participants talk about who could live in such a house (character, habits, favorite activities). Then each participant chooses 3-4 of the most attractive houses and draws paths to them. The presenter is one of the last to lead paths from his house to those participants who received the fewest selections. The group comes up with and writes down the name of the resulting settlement, and draws in everything that is necessary “for life” in the town (parks, trees, shops, etc.). During reflection after the exercise, the most liked “places in the town” are noted. Thus, a sense of “we” and group unity develops, and interaction skills in the group are consolidated.

"Artel of Artists". The group creates a picture with colored markers on a large sheet of whatman paper. The drawing process is analyzed: - who determined the order of work; - whether there was a tendency to cooperate, complement or complete drawings started by others; - who helped whom and who did not - for example, did not free up space on time; - were there any attempts to spoil or change the drawing started by others, - who did it and how.

When analyzing the result, the following is taken into account: o spatial organization drawing - how much empty space is left; who took up the most space and who took up the least; who occupied the center of the image, who occupied its upper part, left and right half; colored fragments are isolated and belong to certain participants or are combined into one picture, do they overlap each other; o thematic features of the image - does the drawing have a general theme or content, who took the initiative in their choice, who tried to change the theme and character of the drawing; o tonal features of the image - whether the finished drawing is pleasant in color terms, looks optimistic or pessimistic, calm or tense, warmed by love or permeated with hatred; who used dark and aggressive colors.

Practical psychology

Source:

Starshenbaum G.V., Group psychotherapist

Art therapy training “Collage of updated reality or dreams” Conceptual introduction:

Collage(French collage - gluing, sticker), a technique for creating a picture or graphic work by using various stickers from flat (photos, tickets, fabrics, newspaper clippings and colored paper, etc.) or volumetric (wire, wood, rope, metal) materials. The collage technique can be used in the composition of a work to enhance the significance of two aspects: 1) purely formal, when an artistic image is created by placing or layering certain materials of different shapes, colors, etc. on top of each other. and 2) illustrative (for example, the so-called photomontage), when visual material on a certain topic is cut out from books and magazines and, by moving from an ordinary context to an unusual environment, receives a new interpretation. It is believed that the collage technique was invented by Georges Braque in 1910, although Picasso also created his first collages around the same time. Since 1912, both artists systematically worked in this technique; collage became a characteristic feature of synthetic cubist painting. The Cubist period in the work of both artists is characterized by the search for radically new ways of creating a picture, so they began to include fragments of newspapers, bottle labels, etc. in their paintings and graphic works. printed materials. The addition of such elements to a work of art amazed viewers by the fact that the “real world,” with its own spatial and tactile qualities, was combined on canvas with the illusionism of painting. This mixture of reality and illusion was later often complicated by the use of pictorial “tricks” that imitated the surface of wood, marble, etc.

Among the first to borrow the collage technique from the Cubists were the Futurists working in Italy before the First World War (Carlo Cara, Gino Severini). Their collages are filled with vitality and energy. Often the subject was the contradictory world of modern technology: noise, the grinding of train wheels and protest slogans were conveyed through clashes of words and sentence fragments included in the composition. Collage was used as a new, unconventional technique by the Dadaists, frustrated by the meaninglessness of modern society and the inconsistency of traditional art with their views (Kurt Schwitters, Hans Arp). Dada collages best expressed the rejection of art as a pleasing image of life. Being composed of objects of a person’s daily environment, they themselves belonged to the sphere of “life”. In contrast to the carefully thought-out relationships of forms in art, collage emphasized elements of the random, improvised, which, as the Dadaists believed, were more inherent in life than in art. For example, Hans Arp scattered elements of a future collage as needed on the surface intended for it and then glued them on. The followers of the Dadaists were the surrealists. They were attracted by the lack of connection between the individual elements of the collage, which provided an excellent parallel to the world of dreams, free associations and other manifestations of the subconscious that they sought to reveal. Unlike the Cubists, the surrealists subordinated form and color to the figurative content of the work. For example, Max Ernst cut out engravings from old scientific catalogs and put them together to create something that resembled a nightmare in the feeling of a dream. More than any other direction in painting, surrealism expanded the scope and technical capabilities of collage: artists actively used random effects, for example, they invented “decollage”, tearing off pieces from a ready-made collage; they combined collage with “frottage” - a drawing obtained by rubbing charcoal on a sheet of paper placed on some rough textured surface, such as unplaned wood, spilled paint on canvas, etc.

The first artist to work exclusively in the collage technique was Kurt Schwitters, who continued the traditions of the surrealists and dadaists. He expanded the scope of materials and objects used for collages. His small, but very elegant in composition, works, called the fictitious word “merzbild”, consisted of pieces of paper, bus tickets, labels, coupons, etc.

So-called psychological collages are also popular. COLLAGE is a tool that helps you tune in to the wave of success and set tasks correctly. When making a collage, you reflect on life, the goals you want to achieve, understanding what is important to you. While working, you put your thoughts in order, tuning in for the best in your life.

Diagnostic capabilities of the collage (supporting elements of the interpretation of collages; a holistic vertical-horizontal scheme of collage analysis, the content of nine sectors of collage analysis, “zones of attention” on the collage - the author’s development). Areas of application and methods of working with collage: Collage in working with family and child-parent relationships. Collage in working with pairs of opposites and conflicts. Collage as a means of identifying the prevailing strategies of human behavior; group dynamics; distribution of roles in the group, etc.

Target: understand yourself, get in touch with your real self, understand your true desires and their reflection in the material world, learn to build your reality, open up and accept everything new in your life.

Materials: sheets of A4 paper, felt-tip pens; materials for making a collage: newspapers, magazines, postcards, paints, pencils, felt-tip pens, PVA glue, scissors; music player, music recordings.

Technology used: Art therapy combined with fairy tale therapy.

Technicians: collage, visual activity.