Reflective Writing #8: Free Choice
Population: Adult
Disorder: Generalized Anxiety Disorder
For the free choice I experimented with watercolor-colored pencils. Since this is the only assignment that I knew the population and then picked a media based off of that, it felt more natural since that is what I do at my internship, instead of having a media that I need to fit into a population. I chose these watercolor pencils because of they in terms of structure, they are in the middle. They are not completely loose like watercolors yet not as structed like regular-colored pencils and I feel that is a good fit for this population. Penzes et al. states “the ETC links clients’ art materials preferences to overused or blocked styles of information processing. Information processing is organized in bipolar levels, i.e. kinestetic-sensory, perceptual-affective and cognitive-symbolic. The left “pole” represents cognitive styles and the right “pole” emotional styles of information processing. The way a client processes information influences psychological behaviour, emotions and cognitions that influence coping skills and attitude towards new situations and challenges in life” (2014, p. 2).
This media could help a client go either way on that continuum. When I have worked with individuals with anxiety, I have noticed that sometimes they need structure to calm their anxiety and other times a little push towards using a looser material is beneficial – but it is important not to be too loose sometimes because that can be overwhelming. Leone states “the arts have always served as a means to understand and amplify the clients perspective” (2020, p. 132). Using art is a great way for individuals to express themselves in a non-threatening way, and can be less confronting than using words. Often times anxiety reveals itself through artwork in many different ways including line usage, color usage, movement, composition and content.
References:
Leone, L. (Ed.). (2020). Craft in Art Therapy: Diverse Approaches to the Transformative
Power of Craft Materials and Methods. Routledge.
Penzes, I, van Hooren, S. Dokter, D. Smeijster, H., & Hutschemaekers, G. (2014). Material interaction in art therapy assessment. The Arts in Psychotherapy, 41(5), 484-492
