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Seton Hill University

Greensburg, PA
Undergraduate Art Therapy Programs

The History of Art Therapy

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Table of Contents

Art Therapy Today…………………………………………………………………………...……3

Current Definition of Art Therapy…………………………………………………...……3

Where Art Therapy is Practiced…………………………………………………...………4

Requirements of Becoming an Art Therapist………………………………………...…...5

Shamanism……………………………………………………………………………………...…6

Shamanism Defined…………………………………………………………………...…..6

Beliefs……………………………………………………………………………………..6

Research………………………………………………………………………………...…7

Outsider Art……………………………………………………………………………………….8

What is Outsider Art?..........................................................................................................8

Hans Prinzhorn…………………………………………………………………………….9

My Story with Art Therapy………………………………………………………………………..9

How I Became Interested………………………………………………………………….9

Age to Work With………………………………………………………………………..10

Experience at Seton Hill…………………………………………………………………11

Conclusion……………………………………………………………………………………….12
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Art Therapy Today

Considered to be a relatively new practice, art therapy in today’s world is used in a

variety of contexts by professional art therapists. The practice uses an array of art media such as

drawing, painting, sculpture, and collage to progress the well-being of the client through the

creative process.

The Current Definition of Art Therapy

Because it is ever-changing and evolving, the definition of art therapy has changed over

the years to best suit the current research and understanding of the practice. When researching

the definition, there were multiple takes on the subject and ways of describing it but all had the

commonality of encouragement and healing. When researching the definition of art therapy

herself, Spooner (2016) found the most current definition of art therapy but The American Art

Therapy Association itself. She included the definition,

A mental health profession which clients, facilitated by the art therapist, use art media,

the creative process, and the resulting artwork to explore their feelings, reconcile

emotional conflicts, foster self-awareness, manage behavior and addictions, develop

social skills, improve reality orientation, reduce anxiety, and increase self-esteem.

(Spooner, 2016, p.163)

This definition focuses on the importance of mental health and its improvement among the

clients. Spooner (2016) brought up the point that this definition emphasizes primarily on the

mental health aspect of art therapy. It does not however, contain the side of art therapy that help

clients attain goals more closely associated to health promotion, education, or societal change. It

is important to be aware that art therapy in the current definition focuses on more than just the

mentally ill. The reasoning behind the lack of a broader definition of art therapy that includes all
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aspects of the practice is argued that it may threaten the credibility or professionalism it. Spooner

(2016) counter argues this fear by contending that,

By accepting that each of these seemingly disparate specialties falls within the realm of

art therapy, one is forced to more closely examine and define what it is that connects

them. The ability to articulate these connections would give art therapists greater

credibility and help them to better distinguish themselves from related professionals.

(Spooner, 2016, p.163)

Where Art Therapy is Practiced

Today, art therapy is seen to be practiced in many different settings. According to The

American Art Therapy Association (2013), it is practiced in hospitals, psychiatric and

rehabilitation facilities, wellness centers, forensic institutions, schools, crisis centers, senior

communities, private practice, and other clinical and community settings. In a hospital setting,

art therapy is used on patients that suffer memory loss due to brain injury or diseases such as

Alzheimer’s. Art therapy is also used in hospitals for people with serious or even terminal

illness. From a personal connection, my younger brother Timmy had cancer (lymphoma) when

he was in first grade. Even back then, I can recall my brother working with art and music

therapists in his hospital bed. One of the drawings he still has to this day. The art therapist had

Timmy create a drawing of what his interpretation of his illness was (Figure 1). His drawing had

a creature that resembled a round monster with pointy teeth, wide, angry eyes, and its’ arms in

the air in a threatening manner. I remember he called the drawing “bite head” and although

simple, it speaks volumes of what he was going through and how a first grader sick with cancer

understood it. My idea is that the art therapist was trying to see what a six-year-old child could

understand about the disease, the severity of it, and how they interpret it.
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Requirements of Becoming an Art Therapist

To become an art therapist today, you have to go through schooling but there are different

levels of such. You must first have a bachelor’s degree in art therapy and then apply to a

master’s degree program in the same field. According to The American Art Therapy Association

(2013), a master’s degree is required for entry level practice. You must also have strong

understanding of visual art (painting, drawing, sculpture) which such classes would be included

in the undergraduate degree. Upon obtaining a master’s degree in art therapy, to become a

certified art therapist, one must complete the designated amount of hours in internship as well.

When discussing how to become an art therapist, The American Art Therapy Association (2013)

says,

The Association is dedicated to the belief that the creative process involved in the making

of art is healing and life enhancing. The American Art Therapy Association’s Education

Committee establishes the Educational Standards used by the Educational Program

Approval Board (EPAB) to review art therapy master’s programs for compliance and

accreditation. Approved programs can be found on the American Art Therapy

Association’s website. Educational requirements include theories of art therapy,

counseling, and psychotherapy; ethics and standards of practice; assessment and

evaluation; individual, group, and family art therapy techniques; human and creative

development; multicultural issues; research methods; and internship experiences in

clinical, community, and/or other settings. (The American Art Therapy Association,

2013)
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In hindsight, the requirements of becoming an art therapist in today’s world is extensive as any

other professional field. This shows how far the practice has come credibility and professionality

wise.

Shamanism

The roots of art therapy can be traced back to Shamanism which, depending on the

location in the world, can be traced back from 25,000 years ago. The relationship between the

two have to do with soul retrieval and other beliefs that are common in art therapy today.

Shamanism Defined

When searching for an exact definition of Shamanism, the results are not very straight

forward. From what I gathered from my research, Shamanism was essentially “witch doctors”

doing the healing and involved channeling the spirit world. According to Winkelman (2011),

Shamanism involves a practitioner reaching altered states of consciousness in order to perceive

and interact with a spirit world and channel these transcendental energies into this world.

Shamanism also deals a lot with the helping others through the altered states of consciousness to

gain knowledge or power for others. There are a variety of degrees of the definition because its

origins are from all over the world and has been in existence for thousands of years.

Beliefs

The Shamans believed in the therapeutic role of the arts in alleviating human suffering

and in resolving emotional conflict. One key belief that relates Shamanism to art therapy is soul

retrieval. Whenever the conflict in the individual is addressed, the cause that created the issue in

the first place is still not known. When discussing healing and soul retrieval, Winkelman (2011)

explains that in doing soul retrieval, the shamanic healer and their spiritual assistants locate the

lost soul parts in the lower, middle, or upper worlds of the spirit world. The “team” works
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together to bring back the parts of the soul from each part of the spirit world and finally they

work to heal the spiritual and energetic levels of the soul. The last phase of soul retrieval is what

relates to art therapy. The healing of the soul can be compared to some of today’s art therapy

techniques to heal the mind.

Research

Shaun McNiff, the author of the book Art as Medicine, has extensive research on the

relationship between Shamanism and art therapy. A powerful quote from the book, McNiff said,

“Whenever illness is associated with loss of soul, the arts emerge spontaneously as remedies,

soul medicine” (p.11). McNiff explains that when the soul is troubled (depressed, mentally

unstable etc.), art is then created depicting these troubles. In art therapy, those images are the

feelings that cannot be explained in words alone, it is a sort of tool that assists the explanation

and ultimately the healing. Relating back to Shamanism and the idea of soul retrieval, the

connection between the two lies within the troubled soul and how to bring it back to a healthy

state. Another well-known author that explores the connection between Shamanism’s soul

retrieving and art therapy is Cathy A. Malchiodi. In her book The Soul’s Palette, Malchiodi

discusses the importance of art making to one’s health. She makes the claim that art making is

just as important to your health as nutrition or regular exercising. She also makes a lot of

connections in calling art therapy a spiritual practice which also relates back to Shamanism and

soul retrieval saying, “Art is a constant agent of transformation and indeed the soul’s drive

health” (p. 28). Art as a spiritual practice is comparable to soul retrieval in the way of addressing

the soul is not well, figuring out what the troubles are caused by, piecing it back together, and

regaining a healthy state spiritually. With extensive research done in this area, the similarities are
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undoubtable and art therapy is seen as spiritual and improves the health of the soul/mental

wellbeing which overall leads to a healthy way of life.

Outsider Art

After Shamanism, the timeline of the history of art therapy continues on to a movement

known as outsider art. The ties between the movement and art therapy are dealing primarily with

the mental aspects and the first known attempts. Still much different than what we know art

therapy as today, the beginning roots derived from outsider art relate directly to art therapy in the

present day.

What is Outsider Art?

Outsider art can be defined as art produced by self-taught artists who are not part of the

artistic establishment. Cardinal (1994) emphasizes the differences between those included in the

artistic establishment and those who are self-taught and says, “Works by the self-taught often

have the character of a self-portrait or a secret diary” (p. 30). This is most significant to the

relationship between outsider art and art therapy because Cardinal explains the expression and

emotion in a self-taught artist. In art therapy, we keep journals filled with drawings, paintings,

collages, etc. that have a significant amount of emotion behind them. Those involved in outsider

art were said to often keep a “diary” filled with expressive works as well. The popularity of

outsider art grew considerably in the 1970’s and primarily focused on mental illness. Outsider art

approaches mental illness as reflections of the artist’s inner-turmoil. This specifically shows the

relationship to Shamanism which in turn to art therapy as well. The imagery in the outsider

artwork could appear rather dark or graphic, especially when dealing with the mentally ill.

However, the production of this art work shined a lot of light on what was inside the heads of the

mentally unsound mind.

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Hans Prinzhorn

Hans Prinzhorn was a German psychiatrist and art historian in the early 1900’s. His were

one of the first known attempts to analyze the work of the mentally ill. He is also the author of

the book Artistry of the Mentally Ill. In the book, Prinzhorn analyzed the work of 10 patients

with schizophrenia in depth and over time. He says that in that point in time most of the reports

previously published about the art of the mentally ill were only intended for psychiatrists, not in

terms for everyone to understand, and very few followed the patient’s progress over years of

time. He emphasized that each patient was an untrained artist and was not inspired by him but

rather the patient decided when he/she wanted to draw/paint the works. The lack of outside

inspiration I believe adds credibility to Prinzhorn and his research. This type of research was the

beginnings of what we know of art therapy today because of how he used art as a tool for the

patients and analyzed them.

My Story with Art Therapy

As I had previously mentioned, I had first seen art therapy when my younger brother

Timmy was sick with cancer. I was only in fifth grade at the time and did not completely

understand what it was, but later on in life I would come to realize what it was and why I

believed it was the perfect profession for me.

How I Became Interested

Ever since I was old enough to hold a crayon, I have been interested in art. I was

fascinated by the process of creating something I could be proud of. For as long as I can

remember, I would spend hours and hours of the day drawing or painting with intense focus.

That was really the only way to keep me still for a period of time as I was typically a very

hyperactive child always moving about and talking. In elementary school, I was the child who
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was constantly reminded to stop talking to my neighbor when the teacher was talking. I just

couldn’t help myself, it seemed impossible for me to keep my mouth shut. I’m not exactly sure at

what point I started, but I would keep quiet in class whenever I was doodling in my notebook. I

had book after book filled with pictures I had drawn during class, my friends thought it was

amazing. Upon entering middle school, I was presented with a new variety of art classes that the

elementary school did not offer. From as early as I can remember, I have always loved art and

knew I wanted a future career in art, but did not know exactly what path to go down. It wasn’t

until my second year of high school that I was made aware of the existence of art therapy. Yes, I

had seen it when my brother was sick, but I did not know it was a profession. I immediately

started researching where art therapists got jobs, and where to go to school to become one. By

the time I was a senior in high school, I was set on my future path as an art therapist and would

be attending Seton Hill after I discovered art therapy was offered as a major here.

Age to Work With

I have always been a people person so I was not intimidated by the idea of working with

people for a living. I particularly have always gotten along with kids. I have three younger

brothers and since I was about 13 until the present day have babysat kids, so I suppose that sort

of persuaded me in this direction. I want to primarily work with young children, however I want

to work in a hospital setting with children that are sick like my brother was. In recent years, I

was inspired to want to help children in a similar situation to Timmy because now that I am older

I can understand more what exactly happened to him. I remember the countless nights one or

both of my parents would spend in his hospital room and me lying awake for a week straight

each night scared to death that my brother was going to die when he was first taken and we knew

it was bad. The horrors my brother faced through his illness and the pain and suffering he went
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through with treatment were very difficult to acknowledge at such a young age. I was confused

about how he “caught cancer” and why it took so long for him to get better. I can recall spending

my eleventh birthday in the hospital room while my brother was undergoing chemotherapy and

the smell of the birthday cake made him sick to the point of vomiting. I can also remember the

seemingly endless “presents” given to Timmy and my other brother Logan and I while he was

sick. I remember being confused about why we were getting them if he was the one that was

sick, I suppose it was to be a distraction from what our brother was going through and the

tension it put on our family. Looking back at when the art therapist visited my brother, he was

concentrated on the art rather than the pain and the products of the sessions opened up a lot of

understanding for him as a young patient with a potentially terminal illness and for the adults to

visualize what he thought about his condition. This was my main inspiration to my decision of

what I wish to do for the rest of my life. I want to do anything I can in terms of art therapy to pull

the child away mentally from their suffering and help them get through the difficult time as I had

seen done for my brother.

Experience at Seton Hill

Although I am only a freshman this year, the amount I have learned from just one art

therapy class has opened my mind and view of not only what I will be doing with my life, but of

the world as well. The first few classes of Creative Connections, I was quite skeptical and

questioned my liking of the profession. I think primarily because it was relatively new to me and

because it was a classroom full of people I was not particularly close with, I found it a bit

awkward to discuss emotional topics with strangers. As the class continued, I slowly began to

open up and understand and trust the process. I believe this is evident in my journal entries from

the beginning of the semester compared to the most recent entries. The beginning ones were very
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plain and did not have very much meaning behind them (Figure 2). After I began to break out of

my shell and learn to ignore my obnoxiously loud inner critic, my entries began to become more

expressive and in depth (Figure 3). I now see the benefits of keeping and journal and understand

how it can actually help me with my bottled up emotion and improve my mood and I am now

more open to the process and let it help me. I am confident that I am on my way to a deeper

understanding of the profession I have recently began to love and one day will help others with

my knowledge and skills.

Conclusion

When thinking about one’s current or future career, I believe it is important to know at

least a brief history of the profession to completely understand what you are devoting your life

to. With art therapy this is very important because it is considered to be a relatively young

practice, it is important to know what the origins of this form of psychotherapy are. With art

therapy, I am watching history being made with each new aspect of research for the subject and I

want to be a part of that. From Shamanism to Outsider art, to the earliest evidence of analytical

art, art therapy is comprised of a sense of spirituality and well-being of the soul which in turn

leads to an overall healthy way of life.

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References

Cardinal, R. (1994). The Self in Self-Taught Art. Art Papers, 18, 28-33. Retrieved from Art Full

Text (H.W. Wilson) database.

Spooner, H. (2016). Embracing a Full Spectrum Definition of Art Therapy. Art Therapy: Journal

of the American Art Therapy Association, 33(2), 163-166. Retrieved from ERIC database.

Malchiodi, C. (2002). The Soul’s Palette, Boston, MA: Shambhala

McNiff, S. (1992). Art as Medicine. Boston, MA: Shambhala.

Prinzhorn, H. (1922). Artistry of the Mentally Ill: A Contribution to the Psychology and

Psychopathology of Configuration, Berlin: Springer-Verlag

The American Art Therapy Association (2013) What is Art Therapy? Retrieved from

https://arttherapy.org/upload/whatisarttherapy.pdf

Ulman, E. (1992). Art Therapy: Problems of Definition. American Journal of Art Therapy, 30(3),

70. Retrieved from Academic Search Elite database.

Winkelman, M. (2011). Shamanism and the Evolutionary Origins of Spirituality and Healing.

NeuroQuantology, 9(1), 54-71. Retrieved from Academic Search Elite database.

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Figure 1

Figure 2
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Figure 3